Super Furry Animals
by Taylor Upchurch
The Super Furry Animals have a lot going for them. They formed in 1995, just in time for the decline and fall of alternative rock, so they got to carve a career out of writing clever songs that respond to it and being labeled ‘post-alternative’ in return. They’ve got that weird Welsh charm that you can’t find anywhere near here, save perhaps the chips and rarebit dip at Llewelyn’s.
And last but far from least, they boast the sugary-sweetest vocal harmonies of any band in a long, long time. Don’t take my word for this. Just download the title track to Rings Around the World, their fifth album, and you’ll be on my side of this debate in less than three minutes. That’s the kind of beautiful pop-rock that won them a major-label deal, an opportunity which the Animals seem to be using as a platform to try to one-up Gorillaz in electronic eclecticism and multimedia accompaniment (they released a DVD version of the album wherein most of the songs have corresponding short films, presumably in hopes of starting a new trend).
Rings Around the World slaps together a grab bag of songs that don’t particularly sound ordered correctly, some of which have sections that don’t sound like they were ordered correctly either. It’s at heart a simple alt-rock album in its transparent desire to surprise you as often as possible. The most clich‚d example is the tired soft-verse, loud-chorus song that gets dragged out again in “Sidewalk Serfer Girl,” but there’s all sorts of other tricks that come out, many of which work: the sudden swelling of “Shoot Doris Day,” and the irreverent, trashy chant in “Receptacle for the Respectable.” And just when you start to get bored, they hit some amazing note, like in chorus to “No Sympathy” or the harmony that pops up towards the end of “Alternate Route to Vulcan Street.”
The high point, other than the aforementioned “Rings Around the World,” may be “No Sympathy,” which morphs from a pedestrian strumming song into an electronica shipwreck over six minutes. Which is immediately followed by “Juxtaposed with U,” an obvious hit single with Morrissey Lite lyrics and music that belongs in the waiting room for porn auditions. Whatever its misgivings, Rings Around the World keeps you on your toes. Depending on your view, it’s either got something for everyone, or it’s not consistent enough to please anyone.
Super Furry Animals are a band that clearly deserves the big major-label deal because they obviously know what to do with it. But by most accounts Rings Around the World is a bit of a letdown, a classic case of getting-away-from-what-got-ya-there syndrome. No matter, it still dazzles twice for every time it frustrates, and the important thing is that they’re taking risks.
****
Echobrain.
by Brendan Watson
Echobrain’s debut self-titled album is a clich‚d, pop-rock attempt at commercial success. The band rests primarily on the r‚sum‚ of bandleader and bassist Jason Newsted, who played thirteen years with Metallica before leaving the band in February 2000 for a period of musical experimentation. He built his home studio, the Chophouse, and joined forces with two lesser musicians, guitarist and vocalist Dylan Donkin and drummer Brian Sagrafena, both in their early teens when they met in 1995.
The band claims jazz, funk, classic rock and obvious Metallica influences, but for much of the album these unique sounds are thrown together in an awkward soup of watered down, quickly forgotten lyrics, weak, unassuming beats and oversimplified guitar riffs.
The band relies primarily on flashy electronic production instead of solid musicianship, thus failing to rise to the level of an experienced band, or to have the roughness that creates the charm of an up-start garage band. Newsted described the band’s sound to MTV.com as “tomorrow music,” but that is an inept way of describing a sound that fails to capture the excitement and mystique of yesteryear, much less form a unique, avant-garde musical style.
That’s not to discredit the album’s better moments. “Ghost” starts out with an interesting and mysterious-sounding string ensemble led by members of the San Francisco and National symphonies, and hidden in the background of “I Drank You” are some catchy, blues-inspired harmonica runs.
And by the last track, “Cryin’ Shame” Echobrain settles into a groove that sounds more genuine and complementary to their musical roots and interests. Newsted finally leads the band with a strong walking bass line, as Donkin explores the wide range of his vocals with greater energy and inflection, and drummer Sagrafena comes out of the woodwork for the first time using some well-placed cymbal crashes to feed off of and soar above the band’s energy.
Echobrain, however, does not fail to disappoint. The hidden surprise.a thirteenth track that is a kazoo-led disaster, combining the worst in slide piano, blue grass, elevator music and fusion. Despite the band’s best attempts at being tomorrow’s music, Echobrain is a dated and hopefully short-lived experiment.
*
Alanis Morissette
by Kevin Skiena
Everytime I get a new Alanis CD I brace myself. The first tracks have a history or being the angriest, but this is not the case with Under Rug Swept.
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie was the most eclectic female rock and roll album of the 90s. Alanis basically writes two types of songs, either deep narratives about complex relationships or songs that come across as writing exercises (What are 21 things you would want in a lover? What aspects of yourself would you like to thank?).
Jagged Little Pill and Supposed . . . made her famous with their forceful and honest emotions, but Alanis’ latest is about as mainstream as she gets. Most of the songs are about relationships and the author’s struggle to deal with her own emotions. Beware, though, she’s not as angry as she used to be. Compared with early songs like “Baba” and her anthem “You Oughta Know,” Under Rug Swept is tame. The most bitter song seems to be “A Man,” but even it has overtones of struggling and forgiveness with lines like, “I’m working my way toward our union mended.”
Alanis’ tendency to write songs that sound like lists doesn’t always work. It’s beautiful in songs like “A Man” and the terrific “That Particular Time,” but it makes some of the songs on this album corny. “21 Things I Want in a Lover” epitomizes everything that is bad about Alanis Morissette music. It’s corny, uninteresting, and doesn’t come anywhere near the depth of the other tracks. On the other hand, “That Particular Time” uses a similar style of repeating a certain phrase, and it works wonderfully, charting the birth and death of a doomed relationship. The lyrics combined with the airy piano chords and bass drums makes this a powerful and interesting song.
Under Rug Swept still has the variety of Alanis’ other albums. Even her hardcore fans tend not to like every track on every album, simply because they are so different and cater to different audiences. The fans won’t be disappointed with this one. It’s not as action-packed as her earlier work, but it’s honest. Alanis may win over some new fans with the album’s more mainstream style. But for them, I recommend valium before checking out her earlier work, or at the very least, hot chocolate and a stuffed animal.
****