VARIOUS ARTSITS
Nashville Soundtrack
Season 2 Volume 1
(Big Machine)
Prime-time drama Nashville continues
to gain fans and ratings week after week in
its second season, perhaps because of its
well-assembled cast, or its insights into the
musical business, or simply its constant
unapologetically soap opera-y storylines
(or maybe all of the above). Regardless,
part of the genius of Nashville is the
opportunity to release new music with
every single episode, and the show definitely has gotten the music part right. The
songs manage to push beyond mere"country western" into country-tinged rock, pop,
folk, acapella, and more, featuring male
vocals, female vocals, and some beautiful
duets. Highlights of this volume include
country rockers "What If I Was Willing"
and"Ball and Chain," the beautifully haunting"This Town," the Taylor Swift-esque
"Trouble Is," and two more duets from
YouTube sensation sisters (in real life and
on the show) Lennon & Maisy (“A Life
That's Good" and"Share With You"). And
the final proof of the musical quality of the
soundtrack is—you don't have to be a fan
of the show to enjoy every Nashvilleinfused song.
- Carter Moss
7
PLENTY IN THE TANK
SAXON
Unplugged And Strung Up
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
High Hopes
(Columbia)
Loss can sometimes be an unexpected
impetus for change. When sax man and
larger than life icon Clarence Clemons
passed away in June of 2011, it not only left
a gaping hole in Bruce Springsteen's legendary E Street Band, it also posed questions as to how, or if, to proceed.
That gap has since been plugged by
Jake Clemons, nephew of the late, great Big
Man and has also ushered in a roulette
wheel approach to Springsteen's ever
growing live entourage. On his 18th studio
recording, The Boss gets the most out of his
players, specifically Tom Morello, the former/current(?) guitarist for Rage Against
The Machine.
The twelve tracks here are a collection
of new, original compositions that have
been kicking around his live set and various covers. On the album's title track, the E
Streeter's work themselves into a froth as
Springsteen uses his carnival-barker howl
to beg for something to "Give me
help/give me strength/give a soul of night
of fearless sleep." The desperation is then
punctuated by an impossibly twisted solo
from Morello.
In fact, the majority of the record feels
like a duet between Springsteen and
Morello's guitar. "The Ghost Of Tom Joad"
gets a complete reworking. All of the dustbowl cavernousness of the original is
stripped away, replaced by Morello's
urgent playing that changes the tone of the
song from mournful to the feel of an uprising. "American Skin (41 Shots)" is a modern tragedy, sculpted in the great tradition
of "Jungle Land," "Thunder Road" and
Stevie Wonder's "Living For The City." The
music is cinematic in its scope as is the subject matter...An unarmed kid in the Bronx
gunned down by officers who discharged
41 rounds and were then acquitted of their
crimes. The underlying soundtrack feels as
heavy and unjust as the verdict.
The band even takes a crack at the works
of others. "Just Like Fire Would" doesn't
add much to The Saint's underground classic but it does bring attention to a criminally ignored composition. But the real prize
is his run through Suicide's "Dream Baby
Dream," transforming the synthy-punk
screed into a hymn all his own.
Grouse if you must about the lack of
actual new material here and you cheat
yourself of the experience. Throughout the
recording, Springsteen sounds more
revived and relevant enough to remind listeners that even though the chassis has
changed, the tank is still plenty full.
7
– Curt Baran
PIXIES
EP2
(Self)
EP2 follows the template of last year's
EP1, sequencing four stylistically distinct,
fat-free, and sharply engineered songs for
maximum wallop. But whereas on EP1
the loudest song came at the end, the
loudest song on EP2 (“Blue Eyed Hexe")
comes at the beginning. And whereas on
EP1 the prettiest song was inspired by
an"Andro Queen," the prettiest song on
24 illinoisentertainer.com february 2014
(UDR)
This isn't the first time British heavy
metal legends Saxon have re-recorded
and/or added orchestration and acoustic
guitar to their classic tunes. Last year's
Sacrifice included bonus tracks featuring
alternate takes of some of the very songs
that appear on Unplugged And Strung Up. I
suppose vocalist Biff Byford & Co. enjoyed
creating these different versions so much
that they decided to record a whole album
of reworked tracks. Although intriguing,
I'm just not convinced that they need to tinker with NWOBHM institutions such as
some of the tracks that grace this record.
Most of the time when a band updates or
re-records its back catalog, it might prosper
from better production values, but it also
usually loses that raw energy and intensity
of the original. Producer Andy Sneap
(Hell, Sabbat), who is a pro at capturing a
huge, in-your-face atmosphere, is responsible for the majestic and cinematic sound of
this compilation. "Battle Cry" from 1986's
Rock the Nations certainly benefits from better production values, giving it a more
robust boost and ballsier flavor, as does the
remixed version of "Stallions of the
Highway" from its stellar 1979 eponymous
debut album. "Crusader," benefited by an
orchestra here, has a dark and ominous
quality."The Eagle Has Landed" is also bolstered by a string arrangement, which
EP2 (“Greens And Blues") seems to ]