Rufus Wainwright at Glastonbury

No, I wasn't there, but watched it from the comfort of my living room on Friday evening. It was recorded a few hours earlier to judge from the daylight situation.
    Playing with an all-male band with 3 pieces of wind and without strings or girly voices Rufus attempted to recreate the major part of Release the Stars. I liked the band's mixture of informal stripy suits. Let's leave the jeans and T-shirts for the endless parade of Brit boy guitar bands on the main stage!
    Rufus usually makes a good fist of performing live anything he has recorded, however baroque or concert-unfriendly some pieces might seem. Release the Stars, the song, comes off pretty well as the opener, although his voice doesn't carry well in the mix. The band are up to the job.
    Rules and Regulations is introduced as his next single. Festival-friendly.
    The Art Teacher proves a crowd pleaser, and given that this only exists in live form (on Want Two), he manages a faithful rendition!
    Between My Legs has concert staple written all over it. Rufus's voice struggles with the low notes of the first verse, but the upbeat second tune bails him out. This songs has the secondary interest of who will do the voice-over. This time it was his sister Martha reading from the obligatory piece of scrappy paper. (Is that the same bit of paper they've all used? They really should get it laminated before it falls apart!) Rufus promised Martha would be back, but sadly the BBC decided to continue with their slavish devotion of Arcade Fire, so if she did come back I didn't get to see it.
    The dreary Going to A Town got a faithful rendition, just in case any visiting Americans weren't pissed off enough with the brooches and black stripes of the stage's backdrop.
    Slideshow comes across well, although I struggled with Rufus's exhortation to imagine he is Heart's Ann Wilson playing a festival in 1977.
    Do I Disappoint You was a unlikely inclusion, and afterwards Rufus called it surreal. I'd call it foolhardy.
    Sanssouci was played far too slowly. Not really a crowd pleaser.
    The (TV) set finished with the rousing 14th Street.
    Were you there? Got a picture I could post?

And the next state on Sufjan's musical tour is....

Discovering the identity of the next state to receive the Sufjan musical treatment preoccupies not just of Sufjanites (like this blogger) but increasingly of the music press in general. So when rumours surfaced of 'Oregon' (often touted as a most-likely next state), Pitchfork were keen to get the details:

Pitchfork's Oregon news

As for Sufjan's current activities, I suspect he's consumed with matters closer to home, namely the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, which will premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave festival in November 2007. As well as the multi-media BQE piece orchestrations of old songs plus some other new items are promised!

Release the Stars, by Rufus Wainwright

1 Do I Disappoint You 4:40
2 Going to a Town 4:06
3 Tiergarten 3:26
4 Nobody's Off the Hook 4:27
5 Between My Legs 4:26
6 Rules and Regulations 4:05
7 I'm Not Ready to Love 5:51
8 Slideshow 6:21
9 Tulsa 2:19
10 Leaving for Paris No.2 4:52
11 Sanssouci 5:16
12 Release the Stars 5:20




My Review of Release the Stars

Absence doesn't always make the heart grow fonder, particularly while waiting several years for Rufus to release a CD while he'd rather be prancing around with his Judy Garland tribute. Let's face it, his previous 2004 Want Two hardly left his reputation on a high point. Despite some audacious baroque pop highlights, it felt like warmed-up leftovers from Want One.
    Insider gossips, leading up to the release of this CD said that Release the Stars was sounding 'fabulous', but to me the 'Going To A Town' leak on YouTube sounded handsome and yet mundane. Should I even buy the CD? I wondered at one point, however with a holiday imminent I was looking for new music so my MP3 was well stocked for the travels, and this just had to be one of them.
    My first impression was that sonically this is as beautifully produced and performed as any record you'll hear... just listen to the quality of the strings and horns, mostly arranged by Maestro Rufus himself. Despite the musical bombast of Do I Disappoint You, the opener, I must respond with yes it does a little. I'm not convinced by the lyrics, and it's hardly Rufus's most elegant melody.
    'Going to a Town' improves with a few listens, but it still strikes me as formulaic until a free ranging chord sequence in the latter part.
    Things perk up with 'Tiergarten' a lugubrious summer pop song, with a rhythm that seemed perfectly suited to my first listens to it on long distance trains in Poland and Ukraine. Could this be a hit? No doubt it will be in Berlin. Has a park ever had a better song written about it? Let me know!
    'Nobody's Off The Hook' proclaims Rufus on the fourth track, backed by an exquisite string quartet. The tune is good, Rufus's singing is good, but the title reminds me of Big Brother a couple of years back.
    Next up is the trademark Rufus that people love and hate in equal measure. 'Between My Legs' commences with the kind of verse that any old pop group could write, a simple repetitive melody set square over its rhythm. And then it reaches its second theme and Rufus leaves the aforementioned pop group trailing in his wake as the song takes off with a change of pace and a vibrant tune. The grand chorus that follows is excellent with Rufus's vocals soaring against a huge and exciting backing, which then repeats with Sian Phillips speaking the words as if its something out of King Lear. Seemingly there's nowhere to go after that, but the signature chromatic tune of Phantom of The Opera seems so appropriate. This song is great fun, there's no denying it.
     Coming after such musical high jinks, the mid-tempo pop of 'Rules and Regulations' seems low key, but taking it in isolation, it's one of the CD's highlights. Nice lyrics, and a great trumpet duet sequence in the breaks.
     'Not Ready For Love' is the slowest song in this collection, and finds Rufus singing in his upper register (a la David Gates of Bread). One of the good things about Want One was that the slower ballads were also the shorter songs, whereas at nearly six minutes this one drags.
    Not to worry, normal bombast is resumed in 'Slideshow'. The strummed opening verse and high-drama chorus calls to mind the searing 'Go or Go Ahead' but the subject is rather lighter here, enlivened by the esteemed Richard Thompson's guitar noodling. The opening lyric is simple but highly effective:

Do I love you
Because you treat me so indifferently?
Or is it the medication?
Or is it me?

    One of the most talked-about tracks 'Tulsa', with its eyebrow raising lyrics and Eleanor Rigby style backing, is ultimately a shallow throwaway. Seeking to make a point about another performer is indulgent even by Rufus and baroque pop standards!
    I've found the previous Rufus albums to be front-loaded as far as good songs go, but this time the album ends with the strongest sequence, starting with 'Leaving for Paris No. 2' (no, I don't recall the first one either!). Vocal backing aside, it's the most stripped-back song in this collection, just Rufus on piano and Jeff Hill on bass (the upright type). This is one of the disk's musical highlights for me, the piano chords shift between keys to great effect, and Jeff Hill's multi-tracked bass adding great atmosphere. The song finishes with a long 'goodbye!' that recalls the Sound of Music (the one where the kids are on the stairs.) A little gem, and if Rufus ever delivers the basic album he's long promised, this points to something very fine indeed.
    Rufus has a real talent for elegant mid-tempo pop, which is amply demonstrated on 'Sanssouci'. I like the way the melody shifts and progresses in each successive line. With such a strong and infectious tune, the backing of fluttering flutes is superfluous, and yet delightful.
    Finally we get a slice of big band bombast with the title track 'Release The Stars'. With its raunchy rhythm, blowsy trumpets and choir of female backing vocals this is a turn-up-the-stereo blast. A fitting finale!
    ...except of course for the dreaded bonus tracks. My copy features a voiceless Do I Disappoint You, but other buyers appear to have different songs. Based on my experience of the bonus tracks which litter RW's back catalog I don't expect I'm missing anything.
    And what of the artwork? It's exceptionally poor. Someone should tell Rufus that lederhosen isn't a great look. I'd rather have the lyrics printed at a readable size in place of the surfeit of lederhosen and gnome pics.
    This is a good CD, not a great one. The unloveable Do I Disappoint You, the dragging Not Ready For Love and the throwaway Tulsa, together with some unappealing lyrics elsewhere, are more than enough to bring the rating down. If you're looking for Rufus's first truly classic CD, you'll have to wait a while longer. But, with its grand, stimulating music and clever tunes, I still recommend this as an essential baroque pop purchase.

Reviews

Observer Music Monthly
MusicOMH

Ys, by Joanna Newsom

1 Emily 12:08
2 Monkey & Bear 9:28
3 Sawdust & Diamonds 9:55
4 Only Skin 16:53
5 Cosmia 7:17

My Review of Ys
Whilst Newsom's 2004 debut, The Milk-eyed Mender, was a quirky but loveable debut, it scarely hinted at the quantum leap that would take us to Ys, and Newsom to packed concert halls around the world just two years later.
    Dating from the age of vinyl records, I have a particular respect not just for the music but for its packaging too. Much as I love my internet-buying, MP3-listening lifestyle, it doesn’t replace the quiet thrill a music loving teenager got from the tactile record sleeves of his newest aquisitions, read and enjoyed on the bus or train home from the shops, like the aperitif before the main course of actually putting the vinyl on the turntable. Hence, the first thing to impress me about Ys is the embossed slip case (we oldies are suckers for a nice bit of embossing!) , with its Holbein-esque portrait of Newsom. Very fetching. Next comes the gilt-edged 30 page booklet, most of which are printed with beautifully laid out lyrics. What's not to like so far? I put on the CD and play it in the background while I mess around on the computer (i.e. work). Joanna caws and crows and coos, and talks and sings and squeaks and squeals, and sometimes just seems to spit out the words, and it seemed on first listen that she barely stops for breath the whole 55 minutes running time. Despite a few nails-on-blackboard moments I like what I hear.
    Several plays later and some of the words are stuck in me like barbs, like on the opening track 'Emily', a song to her sister.
    The refrain is like a song within a song. “I promised you I’d set them to verse, so I’d always remember,” declares Joanna, and then delivers on that promise.

The meteorite is the source of the light
And the meteor's just what we see
And the meteoroid is a stone that's devoid of the fire that propelled it to thee
And the meteorite's just what causes the light
And the meteor's how it's perceived
And the meteoroid's a bone thrown from the void that lies quiet in offering to thee

    It's been noted elsewhere that the above statement isn't technically correct. However, given that sister Emily is an astrophysicist and sings backing vocals on the track we can safely assume this is a private joke. In fact all of the lyrics are private, says Joanna in an interview. The listener is left to savour the pure poetry of her familial ode of love and commitment. To her well-travelled sister Newsom later sings:

Emily, they’ll follow your lead by the letter.
And I make this claim, and I’m not ashamed to say I know you better.
What they’ve seen is just a beam of your sun that banishes winter.
Let us go! Though we know it’s a hopeless endeavor.
The ties that bind, they are barbed and spined, and hold us close forever.

    'Monkey and Bear' tells the story of two circus escapees, and their conversations, it's safe to say this is an aesop-like fable... of our inability to escape from the expectations of others? Like much of Newsom’s lyrics it’s an dense and inscrutable as Eliot’s Wasteland. I’d live to read somebody’s analysis of the bear’s second escape.
    The first two tracks are considerably enlivened by the creative orchestrations of Van Dyke Parks, but he and the orchestra take a rest for the central track, Sawdust and Diamonds and it's a testament to Newsom's prowess as a vocalist and harpist that the listener may take a while to note the orchestra’s absence. It’s a good artistic move, showcasing Newsom’s harp playing, while giving the orchestrations a breather, but certainly not the listener as the pace barely lets up for 11 minutes, Newsom spitting out such as:

I wasn’t born of a whistle or milked from a thistle at twilight
No, I was all horns and thorns, sprung out fully formed, knock-kneed and upright.

    In the days of vinyl the 17 minutes of ‘Only Skin’ could have occupied a full side, and in many respects it would benefit from such a physical separation. The range of melodies, the numerous changes of pace, the variety of backing instruments, and the scope of lyrics is engrossing and handsomely repays a listener’s (and reader’s!) attention. The climactic tune, a duet with boyfriend Bill Callaghan, is thrilling.
    The last song Cosmia is (from what I understand) an emotional ode to a passed-away friend. At 7 minutes it’s the shortest and most direct and moving of the songs, and is my favourite. The harp motif and the rapturous refrain that follows it, would do justice to any great classical composer.

And all those lonely nights
down by the river
You brought me bread and water, water in
But though I tried so hard, My little darlin
I couldn’t keep the night from coming in.

    I’ll nail my colours to the mast. Ys is a landmark recording in music, one which I’m sure will stand the test of time for generations. This quirky twenty-four year old musician must now be considered a fully-formed talent, but hopefully without the knock-knees!


Media Reviews
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/7242/joanna-newsom-ys/
HULIQ.com Rapturous comments about Ys

Grizzly Bear, Yellow House

1	Easier		3:43
2	Lullabye		5:14
3	Knife		5:14
4	Central and Remote		4:54
5	Little Brother		6:25
6	Plans		4:17
7	Marla		4:56
8	On a Neck, On a Spit		5:47
9	Reprise		3:20
10	Colorado		6:14

My Review of Yellow House

Choose your definition...

The grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), also known as the silvertip bear, is a subspecies of brown bear (Ursus arctos) that lives in the uplands of western North America.

Grizzly Bear is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band!

One thing the bear and the band have in common is I admire them both, although have yet to encounter either in the flesh. That aside, it’s a slightly misleading name for such an urbane outfit from the most cosmopolitan city in the world.

Currently on Warp Records and consisting of Daniel Rossen (songwriting/guitar), Ed Droste (songwriting/guitar), Chris Taylor (bass/woodwinds/electronics/vocals) and Christopher Bear (drums/vocals). The band employs traditional and electronic instruments, ranging from a recorder to a laptop, and all four members contribute vocals. Their sound is categorized as experimental rock, folk rock, or just indie rock, and is most dominated by the use of acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies.

Yellow House is the band’s second album, but the first recorded as a real quartet, and arguably the beginning of the Grizzly Bear we know. The title come from Edward Droste’s mother's house where it was recorded, and where I presume the photos that dominate the booklet are taken, although this isn’t explicitly stated.

The first thing to be said is that I missed this for a year (I’m a music fan, not a critic so I don’t get everything dropping on my doormat at the time of release!) Here’s the thing... the band’s name and the soft-toned album cover didn’t trigger my alerts. However, finally I happened across their sound and was compelled to obtain this CD.

So what does it sound like? Not like the cover art, and with little resemblance to grizzly bears! Ostensibly this is a band of guitar, bass, keyboard and drums, but that does little to prepare you for the sound they make. Yes, that’s the instrumentation, but these instruments and many others (piano, xylophone, glockenspiel, autoharp, banjo, clarinet, flute, saxophone) played by the band feel like they’re orchestrated rather than simply played, you’ll rarely hear the drummer keeping a steady background rhythm for long, his percussion is very much part of the orchestra. Add in their accomplished harmonies and we have an intriguing brew for baroque pop fan.

The flute & wind ensemble that kicks off Easier instantly shows this is nor your normal band. Folk? Rock? Pop? Wind, electronics, glockenspiel, finger picking, brushed percussion, and effortless harmonies. The song is more of a prelude than a complete song, a framework onto which they lay their beguiling sounds.

Lullabye teases. It’s moody, not willing to fully reveal itself. Grizzly Bear prove themselves masters of the half-song, just enough of a framework on which to lay their awesome musical structures.

Knife is the band’s signature tune to date, a portentious drama let by a beautifully fat-toned electric guitar. For the first time on this CD we have a familiar verse-chorus structure.

Central and Remote sounds like a madrigal reimagined by Elliott Smith, the breathy intakes of breath seem almost a homage to the late singer.

Little Brother pits a picked banjo and fluttering flutes against a vocal ensemble that evokes the swirling south seas with a sprinking of Weill.

Plans shows there’s no drop in inspiration yet, a bizarre 2/4 tune with a rude tenor saxophone pumping out as much rhythm as the drummer. With the sax, soaring harmonies and diliberate drama, I puts me in mind of Supertramp, and it’s not often I say that!

Marla is dominated initially by its atmospheric waltz time upright piano The strings arranged by Owen Pallett are effective, giving the piece a nostalgic ghostly echo. Then a vocal tune and harmony appears that seems lift straing from Dark Side of the Moon, except here the music is more interesting.

On a Neck, On a Spit is perhaps the most upbeat track, and apart from its acoustic guitar riff makes it difficult to say this is a folk band as they are often labelled.

Each day, spend it with me now, All my time, spend it with me now, But each day spend it with you now, All my time, spend it with you now, But out here, no one can hear me, Out hear no one can hear me

Reprise is a subtly gorgeous, harmonically rich song, led by a Sufjaneque banjo riff.

My love's another kind. From the first morning light, I can follow along, chance to stumble and find, what turns out to be wrong. And my love's another kind. From the top, children yell. You can't talk to me now. You can search for a while, when you're rumbling around.

Colorado, has a fugal harmony dominating its stately six minutes. An utterly satisfying final track to this CD, an atmospheric masterpiece.

The Avalanche, by Sufjan Stevens

1 The Avalanche 3:14
2 Dear Mr. Supercomputer 4:40
3 Adlai Stevenson 2:34
4 The Vivian Girls Are Visited in the Night by Saint Dargarius and His Squadron of Benevolent Butterflies 1:49
5 Chicago (acoustic version) 4:40
6 The Henney Buggy Band 3:16
7 Saul Bellow 2:53
8 Carlyle Lake 3:15
9 Springfield, or Bobby Got a Shadfly Caught in His Hair 4:17
10 The Mistress Witch from McClure (or, The Mind That Knows Itself) 3:24
11 Kaskaskia River 2:15
12 Chicago (adult contemporary easy listening version) 6:06
13 Inaugural Pop Music for Jane Margaret Byrne 1:25
14 No Man's Land 4:45
15 The Palm Sunday Tornado Hits Crystal Lake 1:38
16 The Pick-up 3:23
17 The Perpetual Self, or "What Would Saul Alinsky Do?" 2:24
18 For Clyde Tombaugh 3:43
19 Chicago (multiple personality disorder version) 4:35
20 Pittsfield 6:41
21 The Undivided Self (for Eppie and Popo) 4:59

My Review of The Avalanche

Looking forward to reviewing this wondrous collection when I get a chance. Meantime, feel free to comment.

Gulag Orkestar, by Beirut

1 The Gulag Orkestar 4:38
2 Prenzlauerberg 3:46
3 Brandenburg 3:38
4 Postcards From Italy 4:17
5 Mount Wroclai (Idle Days) 3:15
6 Rhineland (Heartland) 3:58
7 Scenic World 2:08
8 Bratislava 3:17
9 The Bunker 3:13
10 The Canals of Our City 2:21
11 After the Curtain 2:54