Grinderman: Grinderman

Nick Cave and (three of) the Bad Seeds make better music in their side project then you do in your full-time band. They prove that as Ginderman, and their self-titled debut was one of the more interesting records of 2007. The cover art sheds some light on this collection of songs. A screaming primate hunched over with hands near his privates corresponds humorously to these loud, simplistic songs whose most notable moments are about the demands and frustrations associated with the male libido.

The opening track, frankly titled “Get It On”, begins with some of Cave’s sing-song spoken words over a heavily distorted guitar and a primitive drum beat. The song progressively builds to include more distinct guitar work, drums, and some piano. Cave arrogantly declares “I’ve got some words of wisdom!” And listeners beware, because some of these words are not for the faint of heart.

If there is any theme to be found on this album it involves the woes and trials of man’s perennial pursuit of woman. Cave humorously describes the frustrating lengths to which he will go in an effort to copulate with a woman in one song. Yet, in an intentionally ironic moment a few songs later on the album he sings of a day that men decide they are no longer in need of women. He sings in the funky “Go Tell the Women”: ”We’ve done our thing/We have evolved/We’re up on our hind legs/The problems solved…Go tell the women that we’re leaving.” This adds another layer to the screaming primate on the cover.

Although, the members of Grinderman are all part of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the music is notably different. First of all, Cave has traded in his piano (mostly) for a gritty guitar here, marking his first recording playing the instrument. Cave probably does not have the same proficiency on the guitar as he has on the piano, but that serves as a strength here, rather than a weakness, as the guitar is creatively utilized to create crude, experimental noises which make for some great rock & roll. The guitar work on the album is unusual and coarse giving it a uniquely fresh sound. It is a delightfully noisy album with lots of squawks and squeals.

A notable moment on the record is in the song “Grinderman.” A gravelly, monotone guitar is slowly strummed while Cave croons that he is “the Grinderman in the silver rain, in the pale moonlight.” The song maintains this hypnotic steadiness until near the end when another guitar enters and wreaks havoc in a moment of blissful, noisy chaos. Many of the lyrics on Grinderman feel improvised and they seem to revel in their silly meaninglessness. To hear Cave sing “In the back of the taxi cab with ants in my pants, I can’t sit still” on “Depth Charge Ethel” serves as enjoyable evidence of this. Here is a record that is fun, unrefined, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s also a relatively funny record. Consider the chorus of “Honey Bee (Let’s Fly to Mars)” in which Cave buzzes (like a bee) amidst squealing guitars and a thumping drums. One can’t help but chuckle at it during the first few listens.

Grinderman is really everything a side project should be. Nick Cave and his Bad Seeds are able to explore new avenues for their musical creativity. Yet many of these new avenues are actually echos from the past. The members of Grinderman have stated that this project was designed to let them explore some of their musical roots from the past. Notably, this would include Nick Cave’s roots with the post-punk band, The Birthday Party.

Grinderman is a solid batch of simple, bawdy songs perfectly suited to tide you over until the next record by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, which as it happened, came out earlier this year and is titled Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!! Cave and Co. have indicated that following their 2008 Summer tour they will be heading back into the studio to cut a follow-up to Grinderman. Grinderman rock as if this were their day job, and for that reason, it will be important to pay attention to the future work of this satisfying side-project.

Grinderman
Grinderman
Mute, 2007
Rating: 4.0/5.0

Weezer: Pinkerton

This continues the series of reviews in the “favorite albums” category here at Tone Marrow Reviews.

Pinkerton has had nothing if not a turbulent history over it’s relatively short lifetime. It was released in September of 1996 as the follow up to Weezer’s fresh blend of nerdy pop-rock showcased in their 1994 multi-platinum debut, Weezer (aka The Blue Album). Yet the similarities between their debut and sophomore albums were few, and initially many reviewers and fans rejected the album. It was during the five-year hiatus following Pinkerton (possibly caused by the embarrassment by Cuomo of the things he had sung about) that the opinions among critics and fans began to change. This can be illustrated helpfully by a humorous turn of events at Rolling Stone. They originally gave Pinkerton 3/5 stars in 1996; in 2002, Rolling Stone readers placed the album as 16th on the list of greatest albums of all time; and in 2004, they re-reviewed the album, this time awarding it 5/5 stars. So, now, nearly twelve years after it’s release, what is the big deal about Pinkerton?

In the opening seconds of the album, there is a piercing microphone squeal, which is typically a terrible noise to the ears, but rather than an immediate fade away, the squeal only intensifies and becomes more distorted before the song “Tired of Sex” begins (contrast this with the jovial acoustic guitar plucking in the opening seconds of The Blue Album). This feedback perfectly sets the tone for the album that lies ahead. “Tired of Sex” features none of the “Ohh-wee-ohhhs” of “Buddy Holly.” Instead, we hear some of the loudest groans and screams from singer River Cuomo in Weezer’s entire body of work. And rather than sing about the Kiss posters and safety in his garage, Cuomo is bemoaning the differences between meaningless sex with groupies and making love. The song is raw, sexual, and emotional. Welcome to Pinkerton.

Cuomo claims that these songs are placed in the order in which they were written, which seems right, there doesn’t seem to be any discernible narrative. It doesn’t appear to chronicle one long tumultuous relationship, rather, it seems to be a collection of songs about different women and probably unrelated experiences. This is actually one of the strengths of Pinkerton. There are such an array of different romantic and emotional experiences that there’s at least something which with many love-struck and heart-broken young men could identify. Cuomo considers the longing of starting a relationship with someone in “Getchoo” and “El Scorcho.” He plainly describes the terrible relationship that he just can’t leave (“No Other One”); the frustration resulting from several failed relationships (“Why Bother?”); and the excitement and fear of falling in love (“Falling for You”). There are also some songs that most listeners won’t be able to identify with: receiving a fan letter from a Japanese teenager and fantasizing about a relationship with her (“Across the Sea”) and becoming romantically interested in a woman, only to discover that she is a lesbian (“Pink Triangle”).

At its core, Pinkerton is an introspection into its author’s romantic, social, and emotional life. Cuomo bares all on this record emotionally. Cuomo is aware of this and pokes fun at himself for it near the end of “El Scorcho.” He sings: “How stupid is it? I can’t talk about it\I gotta sing about it and make a record of my heart.” This may be the most revealing lyric in all of this record. It an ironic statement that serves almost as a thesis of Pinkerton.

One of the strengths about this record is how the music perfectly matches the dark, abrasive nature of the lyrics and the emotional pain in Cuomo’s voice. The chords roar and the solos squeal, it feels wonderfully messy and rough around the edges.  Every note feels like it has room to move and breathe as if the music were recorded at a live show. Contrast this with the cleaner production of The Blue Album and 2001’s The Green Album, in which every note feels like it is firmly in its place and not allowed to budge.

It is important to note that this album is not a total departure from their earlier (and more recent) music as the kings of nerd-rock. “Tired of Sex” contains a fat, thumpy bassline and a synthesizer, both of which feel right at home on any nerd-rock album. And what Weezer did best on their debut is also what they do best on Pinkerton, namely, matching loud guitars with great pop melodies and songs that you can’t help but sing along with. It is difficult to listen to these songs without quickly learning the catchy tunes and words.

The musical intensity of the album reaches it’s peak on the next-to-last track, “Falling for You.” It contains some of the best guitar work in the all of the the band’s work. The guitar solo is heart-wrenching and able to communicate nearly as much as the lyrics. The emotional climax of the record comes in the soft, anticlimactic closer “Butterfly.” The song, based explicitly on the opera Madame Butterfly (which also provided the name and loose concept for the album), is made up of only an acoustic guitar, a muffled drum beat, and Cuomo’s voice. It is captures the emotional tenderness in Cuomo’s voice that has been underneath everything on the record. His voice cracks near the end only revealing a delicate sadness to the words. The song and thus the album end poignantly with Cuomo singing a trio of “I’m sorry’s.” The hardest rocking album Weezer will likely ever make ends (with props to T.S. Eliot) “not with a bang, but a whimper.” And it is a brilliant moment to behold.

Weezer returned to the music world with their 2001 release Weezer (aka The Green Album). Perhaps as could be expected after the humiliation that would likely come from baring his soul on a record only to have it poorly received, Cuomo made a crop of songs that were basic, catchy pop-songs in the vein of The Blue Album. For the most part, these songs lacked personality. Gone were the dark musings of River’s personal life. They were replaced by mostly meaningless pop-rock songs. And so things continued for the next two Weezer albums, Maladroit and Make Believe. In 2008, Weezer released Weezer (aka The Red Album), which is certainly no Pinkerton but these new songs have personality. It is an album that is fun and funny, yet it has a heart. And is definitely their best work since Pinkerton. Many fans discuss whether or not Rivers will ever write and record a Weezer album that harkens back to the dark and uninhibited songs of their sophomore release, but it is important to remember that what Weezer did best on Pinkerton they are still doing today, namely, creating catchy, guitar-driven, pop-rock songs with killer melodies. Pinkerton is not the greatest album every made, but it is one that holds a unique place in the Weezer catalog and in any record collection.

Weezer
Pinkerton
Geffen, 1996
Rating: 5.0/5.0

Ryan Adams: Heartbreaker

To kick things off here at Tone Marrow Reviews, I’ll be reviewing some of my favorite records before moving on to releases of 2008.

When the music really gets kicked off on Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker by the rockabilly song “To Be Young,” it appears that for Adams’ first solo album, he is picking up right where his band Whiskeytown left off with bluegrass-tinged alt-country. Yet it becomes clear fairly quickly that, deep down, this is really a singer-songwriter album. Most of the songs feel delightfully stripped down. Adams carefully sings over the plucking and strumming of his acoustic guitar with occasional strings, pianos, banjos, and harmonicas appearing in the background. There is a very memorable Emmy Lou Harris appearance in there too. All of these ingredients come together to form a collection of folksy-country songs.

Adams walks a fine line on this album by making the songs feel loose and unencumbered and yet careful and controlled. A few of them are so subtle that it may take a few listens to really appreciate their simple beauty. Several of them have the ability to transport the listener to the rural environs of yesteryear. It is songs like “Oh My Sweet Carolina”, “Bartering Lines”, and “In My Time of Need” that reveal the heart of Heartbreaker. This album is, among other things, a love letter to the South, particularly North Carolina, from whence Adams hails. He is able to capture some nuances of southern life through music and word in a way that few other songwriters probably could. Yet, more than anything this is an album about heartbreak and longing for home. It considers the pain of leaving behind people and places and being left behind by lovers and friends.

Some of Adams’ lyrics can be bewildering, but that is not to say that they don’t effectively communicate ideas and emotions. Among other things, Adams tells us that he loves “a woman that rains” and he desperately desires someone to be his “winding wheel.” Although, it may be hard to identify what a winding wheel is, in the context of this song and this album, Adam’s plea makes perfect sense. For the most part, Adams abandons his rebellious bad-boy persona on this record and reveals a mature side that he hasn’t displayed as clearly in his earlier work. His growth as a composer and lyricist is certainly evident.

There is only one blemish on Heartbreaker. Near the end, Adams includes a song that sticks out like a sore thumb. “Shake Down on 9th Street” is, in fact, a pretty great rock & roll song but it feels out of place here. On an album this subdued, a somewhat violent, rough and tumble rock song sort of disrupts the spell Adams has been carefully casting in the other songs. Although, “To Be Young” is also an upbeat, country-rock number, it has the advantage of being the first song and so avoids breaking the mood of the rest of the record.

In the eight years since the release of this album, Adams’ has created quite a bit of music, some good, some bad, but nothing quite like Heartbreaker. It’s obvious that Adams felt great going into the studio to make his own record. He chose the perfect moment to head out on his own, having had time to further develop his craft during the Whiskeytown days. The music here feels fresh, free, and fun. It’s a feeling Adams has not been able to perfectly duplicate on the seven albums since. Adams has created albums that have experimented with several varieties of rock & roll, full-blown country-rock, and songs that flat-out imitate his favorite musicians; but what he seems to be best at is the sound presented on Heartbreaker. When listening to these songs, one can only hope for the simplicity and beauty found here to appear in Adams’ future work. Heartbreaker is an album essential for fans of Ryan Adams as well as anyone looking for some tunes to carry your mind and emotions back home.

Ryan Adams
Heartbreaker
Lost Highway, 2000
Rating: 4.5/5.0