iPod Observer

The Life Pursuit

Mon, 22 May 2006 14:14:42 -0400

The Life Pursuit is a sort of Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. You get Belle & Sebastian's peanut butter (its wistful, often irresistible pop) dipped in a 'Have A Nice Day!' and glam 70s chocolate. Although I'm guessing that most Belle & Sebastian fans might not say it's the band's best record, it is certainly its most irrepressible and to my mind, its most fun.

T. Rex's recent ascendancy is evident here, particularly in "White Collar Boy" and "The Blues Are Still Blue," the latter of which incorporates a cowbell in the chorus (and who doesn't enjoy a well-placed cowbell?). Songs like "Sukie in the Graveyard" sound like they could have been sung by the Partridge Family, although its lyrics (Sample: "She had a slut slave and his name was Dave/She said 'Be my photo bitch and I'll make you rich'") probably wouldn't have made it past the TV censors, methinks.

"Another Sunny Day" and "Dress Up In You" have a more traditional Belle & Sebastian sound to them, although the former also sounds like early REM with its jangly guitar and a beat reminiscent of "Radio Free Europe" - which, of course, is not a 70s song, but I can't imagine anyone complaining about it.

Perhaps the best song on The Life Pursuit is "Mornington Crescent," a Stonesy-sounding meditation (complete with Sticky Fingers country guitar and blues piano) with lyrics that would have fit in well on The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society. This is a fitting end because like Ray Davies, Stuart Murdoch is a gifted observer, not only of the world around him but of the wealth of musical styles that fall under the umbrella of pop music. Perhaps, that's why this album can incorporate so many styles without sounding derivative.

Favorite Songs: "Mornington Crescent," "White Collar Boy," "The Blues Are Still Blue," "Song For Sunshine"

Goodbye Jumbo

Wed, 10 May 2006 14:21:25 -0400

Released in 1990, World Party's Goodbye Jumbo was out of print for several years until just this month, when a remastered version was released in the United States. It's coincidental perhaps. I loved this CD when it came out but haven't listened to it for years, and so I guess I'm not the only one who thought it was due for a revival.

I'm reviewing the original 1990 version, so I can't comment on any sonic improvements. The songs themselves are brilliant. There are hints of the Beatles and Big Star, but Karl Wallinger (who is World Party) does not sound derivative. His songs take unexpected melodic turns, such as the impromptu recital of "Mr. Postman" in the track "When the Rainbow Comes," and his lyrics are at once hopeful and despairing of the world in which he lives.

And eerily the lyrics read as though they could have been written yesterday, when paterfamilias Bush was in the White House. In "God on my Side," Wallinger sings:

Well, I see you objecting so strongly
To the ways of the liberal disease
And your armchair satisfaction
As you narrow the meaning of free

This album may be called Goodbye Jumbo, but I say, Welcome back, World Party. Maybe it's time, Karl, you put out a new album.

Favorite Songs: "Way Down Now," "When the Rainbow Comes," and pretty much all the rest of them.

Supernature

Mon, 01 May 2006 12:59:36 -0400

On their latest CD, Supernature, Goldfrapp has put together a successful mix of 1980-era New Romanticism, German cabaret, and T. Rex glam that leaves you riveted even through the album's lulls. It's a great amalgam that sounds current without sounding at all dated.

Perhaps it is no surprise then that, according to Britain's "Top of the Pops" TV show, Supernature was Madonna's favorite album of 2005 because Madonna seems to have cribbed much of the good stuff on her latest release, Confessions on a Dancefloor, from Alison Goldfrapp and her partner Will Gregory. Unlike Madonna, however (and strange to say about the woman who has a overt reputation for being sexual, be it her Sex book or her dozens of hits), Goldfrapp's music oozes a creepy, exhilarating sexuality that is bold without being bone-headed.

In "Ooh La La," for example, Alison Goldfrapp sings, "I want to touch you/ You're just made for love," she sings, "I need ooh la la," etc, which harkens back both to Donna Summer's "I Feel Love," without using corny euphemisms like, "I need your love," - when clearly Goldfrapp is looking for something just a little beyond that.

And "Ride a White Horse," which apparently is a tribute of sorts to T. Rex's "Ride a White Swan," touches on all those other fin de siecle points - death, G-d, riding naked on large animals, and dancing -- that makes British glam rock so awesome and so infectious. Meanwhile, "Number 1" provides a "Just Can't Get Enough"-style easy-to-play synth lick with lyrics that are surprisingly romantic.

Favorite Songs: Hard to choose, but ... "Ride a White Horse," "Koko," "Satin Chic," "Number 1," "Ooh La La."

[Edit: This review was supposed to be published with a 5-star review (mistakenly published as a 4-star review). It has been corrected accordingly. - Editor]