2008 Woodie Awards
New Vibrations
Issue date: 10/2/08
ARTIST: Tom Morello
ALBUM: The Fabeled City
LABEL: Red Int/Red Ink
RELEASED: Sept. 30, 2008
Tom Morello, known simultaneously as The Nightwatchman, has released his sophomore effort The Fabled City after just about a year. The new album gives listeners a reason to take former Rage Against the Machine guitarist Morello seriously.
Tom is like a little boy in that his "seriousness" comes from both imagination and uncensored passion. He is definitely as imaginative as a child, but his song-writing skills make it easier to believe his stories than you would your little brother's. The Fabled City is a collection of stories with all of a good tale's necessary elements - character, plot, theme and, especially notable, setting. Almost every song takes place in some specifically named city and time. Vivid descriptions like those in the album's standout "Lazarus on Down," which features System of a Down's Serj Tankian, also set a detailed scene.
Don't you worry about not being able to see and feel for yourself where the "temple steps are smooth and warm." Tom will lead you there on a folk guitar journey. He is able to give his stories a sound that doesn't distract from the words. Tom shows us that we are in a new Wild West.
There's tension, surely, but Morello insists we can solve the problems around us, and he is serious about doing so. His passion for resolve shows in his tone. His voice grows angrier throughout the album and ends with a song so cynical, it's eerie. His story-of-an-album ends darkly.
This last song is called "Rise to Power." It sounds political, but this song and the rest of the album aren't as political as his first solo album One Man Revolution and nowhere near as radical as any of Rage Against the Machine's songs. His solo work does contain blues riffs like those that appeared every so often with Rage, like the hints of the blues in the verses of "Bullet in the Head," but Morello, unlike Rage vocalist Zack de la Rocha, doesn't sing of looming swastikas and repeat the line "bullet in your head" 17 times in a row.
Another departure he has made from his work with Rage and Audioslave is from the distorted, scratchy guitar that earned Tom spot number 26 among Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. The Nightwatchman, rather, is an acoustic mix of blues and folk and vocally reminiscent of Dylan or Cash.
- Hannah Cross
ARTIST: Bayside
ALBUM: Shudder
LABEL: Victory Records
RELEASED: Sept. 30, 2008
After listening to Shudder, the latest album from punk rock quartet Bayside, one may fairly draw the conclusion that its members are not happy. To be fair, no one can blame them: In 2005, while touring and supporting their new self-titled album, the members of Bayside were involved in a major bus accident, one that claimed the life of their drummer, John "Beatz" Holohan. Instead of choosing to end the tour though, the able members of the band continued, opting to play an acoustic set.
The melancholy glaze that seems to coat this album can be seen without even opening the case; Song names such as "No One Understands" or "I Can't Go On" can't be expected to evoke feelings of joy or jubilation.
The lyricism, crafted in the same sorrowful vein, remains constant through the album. "Boy," the opening track, gives the listener a glimpse into the life of a depressed teenager, one who must ignore chants of "Go on, give up, you'll never win/No crying now, they're watching him."
Similarly, "I Can't Go On," a plea for relief from a life of self-deprecation and depression, features the verse "I left a note on your bed/I don't recall what it said/It's something like/'I'm completely miserable/And I'm better off dead.'" It can be a little much to listen to this much contained misery.
In the way of musicianship, there's no doubt about it: These guys know what's catchy. The first single from the album, "No One Understands," is guaranteed to be stuck in one's head from the instant it starts. Other tracks are quite hard to forget: "The Ghost of Saint Valentine" and "Roshambo (Rock, Paper, Scissors)" are definite fodder for humming. Simple guitar riffs and repetitions are employed masterfully.
Herein though, lies the problem: Loyal fans expect more. With very few exceptions, each song follows a similar trajectory, and many of them sound strikingly alike.
One of the songs that does escape this fate is "Moceanu," the final track. It is the only slower-paced, softer song that captures some of the magic that Bayside experienced with Acoustic. Unfortunately, a respite from the cookie-cutter nature of much of the album is not very long: "Moceanu" lasts 2:12.
It is not to say that this album is "bad;" In fact, compared with the millions of punk/alternative songs out there, Shudder does stand out. The problem? It does so just barely. For a band that has put out truly revolutionary music in the past, a product so very close to mediocrity must be viewed as a failure.
After hearing the name Bayside, a music fan expects a level of quality and inspiration in that band's work. To coast with such an ordinary album is indicative of laziness, fear of attempting new things or a combination of the two.
Bayside has the talent, and this album, if it does anything at all, allows the listener to see that they haven't lost their touch. Glimpses of passion occasionally shine through, and this is encouraging.
Far too often though, the sound of the album descends to the level of run-of-the-mill.. Perhaps more acoustic tracks or more experimentation would be necessary to reinvigorate this great band and its members, some of whom have gone through so much.
A track on the album contains the following mantra: "Wicked are the ones who dare to think outside the box." Perhaps this is sadly true, but those ones are also the ones selling CDs.
Â-Greg Sgammato
ARTIST: Ben Folds
ALBUM: Way to Normal
LABEL: Sony
RELEASED: Sept. 30, 2008
Ben Folds has always been the darling of dorky suburban kids with pseudo-angst. Catchy pop melodies banged out on his piano paired with angry yet humorous lyrics are Folds's mainstay. And his new album, Way To Normal, does not differ. For some fans, this might be exactly what they desire, and for others, it perhaps begs the question, "Is this all he can do?"
However, to make that the bottom line of the album is unfair to Folds's gut-wrenching honesty of songs like "Cologne," and "You Don't Know Me," the duet with Regina Spektor. These tracks delicately and openly deal with loss and the difficulty of intimacy, respectively. Folds takes a refreshing break from mirth in the middle of the album and gives the songs the serious attention and tone that they deserve.
Folds's moments of candor on Way To Normal are sandwiched by his staples of humor and profanity, such as "Bitch Went Nuts," the third in his series of "Bitch" songs, and "Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head)," a tribute to "Benny and the Jets," which tells the story of a clumsy moment during a concert in Japan. This reference to Elton John is a comparison that critics have made since Folds came onto the scene in 1995 with his band Ben Folds Five.
Jest and mockery have swirled around the release of Way to Normal since July when Folds leaked six fake versions of songs on the album. Fans and critics thought Folds had lost his marbles, believing that these songs were straight off the album.
Of course, all of the leaks sounded legitimate enough that the public ate them up. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Ben Folds confessed the leak was an attempt to make fun of musicians who are unusually secretive about their recording processes and album releases.
It's for these reasons that one cannot help but love Folds and his antics, whether in media or music. Time after time, he takes an in-depth examination of society and morphs those results into something that we all can swallow and understand.
Even on tracks that are not exceptionally exciting musically, Folds's lyrics rip the listener into reality. Whether it's in the critique of a social obsession with Eastern medicine in "Dr. Yang," or a scrutiny of the nouveau-riche's sense of entitlement in "The Frown Song," Folds first makes you laugh and bop along, but then forces you to re-examine your priorities.
Way to Normal is nothing unique or different. Don't expect a surprise - Folds is not aiming for anything new. This album provides him with an opportunity to stretch his legs and get comfortable in what he knows how to do best: baring his heartbreak while veiling it in bouncy piano pop and laughter.
- Sarah Sabshon
ALBUM: The Fabeled City
LABEL: Red Int/Red Ink
RELEASED: Sept. 30, 2008
Tom Morello, known simultaneously as The Nightwatchman, has released his sophomore effort The Fabled City after just about a year. The new album gives listeners a reason to take former Rage Against the Machine guitarist Morello seriously.
Tom is like a little boy in that his "seriousness" comes from both imagination and uncensored passion. He is definitely as imaginative as a child, but his song-writing skills make it easier to believe his stories than you would your little brother's. The Fabled City is a collection of stories with all of a good tale's necessary elements - character, plot, theme and, especially notable, setting. Almost every song takes place in some specifically named city and time. Vivid descriptions like those in the album's standout "Lazarus on Down," which features System of a Down's Serj Tankian, also set a detailed scene.
Don't you worry about not being able to see and feel for yourself where the "temple steps are smooth and warm." Tom will lead you there on a folk guitar journey. He is able to give his stories a sound that doesn't distract from the words. Tom shows us that we are in a new Wild West.
There's tension, surely, but Morello insists we can solve the problems around us, and he is serious about doing so. His passion for resolve shows in his tone. His voice grows angrier throughout the album and ends with a song so cynical, it's eerie. His story-of-an-album ends darkly.
This last song is called "Rise to Power." It sounds political, but this song and the rest of the album aren't as political as his first solo album One Man Revolution and nowhere near as radical as any of Rage Against the Machine's songs. His solo work does contain blues riffs like those that appeared every so often with Rage, like the hints of the blues in the verses of "Bullet in the Head," but Morello, unlike Rage vocalist Zack de la Rocha, doesn't sing of looming swastikas and repeat the line "bullet in your head" 17 times in a row.
Another departure he has made from his work with Rage and Audioslave is from the distorted, scratchy guitar that earned Tom spot number 26 among Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. The Nightwatchman, rather, is an acoustic mix of blues and folk and vocally reminiscent of Dylan or Cash.
- Hannah Cross
ARTIST: Bayside
ALBUM: Shudder
LABEL: Victory Records
RELEASED: Sept. 30, 2008
After listening to Shudder, the latest album from punk rock quartet Bayside, one may fairly draw the conclusion that its members are not happy. To be fair, no one can blame them: In 2005, while touring and supporting their new self-titled album, the members of Bayside were involved in a major bus accident, one that claimed the life of their drummer, John "Beatz" Holohan. Instead of choosing to end the tour though, the able members of the band continued, opting to play an acoustic set.
The melancholy glaze that seems to coat this album can be seen without even opening the case; Song names such as "No One Understands" or "I Can't Go On" can't be expected to evoke feelings of joy or jubilation.
The lyricism, crafted in the same sorrowful vein, remains constant through the album. "Boy," the opening track, gives the listener a glimpse into the life of a depressed teenager, one who must ignore chants of "Go on, give up, you'll never win/No crying now, they're watching him."
Similarly, "I Can't Go On," a plea for relief from a life of self-deprecation and depression, features the verse "I left a note on your bed/I don't recall what it said/It's something like/'I'm completely miserable/And I'm better off dead.'" It can be a little much to listen to this much contained misery.
In the way of musicianship, there's no doubt about it: These guys know what's catchy. The first single from the album, "No One Understands," is guaranteed to be stuck in one's head from the instant it starts. Other tracks are quite hard to forget: "The Ghost of Saint Valentine" and "Roshambo (Rock, Paper, Scissors)" are definite fodder for humming. Simple guitar riffs and repetitions are employed masterfully.
Herein though, lies the problem: Loyal fans expect more. With very few exceptions, each song follows a similar trajectory, and many of them sound strikingly alike.
One of the songs that does escape this fate is "Moceanu," the final track. It is the only slower-paced, softer song that captures some of the magic that Bayside experienced with Acoustic. Unfortunately, a respite from the cookie-cutter nature of much of the album is not very long: "Moceanu" lasts 2:12.
It is not to say that this album is "bad;" In fact, compared with the millions of punk/alternative songs out there, Shudder does stand out. The problem? It does so just barely. For a band that has put out truly revolutionary music in the past, a product so very close to mediocrity must be viewed as a failure.
After hearing the name Bayside, a music fan expects a level of quality and inspiration in that band's work. To coast with such an ordinary album is indicative of laziness, fear of attempting new things or a combination of the two.
Bayside has the talent, and this album, if it does anything at all, allows the listener to see that they haven't lost their touch. Glimpses of passion occasionally shine through, and this is encouraging.
Far too often though, the sound of the album descends to the level of run-of-the-mill.. Perhaps more acoustic tracks or more experimentation would be necessary to reinvigorate this great band and its members, some of whom have gone through so much.
A track on the album contains the following mantra: "Wicked are the ones who dare to think outside the box." Perhaps this is sadly true, but those ones are also the ones selling CDs.
Â-Greg Sgammato
ARTIST: Ben Folds
ALBUM: Way to Normal
LABEL: Sony
RELEASED: Sept. 30, 2008
Ben Folds has always been the darling of dorky suburban kids with pseudo-angst. Catchy pop melodies banged out on his piano paired with angry yet humorous lyrics are Folds's mainstay. And his new album, Way To Normal, does not differ. For some fans, this might be exactly what they desire, and for others, it perhaps begs the question, "Is this all he can do?"
However, to make that the bottom line of the album is unfair to Folds's gut-wrenching honesty of songs like "Cologne," and "You Don't Know Me," the duet with Regina Spektor. These tracks delicately and openly deal with loss and the difficulty of intimacy, respectively. Folds takes a refreshing break from mirth in the middle of the album and gives the songs the serious attention and tone that they deserve.
Folds's moments of candor on Way To Normal are sandwiched by his staples of humor and profanity, such as "Bitch Went Nuts," the third in his series of "Bitch" songs, and "Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head)," a tribute to "Benny and the Jets," which tells the story of a clumsy moment during a concert in Japan. This reference to Elton John is a comparison that critics have made since Folds came onto the scene in 1995 with his band Ben Folds Five.
Jest and mockery have swirled around the release of Way to Normal since July when Folds leaked six fake versions of songs on the album. Fans and critics thought Folds had lost his marbles, believing that these songs were straight off the album.
Of course, all of the leaks sounded legitimate enough that the public ate them up. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Ben Folds confessed the leak was an attempt to make fun of musicians who are unusually secretive about their recording processes and album releases.
It's for these reasons that one cannot help but love Folds and his antics, whether in media or music. Time after time, he takes an in-depth examination of society and morphs those results into something that we all can swallow and understand.
Even on tracks that are not exceptionally exciting musically, Folds's lyrics rip the listener into reality. Whether it's in the critique of a social obsession with Eastern medicine in "Dr. Yang," or a scrutiny of the nouveau-riche's sense of entitlement in "The Frown Song," Folds first makes you laugh and bop along, but then forces you to re-examine your priorities.
Way to Normal is nothing unique or different. Don't expect a surprise - Folds is not aiming for anything new. This album provides him with an opportunity to stretch his legs and get comfortable in what he knows how to do best: baring his heartbreak while veiling it in bouncy piano pop and laughter.
- Sarah Sabshon
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Nicole
posted 10/03/08 @ 10:17 AM EST
About the Bayside CD "Shudder" I almost completely agree. I am a beyond loyal fan and have been for a long time. Unfortunately, I am overwhelmingly more a fan of their older stuff. (Continued…)
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