SONIC YOUTH
Rather Ripped (4 stars)
For Sonic Youth, the past 25 years have been an odyssey of adjustment and recalibration. From a drummer switch in 1985 to a major-label leap in 1990 to a massive equipment theft in 1999 to a lineup expansion in 2002, the band has met each turning point head-on, emerging more accomplished and rugged on the other side.
Rather Ripped, proper studio LP No. 14, marks yet another critical juncture for the underground rock deities: a return to the group's classic four-piece configuration following the recent departure of Jim O'Rourke. Though a backshift to the core membership of Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley might sound easy enough, consider that O'Rourke's compositional and production skills played a major role in defining the Youth's recent body of work.
Indeed, the new disc departs perceptibly from predecessors Murray Street and Sonic Nurse. Gone is the trippy, three-guitar precision of longer pieces, replaced by more muscular—and frequently catchy—three- and four-minute tracks. The new approach succeeds more often than not, particularly on Gordon-sung fare such as "Reena," "Jams Run Free" and "The Neutral," though it also results in a couple of cuts on par with also-rans from the Goo and Dirty era.
Ultimately, Rather Ripped serves as yet another example of why, while peers are long gone or knee-deep in nostalgic reunions, Sonic Youth rolls on as a model of consistent flexibility, awaiting the next crossroads in its path.
Ice Cube
Laugh Now, Cry Later (3.5 stars)
With ICE CUBE'S ability to wring megaprofits out of the low-budget Friday and Barbershop film franchises, fans probably wondered if the former "nigga you love to hate" could return to his early '90s form—that scowling, politically astute, on-the-verge-of-being-a-thug rapper who dominated the game like Jordan in his prime.
It was a valid concern, considering that the same man who railed against drug dealers for not building supermarkets in the 'hood, threatened former LAPD officer Stacy Koon for his role in the Rodney King beating ("pretty soon, we'll catch Sgt. Koon, shoot him in the face, run up in him with a broom") and referred to white people as devils was now starring in Are We There Yet?
There's good news and bad news. The good? Cube of old is back and icy as ever. The conspiratorial chorus to "Why We Thugs" rehashes his one-time allegiance to the black separatist Nation of Islam: "They gives us guns and drugs/then wonder why in f--k we thugs." The very next song, "Smoke Some Weed," rehashes his love for hash. (Didn't he just talk about how drugs were bad? Yep. That's Cube). It's like this throughout, social commentary (the requisite Katrina references and f--k Bush disses) mixed with good, old-fashioned West Coast gangsta shit ("Click Clack—Get Back" and "Spittin' Pollaseeds").
The bad news: The beats are so-so, even with assists from Scott Storch and Lil Jon. Cube should've rolled with the guys who got him here, the underrated Sir Jinx and DJ Pooh. No matter. It's just good to have him back.
Live
Songs From Black Mountain (3 stars)
After seven albums, Live has settled into a comfortable groove. They've toned down the annoying pretentiousness of albums like 1997's Secret Samadhi and the experimentation of 2001's V, instead sticking to classic, anthemic rock songwriting, with earnest lyrics that reflect leader Ed Kowalczyk's abiding spiritual interests. Like 2003's Birds of Pray, Songs From Black Mountain is full of big, radio-friendly rock songs, with catchy choruses and thick guitars. It's a little less bombastic than Birds, perhaps more suited to the Hot AC audience that the band tends to attract these days.
Lead single "Mystery" (which the band performed on American Idol with finalist Chris Daughtry) is drenched in a few too many syrupy strings, but most of the songs are refreshingly straightforward guitar-bass-drums efforts. Kowalczyk still has a bit of a Bono/messiah complex, but there's nothing quite as unsubtle as Birds of Pray's "What Are We Fighting For?" "Home" wishes for troops to return from war in a simple, human way, and "Love Shines (A Song for My Daughters About God)" may have a horribly overwrought title, but, like the rest of the album, it's more about celebration than preaching.
Andy Caldwell
Universal Truth (4 stars)
Where Paul Oakenfold only got a double, Andy Caldwell hits the rock/electronic/house ball out of the park with his debut artist album on San Francisco's Om label. Five years in the making, the disc is amazingly tight—somewhat surprising, since Caldwell is so laid-back in person.
The 33-year-old producer-songwriter-DJ has produced a polished, sophisticated—and most importantly, enjoyable—collection of 12 crossover tracks, ranging from opening song "Runaway," with its down-and-dirty guitar riff and smoky vocals from Gina Rene, to the closing "I Can't Wait," with its folksy strumming and warm chrouses. In between are gems, including the house-funky "Don't You Love Me," predicted to be a future Top Tune at this year's Winter Music Conference. Better by far, though, is "The Stars"; cowritten and sung by Latrice Barnett, it harkens back to his mega-hit "Quiet Nights."
Caldwell is helped along in the endeavor by a number of singers and songwriters, including Rene, who was one of his partners in Soulstice. There are plans for Caldwell to tour with Rene and Lisa Shaw, another of the album's key singers. I'm taking wagers on the Foundation Room or Empire Ballroom. Either way, you'll find me there.
Discount Bin Only |
'80s Hits Stripped
Various.
Thanks to MTV Unplugged, too many musicians now think their songs might sound better with as few instruments (and as little studio production) as possible. Such was undoubtedly the thinking behind this 15-track album, and the marketing geniuses behind it should have their thumbs cut off by Oscar. Tommy Tutone needs to get off the 'ludes on "867-5309." How do you make Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me with Science" acoustic? Answer: You don't. And Asia's "Heat of the Moment" is absolutely tepid. But there are surprises: Energetic guitar saves Berlin's "The Metro"; God help me, Howard Jones' "No One is To Blame" actually sounds better; and Billy Squier delivers a Delta bluesy version of "The Stroke." As for the rest, call it music to nap by. (2 stars)