Nickel Creek - A Dotted Line
Willis Earl Beal - Nobody Knows (E)
Mr. Beal really has an amazing back story (which he hates), I don't have the space to get into it all here but you can get more info about where he's come from the Guardian. The highlights: joined the Army at 22, dishonorably discharged by 23, worked various odd jobs in Chicago and Albuquerque while struggling to stay afloat including a homeless stint in New Mexico. He would leave his own handmade flyers about his music around town in attempts to get his music heard. Eventually, a friend posted three of his tracks on a website where they were discovered by a music writer and the rest is history, or so they say.
His music is likened to blues crooners the likes of Tom Waits, Scott Walker, and Cat Power (who makes an appearance on the track "Coming Through"). At times his voice is rough and desperate almost begging and pleading for help. Other times the edginess of his voice becomes a monster threatening everyone listening. It's this juxtaposition that seems to paint the portrait of who Willis Earl Beal has been over the course of his life whether he likes it nor not.
Nobody Knows is startlingly frail, exposed, and honest. The opening track "Wavering Lines" begins with just Beal's vocals it's not until two minutes into the track that a pad of strings subtly enters. It's a stark contrast to what most people will expect from an opening track and it serves as an invitation to catch a glimpse of his life as told by the music over the course of the album. The second track, the aforementioned "Coming Through" is a needed reprieve from the forced intimacy of the first track as the beat picks up and as mud of a feel good vibe as you're going to get from Willis Earl Beal is established.
The two tracks that stand out the most to me were "Too Dry to Cry" and "Ain't Got No Love". The first of the two tracks is yet another showcase of his ability to utilize stark instrumentation and still be incredibly effective. The twangy simple guitar line puts you on the porch of a house just off of a dirt road in the deep south. As the song builds and you delve deeper into his psyche the setting shifts to a considerably darker place. His own vulnerability and self-exposure can just as easily leave you feeling exposed. The later song, "Ain't Got No Love" has a more complex build, but just as quickly gives you glimpses of the dark places and experiences Beal has experienced. As the title of the song implies there is no love to be had here, and he's fine with that. It's his life and he's not asking for help. He doesn't care what other people think. He'll take it as it comes and keep to himself. Life is what it is.
This album won't be for everyone but it does have merit. Very rarely do we come across someone whose been through the kind of struggles Mr. Beal has and have them conveyed in such a way that gives an accurate (at least it feels that way) and visceral depiction of what it might be to have lived in his shoes. It's not always fun trip to take, but it does have its startlingly moments of realization that make it worth it. Get it here.
Broken Bells - After the Disco
After the Disco is a result of the collaboration of The Shins frontman James Mercer and producer/DJ Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton) and follow up their debut self-titled album, Broken Bells. The first album was well received, albeit I was a tad bit let down. I'm a huge fan of the work that they had done previously in previous projects. The Shins were seemingly a guiding force for me during certain parts of my collegiate experience and Danger Mouse's exploits include Gnarles Barkley, the Gorrillaz album Demon Dayz, Beck's Modern Guilt, and much more. Again, the first album was a good album, it just didn't blow me away as I was hoping it would. It did offer a new sound for the two of them though. If you have a chance to hear Danger Mouse's other work you'll start to get a flavor for what he brings to his collaborations and when you factor in James Mercer the result was definitely a new creation for the two of them, but not one you couldn't see coming. (That's easy to say in retrospect.) Basically, you get the idea that Broken Bells was the duo feeling each other out and After the Disco is a result of a more shared picture or idea.
After the Disco doesn't punch you in the gut or anything but one gets the impression that it is a more complete picture of the duos vision. The album is well constructed with a really nice flow and you get the impression that they both started to really open up to each other the work that they wanted to do, there is less holding back on their parts. James Mercer is much more direct with his lyrics, something your not used to if you're familiar with The Shins, and Danger Mouse brings a litany of loops and tracks that balance and blend the lyrics extremely well. The album, while not providing a ton of variety, still offers quite a bit of contrast knowing when to slow down and speed up on an album is ever so critical and really quite difficult. Not only this, but they also play a nice contrast in the sounds/instrumentations they use over the course of the 11 tracks.
As you listen through the album you'll likely find as I did that it goes by all to quickly. Part of this is due to the fact that it is only 46 minutes, but it is also an engaging 46 minutes, even if your attention is 100% devoted to the listening. It's a very accessible album and really enjoyable to engage. Here's a link to the album on iTunes.
This was unfortunately my first experience with Nickel Creek. I'm not sure what kind of rock I was hiding under but the group has been around for over 20 years. Fortunately for me Jimmy Fallon present the stage for the rock to be removed on his April 1st show episode. It was an amazing performance. A great song that was sung with enough conviction to really engage even the TV viewer. Throw on top of that some solid musicianship and even better harmonies. My understanding was that they were a bluegrass band which had never interested me prior to this performance, but I got sucked in. From what I can tell it seems to be a departure from their previous albums (too broke at the moment to check out their previous work :-) ). The album has much more of an alternative/rock influence that what I had guessed coming in. The basis of the ensemble is still the trio of mandolin/violin/guitar, but a bassist also joins them throughout the album as well as other instruments, namely percussion.
The album is unfortunately only ten tracks but they are a great ten tracks. It's not hard to believe the group has been around for a while as each track seems to make the most of what they are trying to accomplish. For instance, I often find myself adding my own harmonies to different songs/groups just because you kind of feel that it's more or less not complete. Not so for this album, it's well developed, creative, and produced just right. It has a seemingly intuitive flow to the album knowing when to pick up the pace and when to slow it down and utilizing the best instrumentation and effects to maximize each moment.
Needless to say I've thoroughly enjoyed the album. It's an easy listen and has a wide appeal to a great deal of people. You don't need to be a fan of bluegrass to engage and indulge. I'd like link you to the that performance I mentioned, but I'm unable to find it. That being said, the below video will have to do and here is link to the album in iTunes. Take a listen and let me know what you think.
Willis Earl Beal - Nobody Knows (E)
Mr. Beal really has an amazing back story (which he hates), I don't have the space to get into it all here but you can get more info about where he's come from the Guardian. The highlights: joined the Army at 22, dishonorably discharged by 23, worked various odd jobs in Chicago and Albuquerque while struggling to stay afloat including a homeless stint in New Mexico. He would leave his own handmade flyers about his music around town in attempts to get his music heard. Eventually, a friend posted three of his tracks on a website where they were discovered by a music writer and the rest is history, or so they say.His music is likened to blues crooners the likes of Tom Waits, Scott Walker, and Cat Power (who makes an appearance on the track "Coming Through"). At times his voice is rough and desperate almost begging and pleading for help. Other times the edginess of his voice becomes a monster threatening everyone listening. It's this juxtaposition that seems to paint the portrait of who Willis Earl Beal has been over the course of his life whether he likes it nor not.
Nobody Knows is startlingly frail, exposed, and honest. The opening track "Wavering Lines" begins with just Beal's vocals it's not until two minutes into the track that a pad of strings subtly enters. It's a stark contrast to what most people will expect from an opening track and it serves as an invitation to catch a glimpse of his life as told by the music over the course of the album. The second track, the aforementioned "Coming Through" is a needed reprieve from the forced intimacy of the first track as the beat picks up and as mud of a feel good vibe as you're going to get from Willis Earl Beal is established.
The two tracks that stand out the most to me were "Too Dry to Cry" and "Ain't Got No Love". The first of the two tracks is yet another showcase of his ability to utilize stark instrumentation and still be incredibly effective. The twangy simple guitar line puts you on the porch of a house just off of a dirt road in the deep south. As the song builds and you delve deeper into his psyche the setting shifts to a considerably darker place. His own vulnerability and self-exposure can just as easily leave you feeling exposed. The later song, "Ain't Got No Love" has a more complex build, but just as quickly gives you glimpses of the dark places and experiences Beal has experienced. As the title of the song implies there is no love to be had here, and he's fine with that. It's his life and he's not asking for help. He doesn't care what other people think. He'll take it as it comes and keep to himself. Life is what it is.
This album won't be for everyone but it does have merit. Very rarely do we come across someone whose been through the kind of struggles Mr. Beal has and have them conveyed in such a way that gives an accurate (at least it feels that way) and visceral depiction of what it might be to have lived in his shoes. It's not always fun trip to take, but it does have its startlingly moments of realization that make it worth it. Get it here.
Broken Bells - After the Disco
After the Disco is a result of the collaboration of The Shins frontman James Mercer and producer/DJ Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton) and follow up their debut self-titled album, Broken Bells. The first album was well received, albeit I was a tad bit let down. I'm a huge fan of the work that they had done previously in previous projects. The Shins were seemingly a guiding force for me during certain parts of my collegiate experience and Danger Mouse's exploits include Gnarles Barkley, the Gorrillaz album Demon Dayz, Beck's Modern Guilt, and much more. Again, the first album was a good album, it just didn't blow me away as I was hoping it would. It did offer a new sound for the two of them though. If you have a chance to hear Danger Mouse's other work you'll start to get a flavor for what he brings to his collaborations and when you factor in James Mercer the result was definitely a new creation for the two of them, but not one you couldn't see coming. (That's easy to say in retrospect.) Basically, you get the idea that Broken Bells was the duo feeling each other out and After the Disco is a result of a more shared picture or idea.
After the Disco doesn't punch you in the gut or anything but one gets the impression that it is a more complete picture of the duos vision. The album is well constructed with a really nice flow and you get the impression that they both started to really open up to each other the work that they wanted to do, there is less holding back on their parts. James Mercer is much more direct with his lyrics, something your not used to if you're familiar with The Shins, and Danger Mouse brings a litany of loops and tracks that balance and blend the lyrics extremely well. The album, while not providing a ton of variety, still offers quite a bit of contrast knowing when to slow down and speed up on an album is ever so critical and really quite difficult. Not only this, but they also play a nice contrast in the sounds/instrumentations they use over the course of the 11 tracks.
As you listen through the album you'll likely find as I did that it goes by all to quickly. Part of this is due to the fact that it is only 46 minutes, but it is also an engaging 46 minutes, even if your attention is 100% devoted to the listening. It's a very accessible album and really enjoyable to engage. Here's a link to the album on iTunes.
