Music Reviews: April 2006

Who the F*** is Pete Doherty? – directed by Roger Pomphrey

You’ve probably heard Pete Doherty. Although the British music press anointed him the second coming of Lennon after he and his former bandmates, The Libertines, released “Up The Bracket” a few years ago, it’s his appetite for any ingestible substance and a short lived snog-fest with Kate Moss that has fueled a British tabloid frenzy. Kind of like Page Six soaked in a vat of swine, ‘init? His daily diet is public knowledge: an ounce of coke, a tub full of H and a few gallons of whiskey topped off with handful of E-bombs and enough crack cocaaaaiiine to set Pookey Bear off for a year. He gets arrested every time he leaves his house and can’t seem to go anywhere without wrecking the place or crashing a car trying to get there.

All of these sordid accounts have turned Pete into the most famous junkie in the UK. While they have taken the focus away from his prolific talents, they’ve also added to the mystique of an often misunderstood artist who some call a genius. This is the theme of “Who The **** Is Pete Doherty?”

The sheer influence that he has over his fans is mind blowing. When he decides to show up, he throws himself into every crowd, engages his followers at every show and once had fans line up outside his bedroom so he could play personal requests for each one of them. And the candid footage of him riffing on the guitar is almost as chilling as his buddy’s upper row of teeth.

After seeing this documentary, I honestly think that Pete should get a life-long hall pass from any and all incrimination. Kind of like how Jacko is allowed to molest whomever he wants for having recorded Off The Wall and Thriller. But first he’s got to make it past 27. Jimi, Janis and Kurt couldn’t do it. Maybe history will repeat itself…

“Who the Fuck Is Pete Doherty,” by Roger Pomphrey (57 min) – the Real Player stream is available FREE and worth every second. Absolutely genius.

Check it:
Who The F*** Is Pete Doherty?



Prince – 3121 (Universal)

God damn this record is hot. However I just read a review on Amazon.com that claimed “Prince is the black Beck.” Right. And Stevie Wonder is the black Jamiroquai. Now please excuse me, dipshit, while I write something intelligent to the short man perched atop diamond heels, draped in chiffon and dripping in sex:

Dear Mr. Prince: Thank you for listening to Purple Rain, Controversy, Sign O’ The Times, Lovesexy, et al before you went into the studio. Thank you for not inviting Scott Storch, Linda Perry, Missy Elliott or Fantasia to pitch in. Thank you for inviting Maceo Parker. Thank you for not covering “Devil’s Haircut” because that would have added validity to the above-referenced review by the handjobs over at Amazon.com.

I could go into particulars about each track, blah blah blah, but I think you get my point.

Get these: “Get On The Boat,” “Fury,” “Love”
Wax it if you like: bashing the dude who made the Beck comment

Check out "Love"

or download it:
Love



Jarvis Cocker & Steve Mackey – The Trip (Family Recordings)

If I hear one more “Late Nite With…” compilation I’m going to…um…I don’t know, get all existential and shit? Que dramatique! These comps usually seem forced and pretty damn boring. Enter “The Trip.” Brilliantly compiled by Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker and Steve Mackey, this is the most random selection of music I’ve heard since Captain Kangaroo ate LSD and played Zamfir covers on his balls. From classical noise to murder pop; droning girlie rants to psycho-billy, this collection of songs (yes, songs) is not simply out of the box, it doesn’t even know what a box is. But unlike the Captain, this collection draws you in like an online predator that just needs someone to talk to. (You being the vulnerable teen, of course.) There must be a more elaborate story behind this acoustically twisted mix than the liner notes lead me to believe, but it’s probably stuck somewhere between a twitch and a vice deep in the tweaked collective psyche of its creators. If you’re looking for a tweaked collection of songs you’ve never heard, this is for you. However, if you’re looking to extend your new Arctic Monkeys fascination, you might want to pass. Whatever the case, just don’t listen to it before you go to sleep because you will wake up with no head.

Get these: The Beach Boys “Feel Flows,” The Human League “Rock n Roll,” Dion “Purple Haze”
Wax it if you like: complete randomness

Check out "Feel Flows"

or download it:
The Beach Boys - "Feel Flows"



Fred Thomas – Turn It Down (Ypsilanti Records)

Some artists spend tons of money to harness the lo-fi sound. Others just set up some mics in their bedrooms and push record. While the latter approach can yield truly scary results, Fred Thomas pulls it off with wonderful ease. Fred is a member of Saturday Looks Good To Me and runs Ypsilanti Records out of what I would imagine to be his little crib in Michigan. Probably nowhere near 8 Mile, son. The songwriting is amazing. The instrumentation is sparse, anchored by acoustic guitar, minimal percussion, strings and Fred’s humble melodies. It’s definitely poppy in an early Ben Folds vein, but ultimately veers favors the eclectic more so than most emo-ish outfits. Yes, he does sound like that Conor Oberst dude, but minus the relentless whining. I’m sure you’ll hear this on the OC Anatomy soon, so get it before it gets thrown into the shoe-gazer abyss…

Get These: “Synthesizer Parts,” “Turn It Down,” “Throw Me A Line”
Wax it if you like: Modest Mouse, New Pornographers, Conor on meds

Check out "Synthesizer Parts"

or download it:
Synthesizer Parts



Madison – EP (dunno)

Finally, a girl that can rock and still be sexy. The Donnas tried to do it, but their packages ultimately got in the way. So did Courtney Love, but her cooch had other plans… Ah, but then there’s sweet Madison. When I first heard “Let’s Go” I couldn’t make up my mind if I wanted her to punch me in the face or simply use me like a wet nap. Pain or hygiene, you ask??? Oh, sweet confusion, hath thou no remorse? Madison manages to make lines like “I like it dirty/I like it sweaty/I like to win a little competition” sound flirty without having to hike up her skirt like Clay Aiken. “Personal Porn Star” is a bit, um, contrived and would be better suited for Paris Hilton’s album, but Madison is allowed one mishap, no? After all, for a fleeting moment she made me forget that people like Fefe Dobson and Ashlee Simpson ever made it past the olive in their daddy’s martini. The songs are catchy. The production is tight. Not unlike Courtney Love’s rash or stretched forehead. I’m told that her EP is available on itunes, but it appears that some of the songs I have in my frothy little hands are unreleased. No worries – get the songs as long as you don’t mind being shackled to the wall by Steve Jobs.

Get these: “Let’s Go,” “Radiate”
Wax it if you like: Shirley Manson, Transister, Pat Benatar for the Millenium

Check out "Let's Go"

or download it:
Let's Go




Various – Monsieur Gainsbourg (Revisited) (Universal/Barclay)

Ah, the French. Somewhere between Johnny Haliday and Jerry Lewis they managed to find time for Serge Gainsbourg, who has become a national icon since his death in 1991. After a flood of reissues commemorating the anniversary of his death, his catalog is “revisited” by a truly eclectic mix of artists. All sung in English. Huh? Oh, well – so much for French pride. Regardless, the collabs are different and daring: Jarvis Cocker and Kid Loco, Marianne Faithfull w/Sly &Robbie, Franz w/Jane Birkin to name a few. There are some interesting results: Franz and Jane turn out a mysterious, sensually rocking version of “A song for Sorry Angel” Feist’s “Boomerang” breathes sex, and Jarvis and Loco’s track is a true homage to Serge’s legend. But I must scratch my cabbage head over some of the choices. Brian Molko from Placebo, whose voice makes me want to convert to celibacy, is Serge’s antithesis. The Rakes cockney rock doesn’t exactly embody sexuality, and Tricky is just…Tricky. And did I forget to mention that all of the songs are in English? It would have been nice to get some contributions by some other frenchies (Keren Ann, Air, Zoot Woman, etc) but overall it’s definitely worth checking out before you go and riot for your right to keep a lifetime civil service job, no? Touché!

Get these: “Boomerang,” “I Call It Art,” “A Song For Sorry Angel”
Wax it if you like: eclectic tribute records

Check out Franz and Jane's "Sorry Angel"

or download it:
Franz and Jane - "Sorry Angel"



Jane Birkin – Fictions (EMI)

Moving on with the Frenchies. Well, kind of. Jane Birkin was actually born in England but has lived in France for the past 40 years. Apparently it was something about the food. Ms. Birkin is best known for her breathy background vocals on Serge Gainsbourg’s recordings and has released a number of records on her own, most recently “Arabesque,” which “revisited” songs from Serge’s catalog with a Middle Eastern slant. Seeing a pattern? Nothing gets past Goulet. Honestly, I don’t know much about Jane, but when I heard that my idol Gonzalez produced this record (he of Feist, Chilly G and the Kitty Yo crew), I immediately threw off my clothes, painted “J’Adore Jane” on my nether regions and ran through the Tompkins Square Park like a man possessed. And the music? Quite lovely. Her version of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” is gorgeous. The arrangement is lovely, the instrumentation is refreshing and she makes the song her own. Tom Waits’ “Alice” gets similar treatment, as do new tracks like “Steal Me A Dream” (written by The Magic Numbers) and “Waterloo Station” (written by Rufus Wainwright). Oh, and did I mention that she sings in English? I’m beginning to think that the Frenchies just want to be like us after all…

Get these: “Harvest Moon,” “Alice,” “Steal Me A Dream”
Wax it if you like: Keren Ann, Carla Bruni, Feist

Check out "Harvest Moon"

or download it:
Harvest Moon



Secret Machines – Ten Silver Drops (Reprise/Warner)

Secret Machines made a splash with their debut album “Now Here Is Nowhere,” drawing raves from Bowie and comparisons to Pink Floyd. Their follow-up, “Ten Silver Drops” starts off on a more personal note than the first album - - they sing about love, loss and heartache - - and seem to have ditched the other-worldly Star Trek lyrical vagueness that made “Nowhere Again” and “First Wave Intact” so infectious. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Actually, it works pretty well for most of the record. The first cut “Alone, Jealous and Stoned” finds Ben Curtis in a more personal, vulnerable space without detracting from the intense arrangements and sonic cluster-fucks. “Lightning Blue Eyes” hits you with so many hooks that you’ll almost forget to grab the bong in time for “Daddy’s In the Doldrums,” an eight-minute blues-tinged trek through the bridges Of Humboldt county. “I Hate Pretending” finds Ben doing his best Chester Bennington imitation over odd time signatures, but by then you might have passed out face-down in your meat in a purple haze. And if you don’t eat your meat, you won’t get any pudding. Thank you sir may I please have another.

Get these: “Alone, Jealous and Stoned,” “Daddy’s In The Doldrums”
Wax it if you like: Floyd, Embrace, Kent

Check out "Alone, Jealous and Stoned"

or download it:
Alone, Jealous and Stoned