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Dave Matthews Band, Everyday (RCA)
Dave Matthews sells out gargantuan arenas, pavilions, and stadiums on a whim; he has written several hits in the past, and can sit back and count royalty checks on over 20 million discs sold. And, frankly, I couldn't be happier for the former bartender. But although his latest release, Everyday, has a touch of his typical craftsmanship, the dozen tunes within are disjointed and bland at best. Take "I Did It," which, if you haven't heard it yet, rest assured you will,
since it has that funked-up popularity about it that ensures incessant overplay. The song sounds slapped together hurriedly, however, as does the tune "The Space Between," which resembles more of an arrangement from a Peter Gabriel cover band than an impressive accomplishment from one of today's most successful acts.
There's nothing wrong with the musicianship, long a hallmark of the DMB; the rhythm section of drummer Carter Beauford and bassist Stefan Lessard provide a solid backbone. Sidemen violinist Boyd Tinsley and saxman LeRoi Moore, however, must have had a lot of rests on their charts, or got buried in the mix, because they're harder to find than a 50-cent cup of coffee at Starbucks.
The story behind this disc is that Matthews had everything in the can, then tossed it all out, writing 12 new tunes with producer Glen Ballard (Aerosmith, Alanis Morristte). And the songs have that hurried, incomplete sound to them, as if the two were assembling tinker toys. "Let's put these 12 bars here with these 8 over there, and toss in that thing you were just playing." Sad news is, the parts just don't fit.
The production is packaged for radio through and through. As Hugh Surratt, RCA senior vice president of artist development, puts it, "We're doing our best to break down the boy-band barriers. We're on a mission from God." I, for one, support this crusade.
And rest assured, a mediocre review won't stop Matthews, nor give him pause, nor is it a reflection on his band's live performance, which is anything but insipid. And again, I got no problem with that. I hope he keeps selling out stadiums as long as he can. Everyday. And every night.
The Living End, Roll On (Reprise)
If you're familiar with the Living End at all, you're aware of their rockabilly punk style. For their new release though, the trio of Aussies has done away with most of the rockabilly slant. Instead, they've taken influences from glam rock and heavy metal such as AC/DC and Motorhead, while retaining the punk energy. The title cut, "Roll On," which could easily serve as a punk anthem or rugby drinking song, powers forward with Who-like chords, and thoroughly enjoys a rousing chorus.
Make no mistake about these guys, they have an excess of energy, and they transfer this energy to their playing, as if they all downed numerous tankards of coffee in the studio while recording. What adds to their sense of speed and power is a perception they create that they're always rushing the beat. They manage this in several ways, from varied drum accents, juxtaposing fast bridges against slower verses, to employing sharp guitar lines and leads.
The Glam/Brit influence (or maybe it's just an Aussie thing) pays off on the band's choruses, which are often more complex than your standard three-chord rock songs. "Pictures in the Mirror" is a good example. It starts off with racing triple-picked chords, and when the chorus bangs in, it deftly switches keys and dances between major and minor chords. It's a riot.
Part of what makes the disc so much fun is singer Chris Cheney's guitar work. Whether he's comping chords, doing single string fills, or ripping intelligent and well crafted solos, his tone and attack are spot on. Just listen to the intro of "Carry Me Home," a fast paced rocker that he opens with some heated riffing before he lunges forward a la Motorhead.
Cheney's bandmates, bassist Scott Owen and drummer Travis Demsey hold their own, with rock solid bass work and frenetic drumming. "Don't Shut the Gate," nods to the band's influences, a cross between swampy psychobilly and heavy metal. The sections are well laid out. Drums and bass are given their own moments to shine, while an overall balance in dynamics and sound persist throughout.
In the end though, it's the driving guitar that propels this disc across the 14 cuts. That said, it's no surprise that Cheney recently won the "Guitarist of the Year" award by readers of the Australian Guitar Magazine.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, No More Shall We Part (Reprise)
There's a note of similarity between Bryan Ferry's voice and Nick Cave's, as he slips into "As I Sat Sadly by Her Side," the opening cut of the 11th studio album from the band. The voice and the song possess a heaviness, a sorrow that is amplified by the somewhat barren instrumentation. If it weren't for the lilting strings in the background, you might envision a sort of last gasp lounge singer, albeit an extraordinarily provocative and brilliant one, who is perhaps the loneliest man on the planet. In fact, throughout the disc, the songs have a dirge-like quality, filled with pain and anguish, bordering on tearful, and damn near depressing, but nevertheless awe inspiring. This may serve as some sort of warning, in that if you've just been dumped, or suffered some emotional setback, you might want to wait before tossing this disc on the player.
In the 12 songs presented here, Cave and crew place heavy emphasis on his voice and the lyrics (and story). This is not to say that the Bad Seeds are slacking off in anyway on the backing instrumentation. Rather, the music doesn't get in the way of the message. All the songs evince a teetering balance between hope and despair. And as they progress, there's a tendency to become fixated on Cave's voice, which flexibly changes through breathy articulations to downright sneers. In "Sorrowful Wife," which begins slowly like most of the tracks, with a predominant keyboard, Cave transitions midway into an angry, almost dissonant rant as he expresses violent emotion, while an erratic and enraged guitar cracks notes behind him.
Despite the somber overtones of the record, there is a steady undercurrent of salvation or redemption; Cave is not ultimately bleak, but rather speaks of the darker sides of life with an eye cocked toward that sliver of light coming in from above. There is hope, he acknowledges through his songs, hope that is found through love and delivered via some of the most intelligent and skillful songwriting today.
More Nick Cave: Interview, Concert Review, CD Review (Boatman's Call)
March 2001
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