Catching Up

OK. So in lean times I haven't been buying so many albums. But here are a few I bought this spring. Trying to catch up on some reviews here. So here are some short ones.

Bon Iver- "For Emma Forever Ago" This made a lot of critics' #1 on a lot of critics' top 10 lists for 08. I gave in and got it and liked it. 2 or 3 songs are great. Not sure it deserved all that hype. Sounds like acoustic TV On The Radio. And was done by a single guy sitting in front of his laptop. I'm more interested in what he does for his next record and I'm hoping he has an outside producer. (note: The brown artwork above is the original issue. The other is a far cry and is what's in stores now.)


Neko Case- "Middle Cyclone" I usually buy Neko Case records for her voice, not her song writing. And when I heard the first two track off this record, I thought she was up to her old mediocre tricks (I don't like repeating words just to fill up sullables and I dont like redundant rhymes like "eater" and "eat'ya" as in the line: "I'm a man man man man man man eater. So don't be surprised 'prised 'prised when I eat'ya!"). But as the album goes on, the song writing gets better and it's apparent she's leaped into another catagory. The Harry Nilsson cover played by a "piano orchestra", along with the songs "Prison Girls" and "The Pharoahs" (which might be her best work) might've been better suited for the beginning of the record, in place of that annoying Man Eater song. Here's a video of the making of the record.


Raffi- "Singable Songs Collection" This is a tripple disc reissue that includes the albums, "Singable Songs for the Very Young", "More Singable Songs", and "Corner Grocery Store". These are Raffi's three earliest consecutive works starting in 1976. Not only is this reissue historical and archival in a way, they contain well crafted short songs that are not dredged in Americana , as childrens' songs often are, and they stay credible without pandering to an adult audience. The main thing to notice here, on each of these three records, is that Raffi is varying between three vocal production styles: thick doubled vocals ("Popcorn"), harmonies with another male vocalist, or Raffi's voice with a small choir of children. Raffi clevery bounces back and forth between these three vocal styles and also varies the instrumentation behind it to hold evene the youngest listener's attention. The only drawbacks are the seasonal songs- seems weird to listen to songs about Santa, draedels, and zombies in May. Here's a short video of Raffi in concert where you can just feel the charisma created by humility rather than bravado.


Also, this is a gerontological Raffi playing for some college students who probably learned Raffi songs as small children. He immediately gets them to sing along.