Sunday, October 3, 2004
Interpol's 'Antics' a little lighter
CD reviews
INTERPOL
Antics
Matador, $16.98
3 stars
Up to the same Antics the second time around, Interpol's sophomore release was purported to be lighter than its dim predecessor. The difference in mood however, is subtle - like a lighter shade of black.
The downtrodden "Next Exit" ignites the dirge with Paul Banks singing "Do this thing with me/Instead of tying on a tight one/Tonight," like he's about to self-destruct. Titles like "Narc" and "A Time To Be So Small" and the lyrics "Your making people's lives feel less private" further depict an atmosphere of discontent.
Though nothing here is as immediately striking as "Obstacle 2" from their debut album, Turn on the Bright Lights, but Antics works better as a whole. Daniel Kessler's crisp guitar lines chime like ringing ears and dart around like tempered mood swings. The precise rhythm section of bassist Carlos D. and drummer Sam Fogarino keep everything orderly, remaining composed even when things turn wicked. It also lends a placidity to the recording not heard on Turn on ... .
Other bright spots include the evil, tangling guitar that fades out "Public Pervert" and Banks whispering "Oh, how I love you in the evening when we are sleeping" in his ominous baritone. Though the bright lights still have yet to be turned on, the foursome juggle suspicion, depression and mystery like few recent rock bands have.
Jake O'Connell, The Associated Press
JOSS STONE
Mind, Body & Soul
S-Curve, $18.98
3 stars
Oh, what feeling there is during Mind, Body & Soul, Joss Stone's follow-up to her debut EP, a compilation of soulful covers.
The not-so-pop singer finds the emotional climax in every song on the 14-track disc. Her husky voice is both eloquent and vulnerable, more Taylor Dane than Mariah Carey. And Stone's vocal acrobatics are intentional, not showy. This - combined with her honest lyrics - creates an atmosphere of authenticity.
Mind, Body & Soul recalls '70s soul, but it isn't a trip to the past. There are musical and lyrical traces of 2004 from sleek R&B beats to gratuitous iPod references.
"You Had Me," the most upbeat track on the CD, is a sassy disco-ish rallying call against a moocher and a scumbag, probably best played while dizzyingly tossing your ex's stuff out the nearest window. A plucky harp adds another dimension to "Snakes and Ladders." "Less is More" is hypnotic, infused with reggae rhythms and a sturdy chorus.
The oh-so-mature lyrics beat anything an American Idol could conjure. Probably because Stone is English. She chants about love and vodka, which is surprising considering she's only 17.
But with behind-the-scenes help from soulster Betty Wright and her own mum, Stone is free to travel outside PG-13 territory.
During the opening track, she croons, "I might be singing out of key, but it sure feels good to me."
Well, she isn't singing out of key. And it doesn't feel good. It's feels great.
Derrik J. Lang, The Associated Press
RICKY SKAGGS & KENTUCKY THUNDER
Brand New Strings
Skaggs Family Records, $18.98
2 1/2 stars
Like life, great bluegrass music has both a dark and a light side. The genre's exemplars, such as the Stanley Brothers and the Carter Family, may have sung about salvation, but it always felt like the fires of Hell were warming their backs. Brand New Strings, a new record by Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, has the light side down but is so removed from life's wretchedness that, in the end, it fails to be compelling.
The good news, of course, is that Skaggs sets the bar pretty high musically. A prodigy during his teenage years, Skaggs' skills on the mandolin and guitar are bluegrass state-of-the-art; likewise, his revolving backing band is made up of the finest pickers money can buy.
Musicianship, however, is not the point here. Though songs like "Enjoy the Ride" speak of sin and redemption ("Lift up your chin, brush off the dust/ Wash your hands of the things you've done"), Skaggs, who's a devout Christian, fails to convey any believable connection to the first part of the sin-redemption equation.
Without that, Brand New Strings might be commendable testimony, but it doesn't get to the complexity of the human condition like good bluegrass, and good preaching, is supposed to do.
Paul V. Griffith, The Associated Press
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