Honorable Mention: Music in 2012

The amount of albums that came out in 2012 is staggering.  Wikipedia can give you a general idea but the truth is unless you're Michael Fassbender in Prometheus, that's not a math problem you'll have fun solving.  Yet it's become increasingly apparent that when I roll out my end of the year lists, I spend I great deal of time with records that don't end up represented in that coveted collection.  So here are the less-sung heroes for me, the albums that brightened my 2012--the ones worth your time but impossible to place.  Enjoy!

Alabama Shakes- Boys & Girls (***½): Brittany Howard’s soulful pipes and brash blues riffs are tailor made for fans of Sharon Jones and the Black Keys’ most recent stab at retro chic.

Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra- Theater Is Evil (***): The Wagnerian/Elton John ambition is there, but Palmer’s Kickstarter-funded project plays more like Dresden Doll b-sides instead of a creative manifesto.

Bad Books- Bad Books II (****½): A bit foggier, and sporting more keyboard quirks, Bad Books II finds the Andy Hull/Kevin Devine braintrust going strong with sensitive-guy charm.

BADBADNOTGOOD- BBNG2 (****½): Anything but bad, BBNG2 finds basement jazz masters balancing tight drums, slinky bass twitches, and a healthy side of hip-hop swagger, mingling with their free-form ambitions.

Beach House- Bloom (***½): Playing like Teen Dream at midnight, Bloom continues Beach House’s preoccupations with ethereal chimes, breathy whispers, and cooler end of 80s new wave.

Ben Gibbard- Former Lives (***½): The sweeping string arrangements and sweet sentimentality owe a great deal to the Beatles, but much like Gibbard’s idols, solo record will make fans hungry for his former band.

Blockhead- Interludes At Midnight (***½):  Aesop Rock's favorite DJ casts swervy, late-night shadows and sports dense beats that would make Beck Hansen blush.

Clams Casino- Instrumental Mixtape 2 (*****):  Dramatic without being overly pretentious, Michael Volpe's latest batch of larger than life beats borrows from nightmarish landscapes, intoxicating trip-hop, and just enough movie score gravitas to make E.S. Posthumous proud.

Cat Power- Sun (***): Charlyn Marshall’s fascination with David Bowie's Low era pushes her band to try on summertime synths and trip-hop thumps where her smoky bar presence would typically reside; call it sobering if a bit somber.

Crystal Castles- Crystal Castles (III) (***½): Alice Glass' Apocalypse-pixie shtick is warped into oblivion but Ethan Kath's thin, fluttering beats, make longtime listeners hungry for the thick low-end of Crystal Castles (II).

David Byrne & St. Vincent- Love This Giant (***½): Floating in a sea of clamoring horns and awkward funk, David Byrne and Annie Clark only really click when they focus their energy onto icy synth-sprawls.

Death Grips- The Money Store (****): This chopped up punk-rap is blasted with noise and staccato samples, while MC Ride's tortured braggadocio makes Tyler, The Creator look like Bruno Mars.

Divine Fits- A Thing Called Divine Fits (***½): Sporting Wolf Parade's wavey atmospheres and Spoon's angular bass-heavy work-outs, Divine Fits' 80s-ramped debut is the perfect antidote to a lonely night drive with nothing to do.

Fiona Apple- The Idler Wheel Is Wiser That The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords WIll Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do (****): Older, wiser, and more neurotic, Apple's fifth LP specializes in free-jazz anachronism and bitter communication breakdowns.                                                   

Flying Lotus- Until The Silence Comes (***): If you can stand how ADD-riddled FlyLo's Alka-Seltzer style beats are, his Miles Davis approach to warped dubby samples might just be for you.

Garbage- Not Your Kind Of People (*****): Butch Vig and Shirley Mason's victory lap; an LP that truly embodies their band from film-score grandeur to electronic-robot rock, and the effervescent cool-gaze that separated them from their 90s contemporaries.

Gold Motel- Gold Motel (***½): Sleepy and subdued, Greta Morgan continues to plunk around her keys while the rest of her group channels retro-Beach Boy vibes.

Green Day- ¡Uno! (****½): Berkeley’s National Treasure keeps it short and sweet with songs about personal empowerment and love, channeling Cheap Trick and their Gilman days with Ramones-style energy.

Green Day- ¡Dos! (****): If you were looking for the 60s trash-rock sequel to Foxboro Hot Tubs’ Stop Drop & Roll!!!, look no further than this lustful batch of garage-ready cuts—just don’t be surprised when the party comes crashing down.

Green Day- ¡Tré! (****): After Billie Joe and Co. made a mess of the whole damn place they put the evening and their lives in perspective; ¡Tré! fluctuates between lean and mean pop-punk, 50s rock n’ roll glamour, and Green Day’s multi-suite American Idiot ambitions.

Hot Water Music- Exister (****): With some modern production and heaving bass lines, Chuck Ragan’s rag-tag punk battalion sounds like the powerful basement band he’s heard in his head since the very beginning.

How To Destroy Angels- An omen_E.P. (***½): Feeling more like sketches than a full body of work, Trent Reznor’s anxiety humming glitches and twitches coast under his wife’s siren-worthy presence.

Jack White- Blunderbuss (***): The Hardest Working Man at Third Man Records opens up his blues-rock vault, revealing that the discipline in his other groups allows him to serve up sizzle instead of the lukewarm Grammy fodder on this solo LP.

Japandroids- Celebration Rock (****): Earnestness never felt so tremendous as this duo powers through 9 cuts of “forever young” epiphanies, sounding like a proper 5-piece in the process.

Lamb Of God- Resolution (***½): Randy Blythe may be facing criminal charges overseas but let’s not forget his band’s immense fury—Resolution marries expansive dirges with rattlesnake riffs, making Blythe’s legal battles sound like child’s play.

M. Ward- A Wasteland Companion (***½): Playing like the kind of songwriter that plays bars in the evening and sleeps during the day, Ward conjures up some old folk magic on his latest album.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis- The Heist (***½): The synthesizers are glitzier, the beats bigger, and the sound brighter as hip-hop’s resident boy scout churns out an album of strikingly honest rhymes.

Matt Skiba & The Sekrets- Babylon (****): As if Matt Skiba’s back catalog wasn’t expansive enough, the hyper caffeinated power-punk punch and textured Cure-keyboards on Babylon remind us all why he inspires such a devout, albeit gloomy, following.

Memoryhouse- The Slideshow Effect (***½): Soft and sweet, like a mid-afternoon nap, The Slideshow Effect is an exercise in syrupy melodies and breathy allure.

Mumford & Sons- Babel (****): Though the group trades in some of their quaint bluegrass flair for some feverish acoustic energy, Babel is the kind of album that ascends on the backs of thick harmonies and heartfelt stories.

Muse- The 2nd Law (****): Looks like Matt Bellemy just flipped through the Mos Eisley jukebox: Some flashy Zeppelin riffing, operatic Queen flourishes, blitzed-out electronics, and some blooming snyths jettison The 2nd Law into its own musical galaxy.

Motion City Soundtrack- Go (***): Slightly more subdued, Justin Pierre leads his usually bouncy band through the inner workings of his half-acoustic Atari heart—think bed room confessionals for gamers.

Neon Trees- Picture Show (***½): Mining the 80s for all their pulpy thrills, the Neon Trees move past their Sandals-ready sound to something bigger, brasher, and surprisingly artier.

Norah Jones- Little Broken Hearts (***½): Danger Mouse is gonna Danger Mouse, which amounts to a smoky record with tight drums, but Jones reminds us that her honey-smooth voice is the real reason we’re tuning in.

oOoOO- Our Love Is Hurting Us E.P. (****): Call it make-out music for ghouls but these witch house pioneers continue to take their warped vocal warbles and click-clack beats to Halloween-style heights.

Passion Pit- Gossamer (****): Holy 1980s Batman--If you’re looking for some slick keyboards, hooks engineered to move Mentos, and some spaztic pixie wailing, look no further than this glimmering LP.

Purity Ring- Shrines (***): Unsure if it wants to be Depeche Mode or the next witch house flavor of the month, Shrines is as sexy and scary as Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice, with its music box keys and dime-a-dozen programming.

The Raveonettes- The Observator (****½): Eisley Brothers sensibilities intact, the Ravenonettes continue to toy and tinker with shoegaze fog over their usually gloomy valentines.

Say Anything- Anarchy, My Dear (***): Max Bemis’s marriage has mellowed him some, so Anarchy… doesn’t blister and burn like his previous work, but in between dorky string laced come-ons and Weezer earnestness, it’s good to hear Bemis happy.

The Shins- Port Of Morrow (***½): Garden State might have been eons ago but the fuzzy radio transistor vistas on Port Of Morrow will take you back to a time where people got excited about The Shins.

Sigur Rós- Valtari (****): Thanks to Sigur Rós, I’m convinced that the expansive Icelandic country side resonates with the sounds of fantasy creatures swooning (or dying) in slow motion—so if you like that, plus healthy does of ivories, check this album out.

Silversun Pickups- Neck Of The Woods (****½): Channeling their inner Radiohead, the Pickups grow into a spacious sound that’s lush, angular, and down right mesmerizing, finding a happy medium in between dizzying and despondent.

The Smashing Pumpkins- Oceania (***½): Billy Corgan’s Curmudgeon Republic channels spacey synths, incense and peppermints psychedelia, and world religion mysticism, but this record really comes alive when Corgan splatters his guitar solos like it’s 1993.

Trash Talk- 199 (****): Everything here is sharp, overblown, blasted, smashed, and on fire—you’ll be hard pressed to find a more immediate addition to your hardcore punk collection in 2012.

The xx- Coexist (****½): Even if they’re spearheading this new dub-inspired PBR&B aesthetic, The xx keep their stark minimalism intact while adding some lightness and softness to their sound.

Walk The Moon- Walk The Moon (***½): A dizzy stab of indie dance jams that you’d swear Maroon 5 would try to make; then again, what’s refreshing about Walk The Moon is that no one has a record quite like it.

Yellowcard- Southern Air (***): They may not be tearing up the OC anymore, but Yellowcard continue evolve in interesting fashions, especially with some Americana flourishes creeping into their violin-powered pop-punk.

How I Spent My Summer Non-Vacation: Episode IV--A New Update

Yo Bruce Springsteen...you wrote Born To Run and all, and I'mma let your finish...

We open on what seems like an ENDLESS spaceship as it shoots at a much smaller, more rundown spaceship.  There are lasers, and definitely some ooozin’ ahhs from the crowd.  A film like that would probably be pretty rad, especially when the black caped villain shows up.  Guess I need to finish my screenplay...

This post is kind of like that sort of movie.  Except, you know, with the music critique and all.  In case you were curious, my ears were as busy as I was this past summer.  Here’s what kept them company…in the first of two rad installments…

BADBADNOTGOOD- BBNG2 (****½)

Talented jazz trios that love the antagonistic and violent stylings of Odd Future don’t just drop out of the sky, do they?  They do if you’re BADBADNOTGOOD, a group that specializes in tight Charles Mingus grooves while sporting an ear for contemporary hip-hop and electro-soul, wrapping their big beats in smoky atmospheres.  The result is one of the more interesting jazz efforts to come along in a long time, simultaneously paying homage to the past and the present, with deft precision.

Key Cuts: Earl (Feat. Leland Whitty), Limit To Your Love, Flashing Lights

Bloc Party- Four (*****)

Those that had a raging conniption about the electronic leaning Intimacy and Kele Okereke’s synthed-out solo project, The Boxer, can rest easy.  Four is the masterpiece Bloc Party fans have been waiting for since the early aughts, its raw, “live-in-the studio” swagger energizing the group’s most immediate set of songs since Silent Alarm.  From twangy, angular space-punk, to palm-muted, sweeping ballads, Bloc Party gives fans an impressive comeback record that’s as confrontational as it is comforting.

Key Cuts: Octopus, The Healing, We’re Not Good People

Cat Power- Sun (***)

When she’s not recounting her fractured past in broken down bars, Charlyn Marie Marshall is apparently indulging in the coldest kind of sunbathing.  Hovering between scattershot trip-hop beats and Bowie-esque keyboards, Sun revels in Marshall’s indie-R&B fascinations, stretching them in more somber directions than lustful ones.  Though Sun isn’t as consistent as her past offerings (it lacks anything resembling a radio-earworm), these hypnotic atmospheres help keep her afloat without an abundance of memorable hooks.

Key Cuts: Cherokee, 3,6,9, Nothing But Time

Childish Gambino- Royalty (****½)

Donald Glover might be the newest prince in the rap game, but his charisma and talent is undeniably earned.  After last year’s breakthrough Camp, Glover chose to keep grinding on his 808s and came up with Royalty, a mixtape that plays like a list of his hyper-caffeinated YouTube favorites.  You simply won’t find a more fun sounding hip-hop recording this year, where 80’s neon glitz, deeply dark bass, quirky brass touches, and diverse MCs (Everyone from GZA to Tina Fey) add fuel to Glover's urgent, fiery flow.

Key Cuts: One Up (Feat. Steve G. Lover), American Royalty (Feat. RZA & Hypnotic Brass Orchestra), R.I.P. (Feat. Bun B.)

Fiona Apple- The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw & Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do (****)

There might not be an artist out there that makes you feel the labor of her music more than Fiona Apple, maybe because there are no other artists out there that are as ruthlessly self-critical.  Multi-syllabic title in hand, Apple is back with one of the more frantic entries in her deeply confessional catalog.  Sporting broken lullaby bombast, free-form jazz percussion, and enough sardonic spite to sink an aircraft carrier, Apple is still plunking on her ivories as the Internet burns.

Key Cuts: Valentine, Left Alone, Werewolf

Frank Ocean- channel ORANGE (***)

It’s impossible to talk about Odd Future without mentioning Frank Ocean’s pure, unadulterated talent.  He’s got silky smooth pipes, but his ambition is stretched too thin, crushing an otherwise interesting stab at future soul.  There are complicated vocal runs, space-age blips and strings, and about a million rappers coming out of the wood-works to support Ocean, but channel ORANGE is classic case of having too many cooks in the kitchen, overwhelming the most devout listener.

Key Cuts: Pyramids, Crack Rock, Pink Matter (Feat. André 3000)

The Gaslight Anthem- Handwritten (*****)

Brian Fallon writes the kinds of songs Bruce Springsteen wishes he could write.  That statement isn’t hyperbolic: Handwritten has guts, an LP chock full of the self-reflection that often comes with staying honest in desperate times.  Super producer Brendan O’Brian adds some texture, encouraging the group to incorporate blusier melodies into their punky chug, but it’s Fallon’s images that keep listeners grounded, spinning tales of American ghosts that were made to crash through muscle car radios.

Key Cuts: “45”, Mulholland Drive, Biloxi Parish

Gold Motel- Gold Motel (***½)

Going the DIY route takes chutzpah but it also takes the kind of meticulous follow through that Gold Motel exhibit on their new self-titled, self-produced album.  The group's chemistry is endearing, mixing hazy guitars with chunky slabs of Beach Boy pop and girl-group charm.  The slower mood might make it seem like there's a bit of a hangover from partying at the summer house, but Gold Motel’s latest effort feels like the work of real musicians playing real songs, the best kind of result from a DIY mentality.

Key Cuts: Brand New Kind Of Blue, In Broad Daylight, Slow Emergency

Japandroids- Celebration Rock (****)

There is nothing more rock & roll than feedback and anthems, two things Japandroids has in spades.  Celebration Rock is quite the statement, marrying driving rhythms with stadium punch, and enough late-night ennui to choke the dudes from Hüsker Dü.  Though the group is only two albums into their career, this sophomore effort hints at a bright future for Japandroids, full of the kind of music that embodies mix tapes and feelings that forever stay in our bones.

Key Cuts: Adrenaline Nightshift, The House That Heaven Built, Continuous Thunder

Radiohead- The King Of Limbs (*****)

Nobody likes a new Radiohead album on first listen.

Part of that stems from the fact that everyone approaches new Radiohead material with unreasonable expectations, knowing full well the band rarely creates immediate music. Still, even with this in mind, listeners expect the moon. They hold Radiohead responsible in recreating past triumphs while forging ahead into new sonic territory, the two often in conflict with one another. Save for maybe U2 or Metallica, there is scarcely a band operating today that faces such strong criticism before a single note hits the net. They didn’t write another “Creep.” They wrote something too melancholy. They used too many keyboards. They wrote something too glitchy. They didn’t use enough keyboards. They didn’t write another OK Computer…

The list goes on and on.

The King Of Limbs isn’t immune to this phenomenon, and the backlash has been particularly nasty for an album that arrived a full day before its scheduled release. Critics have said it’s too short, or it isn’t as accessible, or worse: It’s merely the band serving Thom Yorke’s love of electronic music for 37 minutes. Yet these are all first impressions and The King Of Limbs is, like most Radiohead albums, too rich to take in all at once.

Instead, it’s a record that finds Radiohead masterfully shifting between musical styles and atmospheres, solidifying their legacy as studio tinkerers in an era of sonic complacency. From the balmy, free-jazz opening of “Bloom,” Radiohead makes it abundantly clear that the album’s rewards are buried deep, and half the fun is diving into the arrangements to find them. Songs like “Bloom” illustrate just how far the band has come since their early 90s work; the track lacks any real sort of chorus, yet remains compelling. To this end, it’s important to credit Jonny and Colin Greenwood as the careful use of strings, jerky bass work, and rich brass keep the song moving over densely layered loops.

In a lot of ways, this sets the tone for The King Of Limbs. It’s an album that grows on you, slowly, like moss on a 1,000 year-old tree.

Yet if there’s one thing that really jumps out, it’s Colin Greenwood’s exemplary performance. His bass ranges from sultry to savage, anchoring these songs while Phil Selway and Yorke’s percussion continues to expand and evolve. Greenwood adds tenseness to the slow burning “Morning Mr. Magpie,” his four-string needling over creeping keyboards. Elsewhere, on the dubstep inspired “Feral,” Greenwood finds a new way to define the low-end as Yorke’s digitized voice splatters against torso-shaking frequencies. Yet by and large, Greenwood’s most accessible and impressive contribution comes in on “Lotus Flower,” as his pulsing and sexy bass work provides the backbone for effervescent beats and an engaging sense of space.

Though The King Of Limbs leans on the group’s electronic influences, it’s not as pristine as one might expect. There’s a hazy aesthetic to much of the album, a studio style fog that washes over these tracks without muddling the mix. This results in some of the album’s most arresting moments, as if the band hoodwinked Dave Brubeck and Neil Young into doing a DJ set in a hidden forest. Songs like the slow crawling, piano dirge “Codex” feel massive as French horn and soft synthesizers create a real sense of majesty against Yorke’s mournful voice. By comparison, “Give Up The Ghost” is submerged in Yorke’s sampled, reverb laced vocals, underpinned with woodsy acoustic guitar. While it’s clear that The King Of Limbs is the product of careful studio construction, there’s a natural quality to it that’s as inviting as it is comforting, which will undoubtedly be part of the album’s appeal down the line.

Of course no Radiohead discussion would be complete without touching on Thom Yorke’s lyrics, which are as cryptic and vivid as ever. Conceptually, Yorke is still exploring relationship dynamics like on In Rainbows but he’s augmenting those observations by touching on the natural/spiritual world as well. He explores profound moments of intimacy on songs like “Lotus Flower” (Slowly we unfold/As lotus flowers/Cause all I want is the moon upon a stick/Just to see what if/Just to see what is…), and the eerily drifting “Separator” (It’s like I’ve fallen out of bed from a long and vivid dream/Finally I’m free of all the weight I’ve been carrying…). Though he shies away from conventional hooks, Yorke explores oneness and decay on The King Of Limbs, continually searching for the things that bind us together on this corporeal plane.

Of course like with most things worth appreciating, The King Of Limbs requires your attention, not your biases.

The group is fully aware of that, and with The King Of Limbs they continue to illustrate one important idea with their music: Namely, that they don’t care about fair weather reactions. At this point in their career, Radiohead don’t need gimmicks like “pay-what-you-want” promotions or videos on MTV. Instead, their willingness to experiment against the grain, against what their critics and fans expect, is the real stroke of genius. It displays the group as methodical, forward thinking, and comfortable, even when the entire Internet is freaking out around them.

In short, The King Of Limbs is the sound of a band that’s sure of themselves, sure that their seasoned songwriting will take subversively root, no matter what the expectations might be.

Key Cuts: Lotus Flower, Codex, Separator

Sounds Like: Burial (Burial), The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady (Charles Mingus), Amnesiac (Radiohead)

Click on the artwork to sample The King Of Limbs for yourself!

All Kinds Of Tunes

Because real life doesn't always allow me the chance to give albums the proper 1,000 word treatment they deserve.

KoЯn- KoЯn III: Remember Who You Are (**)
People in their 20s remember a time where KoЯn made urgent and emotive music. It was more than a full decade ago to be exact. Since then, the Bakersfield quartet has really let themselves slide in the 00s, resulting in a band that’s merely a shadow of its former self. This is why KoЯn III: Remember Who You Are is such a calculated return to their sound circa 1996. Producer Ross Robinson is back, Fieldy’s scratchy bass work runs rampant, and Johnathan Davis still employs his tried and true vocal technique of whine-to-spastic freak out. Unfortunately, rather than coming across as rejuvenated, the group seems tired. Though Robinson gives the group great sonic spacing, and some added crunch to Munky’s guitar work, KoЯn III flounders because Davis comes across like a cranky 10 year old (“Why don’t you just leave me alone?/My heart feels free from the past…”) and the music has lost it’s vivaciousness. Where instruments used to smash into each other and squeal tortuously, the group has settled for simply constructing forgettable stabs of power chord gruel. While the album’s stripped down approach is a welcome change, fans can’t help but remember a time when KoЯn inspired a sense of dread, rather than a sense of apathy.

Key Cuts: Pop A Pill, Fear Is A Place To Live, The Past


M.I.A.- /\/\ /\ Y /\ (**½)
Maya Arulpragasam is fast approaching that realm in art where concept trumps execution. Blame it on the truffle oil French fries, or her new found lack of sonic direction, but /\/\ /\ Y /\ fits that bill to the tee. Bent on crafting a “digital ruckus,” /\/\ /\ Y /\ leaps between seizure inducing beats and chainsaw-inspired white noise, dousing the flames in liberal amounts of auto-tune filtered gasoline. On paper, it sounds exciting dangerous. Yet her overwhelming need to soap box about the evils of technological over stimulation fails to inspire any sort of digital mosh pit, undermining her mechanized manifesto. “Steppin’ Up” is an ugly amalgam static shuffles and computerized drawl, while “XXXO” finds Maya embodying a lifeless, surface level dance pop number, rather than satirizing one. While her pervious album, Kala, came across as eclectic, /\/\ /\ Y /\ reeks of disunity, mostly because she rages against the information age in one moment (the stabbing keyboard drivel of “Teqkilla”) and embodies it the next (the reverby haze fest of “It Iz What It Iz”). Still, Maya finds a solid groove within the album’s last quarter, riding on the spunky Suicide sample of “Born Free” and the minimalist electro-throb heartbeat of “Space.” While it’s not exactly ideal waiting for that last part of /\/\ /\ Y /\, it reminds listeners that when M.I.A. wants to make gripping music, she can. She just needs to get over herself and her Googlephobia.

Key Cuts: Born Free, Tell Me Why, Space


The Roots- How I Got Over (****)
It was confusing seeing The Roots as Jimmy Fallon’s house band, especially considering Fallon is horrendous at late night and The Roots create socially conscious music. Yet all that extra jamming must have really helped the Philadelphia hip-hop institution rekindle the love for their inner cool. While their last two records were immediate and heavy slices of protest, How I Got Over mines the laid back jazz atmospheres of their early records while looking towards an uplifting and hopeful future. The album is a seamless mix of fluid bass work, twinkling piano, and indie samples (Joanna Newsom, and Monsters Of Folk included), affirming that The Roots are the kings of low-end chic. They definitely wear the crown well. “Dear God 2.0” sports airy beats and hypnotic bass as Black Thought contemplates the afterlife, “ All I’m trying to do is live life to the fullest/They sent my daddy to you in a barrage of bullets/Why is the world ugly when you made it in your image?/And why is livin’ life such a fight to the finish?” Elsewhere, John Legend lends his jumpy piano to the expansive late album cut “The Fire,” while the smoky barroom ivories of “Walk Alone” show that poignancy can come from subtly. Yes, ?uestlove still commands the drum kit with a deft prowess and a restrained presence, but what really makes How I Got Over stand out is The Roots’ ability to tap into incredibly human struggles. Their music is inclusive in message and compassionate in scope. Ultimately, it helps their album comes across as a lesson in soulful, social poetry, rather than just another record by Jimmy Fallon's house band.

Key Cuts: Walk Alone, Dear God 2.0, The Fire

Norah Jones- The Fall (****)

It’s always been kind of easy to knock Norah Jones.

While 36 million records worldwide would seem to contradict that, Jones has always seemed to inspire hatred among music purists in spite of her populist appeal. She’s too young. She has many songs written for her. She’s not a true “jazz artist.” The list goes on and on for her detractors, but on her new record The Fall, don’t be surprised if certain purist start bagging on Norah because there’s “not enough Norah Jones sounding piano” on it.

Instead, The Fall finds Jones asserting more control over her songwriting (Writing or co-writing each track here), while gently shifting her pop jazz influences closer to American roots music. While Jones is no stranger to experimentation (The folk influences on Feels Like Home, and the southern jazz touches of Not Too Late come to mind), this is the first time since her debut that Jones seems comfortable with the direction. As a result, The Fall showcases Jones in a variety of moods and emotions, while coming across as a rich and lush dream.

The first single “Chasing Pirates” is a great indication of Jones’ newfound autonomy. Held together with ebbing Wurlitzer, snappy drumming, and Jones’ molasses thick voice, the track balances hooks with a bubbling effervescence. The overall affect is as buoyant as Jones is coy, but provides a certain amount of depth that’s mostly lost in pop music.

However, if there’s one thing The Fall excels in, it’s in drifting atmospheres that envelop the listener. On The Fall, guitars chime, fading in an out with rich reverb and soft distortion. Bass lines like the slinky crawl found on “I Wouldn’t Need You” pull listeners in as Jones weaves tales about love lost. Elsewhere, the smoky barroom stomp of “It’s Gonna Be” is peppered with rough blues guitar and pulsing drums, conjuring images of Bourbon Street dives and long nights.

While Jones surrounds herself with some fine musicians, her choice to hire producer Jacquire King was a gamble that paid off in spades. Known for his work with Tom Waits and Modest Mouse, King’s knob twisting makes The Fall dense without feeling cluttered. His soft, but never murky production suits Jones’ rich voice as she balances her frailty with longing, creating sounds as surreal as her prose.

The Fall might come across as sonically smooth, but it’s Jones’ stories that bear her sharp teeth. More so than ever before, Jones wears her heart on her sleeve in singing about her flaws, her insecurities, and her struggle with relationships. On “Light As A Feather,” Jones croons “While the seasons will undo your soul/Time forgives us and takes control/We separate our things to put us back together…” This sense of decay runs rampant throughout The Fall, and rather than simplifying heartache into an “Us vs Them” war of words, Jones is careful to grant weight to shared intimacy.

Ultimately, Jones’ more mature look on loss keeps her stories fresh without being preachy. The climbing blues of “Stuck” creates an awkward late night rendezvous between two people don't know how to really co-exist with each other. Lines like “I’m sitting here stuck/Plastered to me seat/I think up a reason to leave/When you finally stop speaking…” show Jones is interesting in exploring human frailties as opposed to surface level bursts of frustration. The result makes her storytelling on The Fall as captivating as the music it accompanies, perhaps the rarest feat of all in pop music.

While it’s a bit unusual to have a Norah Jones album that is so light in ivory, it’s refreshing to find Jones daring to experiment with a myriad of sounds as well as her lyrics. Yet what makes The Fall truly shine, seems to be the balance with which Jones pulls these parts together. There is not one thing, one musical slant, one lyrical idea, that overpowers the rest. Instead, The Fall comes across as a fully realized work, one where modest means and honest parables come together seamlessly, and without pretension.

On the jumpy piano of “Man Of The Hour,” Jones softly whispers about the only kind of man that could truly capture her heart: Her dog. She confesses, “You never lie/And you don’t cheat/And you don’t have any baggage/Tied to your four feet...” showing that it’s not perfection or the ideal that she’s searching for, but authenticity. Through her charming honesty, Jones hits on what we’re all searching for: The chance to live with who we truly are, without the push to be labeled as something we’re not.

But don’t worry; plenty of people will hate her for singing honestly as well.

Key Cuts: Chasing Pirates, Light As A Feather, I Wouldn't Need You

Sounds Like: Field Manuel (Chris Walla), The Remainder (Feist), Girls & Boys (Ingrid Michaelson)

Click on the artwork to sample The Fall for yourself!

John Mayer- Battle Studies (**)

Pay close attention to the cover art on John Mayer’s latest album, Battle Studies.

Notice his gray-scaled physique, his purposefully tussled hair, and his wistful stare, the target of which is decidedly out of frame. Soak it in, let John Mayer’s singer-songwriter plight consume you through the sheer force of his gaze.

Perfectly constructed sadness never looked so real.

The problem is that Battle Studies is all style, with only flashes of substance, from a musician that really started to get serious with his last album. 2006’s Continuum was a breath of fresh air for Mayer, who’d been making good but not great music for a few years prior, and put him in the realm of serious music makers. His decision to focus on his arrangements and stretch his sonic palate made for an engaging listen, and won him heaps of praise for people that thought he was just a pop dandy.

Yet instead of continuing that trend, Mayer seems more concerned with appearing sophisticated rather than actually engaging his listeners. On Battle Studies, Mayer takes his jazz/blues soft rock to Prozac-laden proportions, focusing on half-baked atmosphere and ambience rather than storytelling and song craft.

Things get off to a rocky start, the Edge inspired guitar and lush backdrop of “Heartbreak Warfare” offering listeners a massive sonic experience, but a fairly shallow song. Mayer caps it off with a strained solo, one that’s as frustrated as we’re lead to believe he is, but his lyrics that feel painfully trite. Against a symphony of anguish, Mayer amateurishly tackles the universal with no brainer hooks such as, “Once you want it to begin/No one really ever wins/In heartbreak warfare…”

And it’s only track one.

Make no mistake, Battle Studies is an immaculate sounding record. It's bass is warm and thick, it's drums are deep. The rich syrupy solo on “All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye” and the delicate acoustic melodies on “Do You Know Me” prove that Mayer enlisted some studio muscle, but there’s a tradeoff. There aren’t very many moments where the music feels organic. The digital funk of “Crossroads” flirts with a decent groove, Mayer’s southern rock delivery holding it all together, but it all feels calculated, pieced together to sell John Mayer rather than music John Mayer made.

What the record lacks, and what ultimately made Continuum so captivating, was Mayer’s ability to create intimate portraits while keeping his arrangements lively and evolving. On Battle Studies, Mayer opts to phone in his melodies, allowing songs to meander while their crispness carries them. Considering what an accomplished guitarist he is, it’s a real shame to see that potential go to waste, especially when his solos remind you that you’re on a different song.

Predictably enough, Battle Studies is best when Mayer forgets about how glossy he can make his music. The simple acoustic pluck of “Who Says” is a standout gem, a song that feels more inline with his feelings than the grandiose balladeering he’s become fixated with. Against softly brushed percussion, Mayer’s nimble melodies give way to lines like “It's been a long night in New York City/It's been a long time since 22 /I don't remember you looking any better/But then again I don't remember you…” It’s not that Mayer sounds more convincing, it’s that the words have more weight in subject matter, tackling the ambiguity that comes from fractured relationships rather than the heartbroken absolutism that peppers the rest of the album.

Battle Studies finds Mayer preoccupied with either showing how macho he is, or how torn up the ladies have made him. “Assassins” is a heavy-handed parable about encountering his heartbreaking female alter ego, while “Half Of My Heart” would make even Charlie Brown wince awkwardly. In short, John Mayer lashes out because he has a persona he wants to maintain, and it’s this persona that gets him in trouble.

Still, the record has its bright spots. “Crossroads” proves that the ghost of Al Green looms behind Mayer’s fretting fingers while the spinning melodies of “Edge Of Desire” help listeners drift into a delicate dream world. It’s clear that Mayer can write a melody, and write them well, but on Battle Studies he seems to have forgotten how to make them consistently memorable.

But fear not, because John Mayer has provided listeners with something that he feels trumps a solid record any day, his sensitive side. Battle Studies won’t change any notions or leave a lasting impact, but listeners are left with a sad breathy croon and purposefully constructed hair. Ultimately, it's the sound of plastic emotion, and of a gifted player putting his potential on the shelf.

Key Cuts: Who Says, Crossroads, Edge Of Desire

Sounds Like: The worst parts of KOIT radio.

Click on the artwork to sample Battle Studies for yourself!