Record Release Rundown: The Latest From Robin Thicke, Seether, They Might Be Giants and the Jayhawks

— -- intro: Perhaps because it is a holiday week, this week’s release schedule is a little more sedate than usual, showcasing new albums from Robin Thicke and South African rock band Seether. In addition, They Might Be Giants dropped a live version of their 1986 debut album and the Jayhawks re-released three albums from their back-catalog.

quicklist: 1title: Robin Thicke’s “Paula” *text: Listening to Robin Thicke’s music, you may find yourself wondering at times if he knows what is and isn’t appropriate. “Blurred Lines” was a catchy hit last year, but his insistence on whispering the line “You know you want it” brought to mind very unpleasant associations, especially when paired with a video of cavorting naked models. That combined with several other decisions like grinding with Miley Cyrus (and a foam finger) on national television meant that Thicke had quite a year.

It’s impossible to listen to “Paula” without thinking of how last year’s events led to its inception. “Paula” is of course named for Thicke’s now estranged wife, Paula Patton, from whom he separated in February. To borrow the name of the album’s single, this record is a misguided attempt to “Get Her Back.” Writing love songs after a break up is tricky, especially when you are both in the public eye and this record fails on all fronts. Thicke comes off as using his heartbreak as a crass marketing tool. Really, it would have been better to send these songs to Patton privately if they mattered so much to him.

Musically, Thicke doesn’t have anything original to offer, either. It’s just an array of casual R&B impressions. “Lock The Door” sounds like a bad Ray Charles impression. “Love Can Grow Back” liberally borrows its intro from “At Last.” “Whatever I Want” sounds like a sloppy disco mash-up of Cream’s “Sunshine Of Your Love” and Richie Havens’ “Freedom.” “Tippy Toes” is just an accidentally ridiculous rave-up. “Something Bad” is a little too aptly named. “Living In New York City” finds Thicke trying to summon the spirits of James Brown and Edwin Starr and failing, as he sings hackneyed lines about “living in New York City where the girls are pretty, the streets are witty.” The over-zealous background singers throughout the set don’t help much, either.

The album doesn’t come off as genuine, with a forced blues vibe. It will leave you wondering about Paula Patton’s reaction to being dragged into this embarrassing public display.

Focus Track:

“Get Her Back” My praise isn’t based on the song’s lyrical tone or Thicke’s dodgy pseudo-Timberlake impression. It’s worth recommending for its subtle, minimalist groove that in better hands would summon a kind of “cocktail-party cool.”

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quicklist: 2title: Seether’s “Isolate & Medicate” (Deluxe Edition) **1/2text: South Africa’s Seether are holding the post-grunge fort down on their sixth album, “Isolate & Medicate” and they do so merely adequately. Sure the ghosts of Alice In Chains and Nirvana linger to a certain degree, but those influences still seem sadly watered down by subtle doses of Creed and Nickelback-type fare. This is true especially in the album’s more pop-driven moments. It creates an occasionally awkward hybrid between the raw realness of the Seattle sound and stream-lined radio rock. The end result is an album that wants to sound down-trodden and dirty but seems as if it is vacuumed clean. This is even true when a pop hook gives way to a blistering riff.

These songs would have more punch if Brendan O’Brien’s production gave them more room to breathe. It’s be nice if the heaviness of the riffs gave way to a few feedback squeals, or if there were instances where you could hear the guitar picks scrape against the strings. Shaun Morgan’s songs have kick, even if his lyrics have a pseudo-“uplifting” quality as they are coated in forced angst.

The deluxe edition of the album contains 4 bonus tracks which add effectively to the album, but ultimately, like much of the band’s other work this comes off like a tenth-generation funhouse facsimile. It provides an OK listen, but it isn’t the real thing.

Focus Tracks:

“Words As Weapons” Strangely when Morgan drops the scream and sings more matter-of-factly as he does here, he sounds a bit like Idlewild’s Roddy Woomble. In some ways this track seems like a cleansed answer to Idlewid’s album “Warnings/Promises.”

“Suffer It All” This is the heaviest track, marrying a muscular metallic verse section with a catchy chorus. It shows the band’s overall range.

“Save Today” This acoustic ballad closes the standard album. It’s got a nice sense of melody, paired with lyrics possessing a vaguely spiritual tone.

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quicklist: 3title: They Might Be Giants’ “First Album Live” ****1/2text: Back in 1986, Brooklyn-via Lincoln, Massachusetts duo They Might Be Giants released their self-titled first record and became quirky indie and art-rock darlings. Their songs were funny and dark at the same time with a child-like sense of wonder and a powerful grasp of melody.

A lot has changed in the 28 years since. The band has released a long string of records over that time. They’ve scored television shows and ad-campaigns, they’ve won awards and released a long string of records for both adults and kids. At this point they are indie-rock gods. What a nice surprise it was to find out that they chose to release a complete live version of their debut as a free download on their website this week.

Most bands when they’ve been together for 30 years sound bored when they perform their earliest material as if they’ve done it a million times and they are just going by the numbers. That is definitely not the case with They Might Be Giants. These songs still sound remarkably fresh and they give them the kind of gusto other bands would normally only give to newer material.

In addition, many of these songs sound better and fuller than they did in in their original context. Since 1994 John Linnell and John Flansburgh have expanded to a full band. On their first four albums it was just the two of them, so these songs now churn and rock harder and better than ever.

In addition, the set offers weird surprises, like the riff from Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” and the extended stage banter that opens up the live version of “Toddler Hiway.” These songs are just as smartly ridiculous as they were back in 1986, but somehow over the years they have gained layers, probably from being played thousands of times. This is a live version of a complete album that doesn’t feel like a mere retread. It has its own rewards.

Focus Tracks:

“Don’t Let’s Start” One of their earliest signature tunes is given extra thunderous heft in this context, adding to the song’s power-pop crunch. I’ve always appreciated the pessimistic lyrics paired with the bright, sunny melody.