Belle And Sebastian [2008] The BBC Sessions

[01] The State I Am In
[02] Like Dylan In The Movies
[03] Judy And The Dream Of Horses
[04] The Stars Of Track And Field
[05] I Could Be Dreaming
[06] Seymour Stein
[07] Lazy Jane
[08] Sleep The Clock Around
[09] Slow Graffiti
[10] Wrong Love
[11] Shoot The Sexual Athlete
[12] The Magic Of A Kind Word
[13] Nothing In The Silence
[14] (My Girl's Got) Miraculous Technique



amg: Belle and Sebastian cut their first BBC session for the Mark Radcliffe Show in July of 1996 just a few months before their seminal If You're Feeling Sinister album was released. The four songs they recorded were live and intimate versions of three of the record's best tracks: "Like Dylan in the Movies," "Judy and the Dream of Horses," and "Stars of Track and Field." Hearing these songs (as well as "The State I Am In," from Tigermilk) in such a raw and unadorned state (complete with vocal wavers and assorted bum notes) isn't a revelation now, though one can imagine people tuned in to their radios that night were thrown for a loop, but it is pretty great. Of course, the songs are amazing, but just as impressively, Stuart Murdoch's vocals are heartbreakingly sincere and soulful, and the band definitively belie their image as shamblers by sounding tight and together. If they had never written or recorded more than just these four songs, they still would be legendary, but luckily they didn't quit while they were ahead and kept recording and releasing brilliant pop music. They also continued making trips to the BBC studios and The BBC Sessions collects songs recorded there between 1996 and 2001. The track list is made up of mostly album tracks and singles (highlights being an insistent "Sleep the Clock Around," a folky take on "Wrong Love," and a truly beautiful "Slow Graffiti") but the real treat for fans is the inclusion of the group's 2001 session for John Peel, for which they trotted out four songs that hadn't been released previously (or since) on record. Any one of them could have comfortably fit on a single, EP, or album and a couple even qualify as lost treasures: "The Magic of a Kind Word" pits Isobel Campbell's breathy vocals in the quiet verses against rich group harmonies in the insanely sunny choruses, and ends up as one of the band's brightest and lightest tunes that just could have been a hit single, "(My Girl's Got) Miraculous Technique" has a wonderfully relaxed groove built on samples and fleshed out with some wonky synth squiggles and lovely harmony vocals by Campbell and Stuart. It was Campbell's last recording made with the band and she really shines. That session alone is worth the price of the disc, and when you add the 1996 session, it becomes damn near essential for Belle and Sebastian fans. [A deluxe edition of the release includes a bonus disc containing a raucous live show from 2001 recorded in Belfast. The fans were rowdy and spend much of the set whooping and hollering, which makes the sound less than pristine, but also gives the listener at home a sense of just how rapturously the band's fans receive their heroes. The band by this point has become a rock & roll machine, able to turn in a convincing version of Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back in Town" but also dial it way down for the ballads. An unexpected highlight of the show features a guy named Barry being fished out of the crowd to front a loose but surprisingly together take on the Velvet Underground's "I'm Waiting for the Man." Most people would be OK to stick with the regular version of The BBC Sessions, but the bonus disc is worth hearing at least once for true fanatics.]
(amg 8/10)

Bon Iver [2008] For Emma, Forever Ago

[01] Flume
[02] Lump Sum
[03] Skinny Love
[04] The Wolves (Act I And II)
[05] Blindsided
[06] Creature Fear
[07] Team
[08] For Emma
[09] Re: Stacks
[10] Flume (Acoustic Version)



amg: Bon Iver is the work of Justin Vernon. He isolated himself in a remote cabin in Wisconsin for almost four months, writing and recording the songs on For Emma, Forever Ago, his haunting debut album. A few parts (horns, drums, and backing vocals) were added in a North Carolina studio, but for the majority of the time it's just Vernon, his utterly disarming voice, and his enchanting songs. The voice is the first thing you notice. Vernon's falsetto soars like a hawk and when he adds harmonies and massed backing vocals, it can truly be breathtaking. "The Wolves (Acts I & II)" truly shows what Vernon can do as he croons, swoops, and cajoles his way through an erratic and enchanting melody like Marvin Gaye after a couple trips to the backyard still. "Skinny Love" shows more of his range as he climbs down from the heights of falsetto and shouts out the angry and heartachey words quite convincingly. Framing his voice are suitably subdued arrangements built around acoustic guitars and filled out with subtle electric guitars, the occasional light drums, and slide guitar. Vernon has a steady grasp of dynamics too; the ebb and flow of "Creature Fear" is powerfully dramatic and when the chorus hits it's hard not to be swept away by the flood of tattered emotion. Almost every song has a moment where the emotion peaks and hearts begin to weaken and bend: the beauty of that voice is what pulls you through every time. For Emma captures the sound of broken and quiet isolation, wraps it in a beautiful package, and delivers it to your door with a beating, bruised heart. It's quite an achievement for a debut and the promise of greatness in the future is high. Oh, and because you have to mention it, Iron & Wine. Also, Little Wings. Most of all, though, Bon Iver.
(amg 8/10)

Band [2007] The Best Of A Musical History

[01] Who Do You Love
[02] He Don't Love You (And He'll Break Your Heart)
[03] Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window (Single Version)
[04] Ain't No More Cain In The Brazos
[05] The Weight
[06] Orange Juice Blues (Blues For Breakfast)
[07] King Harvest (Has Surely Come)
[08] All LA Glory (Single Version)
[09] Stage Fright
[10] I Shall Be Released
[11] 4% Pantomime
[12] Don't Do It
[13] Life Is A Carnival
[14] Slippin' & Slidin' (Live)
[15] Endless Highway
[16] Share Your Love With Me
[17] Forever Young
[18] Twilight (Song Sketch)
[19] Home Cookin'

With [17] Bob Dylan


amg: A Musical History was one of the best box sets of the last ten years: a thorough and revelatory biography of the Band, telling their story from their beginnings as a backing band for Ronnie Hawkins to their disbandment after The Last Waltz. Released in the spring of 2007, about two years after the appearance of the original box, the single-disc excerpt The Best of a Musical History isn't nearly as good as its mammoth five-disc parent, largely because it tries to serve to audiences equally: it tries to please casual fans who just want the hits, while trying to win over serious fans curious about the rarities on the box yet unwilling to acquire the whole set. As such, this 19-track set sprawls all over the place, containing a smattering of Band standards ("The Weight," "Life Is a Carnival," "King Harvest [Has Surely Come]," "Stage Fright," "I Shall Be Released"), fan favorites that aren't quite rare ("Orange Juice Blues," "Don't Do It"), genuine rarities ("He Don't Love You [And He'll Break Your Heart]," by Levon & the Hawks; Bob Dylan's "Can You Please Crawl out Your Window?"), and five unreleased tracks, highlighted by a roaring live version of "Slippin' and Slidin'" and Rick Danko's "Home Cookin'." All of this music is good and the set does indicate the rich breadth of the Band's music. Many of the band's classics are here, but this doesn't contain enough great rarities from the box set to be a true "best-of the box." It merely is what it says it is: a sampler of the box, nothing more.
(amg 6/10)

Blackmore's Night [2006] The Village Lanterne

[01] 25 Years
[02] Village Lanterne
[03] I Guess It Doesn't Matter Anymore
[04] The Messenger (Instrumental)
[05] World Of Stone
[06] Faerie Queen - Faerie Dance
[07] St. Teresa
[08] Village Dance (Instrumental)
[09] Mond Tanz - Child In Time
[10] Streets Of London
[11] Just Call My Name (I'll Be There)
[12] Olde Mill Inn
[13] Windmills
[14] Street Of Dreams
[15] Ones In A Garden
[16] Street of Dreams

Features [16] Joe Lynn Turner



amg: By now, longtime Ritchie Blackmore fans have come to realize that the renaissance-influenced Blackmore's Night is certainly not a mere detour for the former Deep Purple/Rainbow guitarist. This truly seems to be Blackmore's musical calling of the 21st century, as he and singer Candice Night have issued their sixth album in almost as many years with 2006's The Village Lanterne. Blackmore's Night is often looked at as a throwback to a time long ago, but The Village Lanterne will not be mistaken for authentic renaissance music any time soon, as songs such as the album-opening "25 Years" mix together sounds both new and old. And although it's undoubtedly Blackmore and his affiliation with his two aforementioned previous bands that will attract most fans to the project, there's no getting around the fact that Night does posses a fine voice, especially evidenced by the title track. Also included are two remakes of Blackmore chestnuts: Deep Purple's "Child in Time" (which is paired with the uptempo ditty "Mond Tanz") and Rainbow's "Street of Dreams." The Village Lanterne is arguably the most modern-sounding release yet from Blackmore's Night. [This edition contains bonus tracks.]
(amg 7/10)

Bluetones [2006] Bluetones

[01] Surrendered
[02] Baby, Back Up
[03] Hope And Jump
[04] Head On A Spike
[05] The King Of Outer Space
[06] Thank You, Not Today
[07] My Neighbour's House
[08] Fade In / Fade Out
[09] The Last Song But One
[10] Wasn't I Right About You



amg: At the height of Brit-pop in 1996, few would have pegged the Bluetones as a band that would stick around for a decade, but persevere they have, weathering a fall from fashion around the time of their second album Return to the Last Chance Saloon, and then soldiering on through, building a loyal audience without ever really changing or registering on a pop culture radar. Just because they were out of the spotlight doesn't mean they were making bad music; it just meant that they had become a working band, slowly and steadily working on their craft through albums and tours. That steady work pays off on their fifth album, simply titled The Bluetones. Not that this 2006 record is different from what they've done before — this is very close in spirit and sound to their 1996 debut, Expecting to Fly — but they've stripped away the neo-Madchester flourishes of their early work and the artier dalliances of their turn-of-the-century records, leaving behind a good, straight-ahead guitar pop band. As always, the Bluetones' biggest asset is their sheer likeability — they're a group of normal guys, something they celebrate on the funny, charming "Baby, Back Up" where they admonish a new girlfriend with "I thought you were cool, but you are just weird." And that's the Bluetones' appeal in a nutshell: they are neither weird nor cool, they are what they are — a tuneful, unpretentious guitar pop band, and this album showcases them at their best. There are plenty of hooks and harmonies, jangly guitars and catchy choruses, all capturing the Bluetones' modest gifts at their very best. Even if it's not necessarily a record that's compelling, it's hard not to smile as it plays, and it's hard not to admire the fact that the Bluetones have stuck through the ups and downs in their career to become a thoroughly reliable, completely likeable guitar pop band — particularly because there are far fewer of those in 2006 than there were in 1996.
(amg 8/10)

Broken Social Scene [2005] Broken Social Scene

[01] Our Faces Split The Coast In Half
[02] Ibi Dreams Of Pavement (A Better Day)
[03] 7/4 (Shoreline)
[04] Finish Your Collapse And Stay For Breakfast
[05] Major Label Debut
[06] Fire Eye'd Boy
[07] Windsurfing Nation
[08] Swimmers
[09] Hotel
[10] Handjobs For The Holidays
[11] Superconnected
[12] Bandwitch
[13] Tremoloa Debut
[14] It's All Gonna Break



amg: In Canada, Broken Social Scene is somewhat of a phenomenon. Since wooing fans and critics alike with their 2003 Juno Award-winning album You Forgot It in People, the band's peculiar popularity has made them stars. The community that surrounds the 15-member-plus band is a family-like atmosphere with its many Canadian artists and musicians. When listening to Broken Social Scene, you also get the individual sounds of Feist, Stars, Memphis, Metric, and Apostle of Hustle, among others. It's camaraderie and education combined. The lush dynamic that carries Broken Social Scene's self-titled third effort is definitely built upon that. The 14-song set is as bright and moving as the band's previous efforts, but Broken Social Scene holds more charisma, more depth, and surely more complexities. The mix isn't messy in conventional terms. It's artistically untidy without production boundaries. Album opener "Our Faces Split the Coast in Half," which features the Dears' Murray Lightburn, makes a grand entrance with its polished horn arrangements, tight guitar riffs, and hypnotic harmonies. Additional standouts include indie rock moments such as "7/4 (Shoreline)" and the nervy "Fire Eye'd Boy." Handclaps and crowd chatter dosie-do with a sharp rock aesthetic on "Windsurfing Nation," which was the original title. Here, Toronto rapper K-Os and Feist vocally find their way through this majestic cinematic backdrop for one of its finest songs. From here, Broken Social Scene is a simply a rush of mini epics: "Handjobs for the Holidays," "Superconnected," and album closer "It's All Gonna Break" (this could have been a Nada Surf song) showcase how smart, creative, and brilliant this band truly is. Broken Social Scene are more than a collective; they're an orchestra for both the slacker generation and the literati.
(amg 9/10)

Billy Joel [2005] Piano Man - The Very Best Of Billy Joel

[01] Tell Her About It
[02] Uptown Girl
[03] Don't Ask Me Why
[04] Piano Man
[05] New York State Of Mind
[06] The River Of Dreams
[07] It's Still Rock And Roll To me
[08] We Didn't Start The Fire
[09] Goodnight Saigon
[10] My Life
[11] She's Always A Woman
[12] She's Got A Way
[13] Scandinavian Skies
[14] An Innocent Man
[15] Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
[16] Only The Good Die Young
[17] All About Soul
[18] Honesty
[19] Just The Way You Are



amg: This international collection of highlights from the East Coast native's prolific career takes its choicest bits from Columbia's three hugely successful Greatest Hits compilations. Piano Man: The Very Best of Billy Joel may just skim the surface of Joel's large reservoir of material, but it's hard to argue with the end results. All of the radio hits, minus some of the more obscure ones like "Allentown," "Pressure," and "Matter of Trust" are dutifully represented. From "River of Dreams" and "We Didn't Start the Fire" to "Piano Man" and "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant," this skillfully paced compilation, which also includes a ten-track DVD, is about as good a single-disc Billy Joel primer as one is likely to find.
(amg 8/10)