MUSIC ZONE
Supergrass — Diamond Hoo Ha (Astralwerks)
Saurabh & Gaurav
When
Supergrass first emerged 15 years
ago, they were titled cheeky chipmunks and chirpy clowns of Britpop. Young and
experimental, the group stood in the shadow of heavyweights Oasis and Blur. Six
albums later, the band is back with Diamond Hoo Ha and is having the last
laugh. Foregoing any evolutionary change of direction, this is a collection of
good fun rock ’n’ roll. A notable departure from 2005's more pastoral and
reflective Road To Rouen, Diamond Hoo Ha features a handful of rocking tracks
debuted last summer when Supergrass were handpicked as main support for the
Arctic Monkeys concert.
Ghost Of A Friend
sees Gaz bemoaning the loss of a friend at a party: "There’s always a
circus in town/ vultures, peacocks and hounds", while Whisky &
Green Tea sees them encountering Chinese dragons, and "being chased by
William Burroughs" amidst runaway drums and squealing saxophone. Though
the track begins as The Kinks' Lola before ending up as Mott The
Hoople, it has a sunny optimism helped along by some gorgeous harmonies.
The Supergrass boys have bounced back and it’s definitely worth making a
hoo-ha`A0over.
Best track: Butterfly
Worst track:
When I Needed You
Rating:
***
Ashlee Simpson — Bittersweet
World (Geffen)
Ashlee’s claim to fame has
always been the fact that she’s Jessica Simpson’s younger sister. There's
still no denying that Ashlee has found her cover-girl face and cleverly
manipulated voice, establishing her as the most pleasing teen pop of this
decade, but musically she falls flat. Ashlee ricochets from vampy self-esteem (Hot
Stuff) to post-breakup sulking (Little Miss Obsessive) to
generically sincere protestations that "it’s not easy bein’ me."
The tracks that standout are Boys, a song that backs up Ashlee's
mentioning of listening to a lot of 1980s’ pop and New Wave, and the title
track, Bittersweet World, a back-rolling, hip-shaking catchy track. Bittersweet
World is another pointer to the fact that Simpson has little to offer, this
time taking the form of an edgeless, forgettable pop rock that desperately
tries to hit the mark but almost falls short.
Best track:
Boys
Worst track: Little
Miss Obsessive
Rating:
*
The Raconteurs — Consolers of
the Lonely (Warner) **
The track Consolers of the
Lonely has three songs merged together with tempo shifts that virtually
works but doesn't quite make it. The problem with the track is that, along with
some very promising moments, the assorted pieces never really gel. In truth,
Consolers of the Lonely as a whole begs for a consistency that at times isn't
attained. It is due to players who are musicians with different talents to
offer, but have varying time schedules. The album manages to get into gear with
the tipsy country stomp of Old Enough and followed by a series of
notable moments, including The Switch and the Spur, Hold Up, the
storming Five on the Five, the catchy Reid cover These Stones Will
Shout and, finally, the closing backwoods ballad on Carolina Drama.
The Raconteurs consists of solo songwriter Brendan Benson, garage-blues
innovator Jack White III (of The White Stripes), and the rhythm section of The
Greenhornes, Patrick Keeler and Jack L.J. Lawrence. A line-up like this hurts
not for its lack of talent; rather, it necessitates a discovery`85 where the
talent of one musician ends and another begins.
Best track:
Carolina Drama
Worst track:
Attention
Rating:
**
Album of the month
Mariah Carey — E=MC2 (Island)
Carey opens the album with
the sleek Migrate, where she imagines partying during a night out
with the ladies. Other dance-floor anthems include O.O.C. and I'll
Be Lovin' U Long Time, which, for all of their pop polish, never lose
their soulful spirit. The loopy Off the Wall rides a wave of
Jacksonian dance-floor exuberance, and Scott Storch's Side Effects offers
a dark southern synth-scape to back Mariah's memories of her allegedly
abusive relationship with her ex-husband Tommy Mottola, and its subsequent
traumas: "Am I still dreamin' bout them violent times?" Houston-bred
Bryan-Michael Cox lends a hand during For the Record, whose
ethereal melody soundtracks the M by Mariah Carey perfume ads. Her
second single Bye Bye is about the loss of her father, Alfred Roy,
who died of cancer in 2002, and his absence during her childhood. Although
the lyrics of the song mostly seem to be personal, she tries to keep the
topic universal. She concludes as she did on Mimi with an
inspirational number. In this case, it's I Wish You Well, a rousing
piano waltz that extends forgiveness to those who have wronged her in the
past and is pretty much interchangeable with its predecessors. The album
has ample pop sparkle, thanks to Carey's winning, winsome delivery. Every
track plays like a potential hit single, and that's exactly what fans will
love about E=MC2. Expect it to soundtrack much of the summer and
beyond.
Best track: Side
Effects
Worst track: Cruise
Control
Rating:
**** |
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