Record Release Rundown: The Latest From Foo Fighters, Punch Brothers, Freddie Gibbs and Underworld
What should you be listening to?
— -- intro: In addition to Adele's "25," this week brought us a surprise Foo Fighters EP, a new Punch Brothers EP, plus a new album from rapper Freddie Gibbs. In addition, Underworld released a deluxe reissue of their 1996 album, “Second Toughest In The Infants.” Adele didn’t face much competition this pre-Thanksgiving week, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t other gems to discover.
quicklist: 1title: Foo Fighters’ “Saint Cecilia EP” ***text: The Foo Fighters had a mysterious countdown clock on their site counting down to November 23. The internet was briefly ablaze wondering what this clock meant and now we have an answer. The Foos dropped a five-song EP for free on their website, as well as iTunes and Amazon. In the process they also urged fans to donate to the victims of the Paris bombings.
“Saint Cecilia” as an EP doesn’t find the Foos back in peak form, but it does serve as a bit of a palate-cleanser after the disastrously awkward “Sonic Highways,” which was a great idea for a documentary series but not for an album.
This record finds Dave Grohl and his gang trying to bring back the essence of classic albums like “The Colour and The Shape.” “Sean” even sounds like a cousin of “Monkey Wrench,” while “Savior Breath” tries to recreate the hardcore edges found on parts of the band’s debut album. But something has changed. The band has restored some of their alt-rock edge here, but not nearly to the level they had at their peak.
For the first three songs, it sounds as if they set out to “rock” in a very inorganic way. The second half delivers the slower songs, “Iron Rooster” and “The Neverending Sigh.” These tracks are more successful. While overall, this is a passable and sometimes good collection, there really does still seem to be something missing from the formula. The band’s last real sonic success was “Wasting Light” in 2011. On that album, they sounded awake and alive in ways they hadn’t for years. The funny thing is, even when they are rocking pretty hard here on “Saint Cecilia,” there is a feeling that they are still working the middle of the road.
Grohl needs to go back and listen to those first three Foo Fighters records along with “Wasting Light” and find the band’s essence again, because while this collection momentarily satisfies, there’s a drive and a hunger that somehow isn’t there anymore.
I’d even suggest Grohl go off and make another record by himself as he did with the band’s debut and reconnect with his original vision.
Still, if you were disappointed in “Sonic Highways,” this EP is still a step back in the right direction.
Focus Tracks:
“Iron Rooster” Considering the rockers that come before it, the sudden shift in “Iron Rooster” is a bit of a shock. But it packs some nicely ethereal energy as it builds. The piano line even sounds like the “load up on guns” section of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and as the song progresses it gets a prog-rock-meets jazz vibe.
“Sean” Yes, as stated above, this is a very close cousin to “Monkey Wrench,” but it also is a two-minute rush of adrenaline.
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quicklist: 2title: Punch Brothers’ “The Wireless” ****text: “The Wireless” is Punch Brothers’ collection of five B-sides left off of their 2015 album, “The Phosphorescent Blues.” Any one of these tracks would have fit well on that album as the band finds a great balance between semi-gothic bluegrass and old-school Django Reinhardt-influenced guitar and banjo work. Again, they work like an intricate, well-honed orchestra, mixing a bit of twang with a sweeping undercurrent.
The deep instrumental intensity present on “The Hops Of Guldenberg” is downright stunning, finding a sepia-hued middle-ground somewhere between country and jazz.
Altogether, this EP shows an old-school “Tin Pan Alley” energy rarely heard on modern albums. Hearing this, it makes perfect sense that band-leader Chris Thile has been named as Garrison Keillor’s successor as host of “A Prairie Home Companion” when Keillor retires in 2016. Thiele has made quite a number of appearances on the show over the years and even his music reflects the same kind of folksy charm that has been Keillor’s calling card.
In addition to originals, the band delivers an unlikely but excellent reading of Elliott Smith’s classic, “Clementine,” that gives it a brand of country sadness.If you like really old-school, well-crafted, complex music, you should give both “The Wireless” and “Phosphorescent Blues” a listen. Actually, in some ways, “The Wireless” comes off as a touch more impressive than its predecessor simply because it packs so much into its 23 minutes.
Focus Tracks:
“The Hops Of Guldenberg” This is a dense, constantly moving instrumental full of nearly endless complexity. It’s simply a remarkable piece of work. Contemplating how much cooperation it took to put this track and this performance together would probably make your head spin.
“Sleek White Baby” (Featuring Ed Helms) This is a jazzy jingle for some brand new contraption. I’m not actually completely sure what it is, but maybe that’s part of the joke. Ed Helms interrupts the song as an old-timey radio pitchman. Is it weird? Totally. But it is pretty funny as well.
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quicklist: 3title: Freddie Gibbs’ “Shadow Of A Doubt” ***1/2text: Rapper Freddie Gibbs follows up last year’s excellent Madlib-collaboration, “Piñata” with “Shadow Of A Doubt,” an album which finds the Gary, Indiana born MC putting his Tupac and DMX-influenced flow over some airy synth beats. Gibbs specializes in rather rough tales, with a gangsta-like attitude. This is a really gritty set. He’s got a lot of guests with him, too. It’s a testament to Gibbs’ delivery that he sounds equally at home on both “10 Times,” which features E-40 and Gucci Mane and on the smooth “Extradite” which features Black Thought.
Gibbs obviously shows a lot of influence from the West Coast rap of the nineties, but he can switch it up to just about any style. His rhymes may be too graphic for some. If that’s the case, this record isn’t for you and the warning sticker is there for a reason.
Really, Gibbs is from a world that brings back memories of both Biggie and Tupac. He’s not quite at either’s level, yet but he’s got the attitude. There may be some harsh moments, but he can weave a narrative web and make you believe every word he says.
These are songs about dealing drugs and hustling, but at the same time, there’s a real sadness underneath that in the case of a track like “F***in’ Up The Count” is felt through the minor-key backing-track. These are mostly anthems about survival and hunger. These are songs about desperation.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a rapper with a more flexible and malleable flow than Gibbs. He can rock a hardened, grimy verse one moment, and caress an old-school flow the next. Tracks like “Narcos,” “Mexico,” “Basketball Wives” and “McDuck” bring to mind the post-chill world of Drake with more attention to detail. Sometimes it is as if Gibbs wants to take us on a tour of hip-hop’s history. He’s definitely an MC who likes to jump and prove himself.
“Shadow Of A Doubt” is not always an easy listen. “Packages” for instance has a pretty challenging chorus and some might take issue with the liberal use of digital effects and occasional autotune throughout the set. But Gibbs is in effect trying to find his place within hip-hop’s modern conventions. He also tends to be rather heavy when it comes to his lyrics. If you are looking for a feel-good party record, this isn’t it, but Gibbs continues to be one of the most intriguing voices from hip-hop’s underground.
This isn’t quite as strong a record as “Piñata” was last year. Madlib’s raw, organic production was a better fit for Gibbs’ raw rhymes. This album on the other hand courts a more mainstream audience. In any case, Freddie Gibbs is definitely getting ready for his close-up.
Focus Track:
“Extradite” (Featuring Black Thought) This is the best track on the album. Gibbs and Black Thought both get nice flows going as they rap over a flawless beat built around a sample from Bob James’ “Nautilus.” Granted that James track has served as the backing for A Tribe Called Quest’s “Clap Your Hands,” Ghostface Killah’s “Daytona 500,” Slick Rick’s Children’s Story” and countless other classics, but still on this song these two skilled MCs are able to give it yet more new life. If you hear only one song on this set, this should be the one.
“10 Times” (Featuring Gucci Mane and E-40) Over a skeletal and ominous beat, these three MCs get a drive going. Yes, it can be crass, but it also shows some lyrical skill as well.
“Forever And A Day” Is it me or does this song’s piano hook sound like it is taking its cues from the theme to “The Exorcist?” It sounds like a more soulful rewrite which gives Gibbs the sturdy backdrop he needs.
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quicklist: 4title: Underworld’s “Second Toughest In The Infants” (2 CD Deluxe Edition) *****text: When Underworld released the fourth record, “Second Toughest In The Infants” at the beginning of 1996, it was just at the beginning of the mini-electronica boom of the nineties. The group had begun in the late eighties as a very different outfit, but had quickly evolved into a dance-driven machine, anchored by pseudo-drum-n-bass breaks and Karl Hyde’s stream-of-consciousness lyrics that effortlessly glided over rhythms that were at some points chill-based and at other times more menacing in nature.
Nearly twenty years later, this album still sounds like it is on the cutting edge. The funny thing is, this album really owes its success to a B-side. “Born Slippy (Nuxx)” gave Underworld a bona fide club hit. Around the same time as this album was released, the song was prominently placed in the movie “Trainspotting” and on its accompanying soundtrack. People looking for more work from Underworld gladly then picked up this album where they got eight more highly expansive nuggets, thus leading to a rather magnificent trip through club-land.
This deluxe version not only rightly features a nearly twelve-minute mix of “Born Slippy (Nuxx),” but an instrumental version as well. Also on the bonus disc are a variety of other B-sides that would have suited the original set quite well. Many of these are just early or reworked versions of selections from the original set, thus bringing new perspective into their construction.
The truth is, at this point in their career, Underworld were at the peak of their game. In comparison, 1999’s “Beaucoup Fish” seems like a repetitive pale shadow. When spaced-out tracks like “Rowla” or its reductionist twin, “Cherry Pie” wash over you, they brings with it a sonic sense of euphoria. This is club music at its most hypnotizing. This album is a gem that should be studied by the current “EDM” crowd. It still maintains an immense amount of edge.
All throughout the tracks on this expanded version of “Second Toughest In The Infants,” Underworld find equal balance between lush synths and pummeling machinery. It’s an unrelenting, severely captivating collection. Considering it is so electronic-based, it should sound dated and strange twenty years later. But in fact, it still sounds quite futuristic.
Focus Tracks:
“Born Slippy (Nuxx)” I pretty much said it all above, but this is one of the most iconic rave anthems ever to be recorded. It still has an epic amount of sheer power.
“Banstyle/Sappys Curry” At close to sixteen minutes, this is one of the longer tracks on the set. Yet at the same time, with its ambient textures it is also among the most alluring. The beat trips while the synths hum in the background and it is like a comforting aural pillow. This is where ambient and chilled atmospheric elements meet trip-hop and drum-n-bass components. Karl Hyde maintains a soft, mysterious mutter throughout, but his mellow approach just adds more fire to the stew. Roughly seven minutes in, the track switches gears and gets a funky backbone without losing its cool, drone-driven appeal. The hook on this second half gives us one of Hyde’s most melodic performances to date.
“Rowla”/ “Cherry Pie” If you are looking for a rave-ready synth-line you’ll find one of the best in history on these tracks. It really does leave you spinning. If I had to pick an approach that I liked better, though, I think I prefer the stripped down reading on “Cherry Pie,” although the cutting and tweaking synth on “Rowla” may be an ancestor to today’s dub-step.
Next Week: Considering this Friday is Black Friday, there are shockingly few high-profile records on the horizon. Garage-rock revivalist Ty Segall has a record set for release. We’ll review that and others. Who knows? Maybe some surprise releases will be announced.
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