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This is much better than his first proper studio album When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog. In fact, it may equal or even surpass his brilliant EPs collection Oh You’re So Silent Jens (one of my favorite albums of 2005). In particular, the first five songs on this record are absolutely astonishing. The obvious single is “The Opposite of Hallelujah” and it’s a stunner, but also check out the SCOTT WALKER-esque opener “And I Remember Every Kiss” as well as “A Postcard to Nina”, which I saw Jens perform last year at Bowery Ballroom. The most notable difference between this collection and his previous records is that it’s nowhere near as melancholy-sounding and much more upbeat generally, though many of the lyrics are still bittersweet in that way that only Jens can deliver.
The most amazing thing about this 1970 landmark is that it made it to #29 on the Billboard pop charts. Raw, powerful, visceral and invigorating, it may be too militant for many, but its political messages are as relevant today (if not more so) than they were 37 years ago.
Although I really liked last year’s The Karaoke Meltdowns, The Trolleyvox have really outdone themselves with this new set. It’s a two-disc set with Your Secret Safe being the loud, electric album and Luzerne being the quiet, folky, acoustic one. I prefer Your Secret Safe, which includes an excellent cover of THE WHO’s “Our Love Was”, but both sets are stellar.
As a follow-up to their excellent debut Y and the last full-length album they ever made, this can be considered a bit of a disappointment. The fact that the lyrics (all politically outspoken) are much more direct and less vague actually hurt it a bit, though again its messages are sadly just as relevant today. It’s also a little more together and less experimental. Nevertheless, this is excellent politically-minded post-punk. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to find now, but well worth seeking out. Look for the version that has We Are Time, an odds and ends collection of demos and live tracks.
Another Pop Group set that’s very hard to come by, this compiles all of their non-Lp material. As comparable to We Are Time, which collects their demos and some live stuff, this is much better. The highlight is the incredible title track (released right after their first album Y, when they moved to Rough Trade), but all of it is well worth seeking out.
Sometimes I go back and listen to records from previous years and think that they’re actually way better than I thought they were at the time. I liked this one a lot when it came out last year, but listening to it after their excellent show here this past week, it’s really starting to hit me. I can tell that I’ll wanna hear it in 10 years or so. All of it is excellent, but my favorite track is the final track “Razzle Dazzle Rose”, which also made a fine set closer.
As good if not better than their set at the much smaller North Star Bar last summer, the set focused heavily on last year’s excellent Let’s Get Out of this Country. During the encore, they also included a nice cover of SONNY AND CHER’s “Baby Don’t Go”.
Jay’s track “Let It All Go” is typically great and very much in the vein of his recent solo material, but dare I say the real highlight here is the B-side, his backing band and tourmates The Boston Chinks’ “Swollen Useless”. A fierce garage-punk blast, it just scorches!
This has been getting a lot of negative press (like this), but I actually like it. It’s definitely a completely different album from 2004’s excellent More Adventurous or singer JENNY LEWIS’ terrific solo album Rabbit Fur Coat from last year, but it works. I think a lot of negative press has come out because the album’s first single, “The Moneymaker”, is the weakest track on the album. However, check out “Dejalo”, an unlikely disco-influenced track with a chorus partially sung in Spanish.
I revisited this album recently after a thread on the Big Takeover’s mailing list and it’s as great as I remember it. For a record made in 1970, it sure was pretty ahead of its time, to say the least, and it still sounds great today.
