Elliott Smith - Figure 8

Figure 8 is an important release in the Elliott Smith discography for a number of reasons: 1) It's the last record he released before his death, 2) It's his last release under his DreamWorks contract, 3) It's his most musically exploratory release , and 4) It's the last release before Smith's drug dependencies began to interfere with his music, rather than just influence it. For those of you who've never listened to an Elliott Smith album before, you're in for a real treat. He plays unfolky folk music. He plays unrockish rock music. He plays unpunk punk music. His approach to songwriting was guided by two major components: melody and mood. As such, it's not hard to hear the Beatles fan in him hanging out in the corner of almost every composition. Smith's lyrics really leaned more toward poetic than pop aesthetics, delivered in a whispery rasp that he developed during the later years with his previous band, Heatmiser. (If you do decide to wander into the Smith back catalog, be warned: Though Smith was a frontman for Heatmiser, his solo work bears little resemblance with that band's five releases, except for maybe Mic City Sons.) And while I have a special place in my heart for all of Elliott Smith's albums, Figure 8 is my favorite. It's a bit like saying that I love this orange more than that one, but there it is. Although sometimes criticized for being "too glossy", especially for a guy whose entire repertoire reveled in its rough-around-the-edges executions, Figure 8 seemed to capture a moment in time when Smith was working at expanding his sound with experimental abandon. Having just come off the huge popularity of X/O (which had followed an Oscar nomination for "Miss Misery" from the Good Will Hunting soundtrack), Smith intentionally nudged this new material in another direction. Swelling orchestrations, intricate chord progressions, and meticulous melodies make Figure 8 one of the most beautiful albums ever recorded. Like a modern-day Simon and Garfunkel humming harmonies with himself.

Highlights: "Son of Sam" and "Everything Means Nothing To Me"

The Tom Fun Orchestra - You Will Land With A Thud

Aside from having one of the coolest album titles ever, these guys make some of the coolest music off the mainstream path. To sum them up in a word, The Tom Fun Orchestra is a "blender" band. They cull their musical influences from such vast and far-reaching genres (folk, rock, country, blues, roots) and artists (Tom Waits, for sure) that their resultant sound is one unlike anything you've ever heard before. No doubt, you'll recognize pieces and parts of myriad hitmakers who have come before them, but Tom Fun Orchestra puts all those pieces and parts back together in an odd and refreshing way that leaves you feeling a little confused, like maybe this music is a little too hip and cool for you, but then you realize that there's a nerdiness to it all that seems to open its arms like a giant bearhug holding all the world together as one. Okay, that may be overstating it just a bit, but you get the point nonetheless. What I'm trying to say here is that the music is so inclusive of conflicting genres and song structures that it excludes no one from its potential pool of listeners. If the vocals come off a little rough at first, just give it a few more minutes, it'll grow and change. And that seems to be the constant theme of the album: "growth and change." Every song has its own little existence and groove, but yet they all fit perfectly onto the collective album. And it's no mistake that the word "fun" is part of the band's name; this is a party album! They're not all hooks and grooves and bouncing basslines, (in fact none of them are) but rather just good, fun, upbeat-tempo, get-off-your-bum-and-try-something-new type of tunes. I've listened to this album for weeks at a time over the last few years, and it never gets old - it never even gets older. It's just as fresh, fun and new as the first day I picked it up. Goes well with Crooked Fingers and a party hat... and a feather boa... and a glass of champagne... and jelly beans. In short, don't bottle it up in a pair of headphones; let this one breathe.

Highlights: "When You Were Mine" and "Throw Me To The Rats"

Have Gun, Will Travel - Postcards From The Friendly City

Just released in February, this is perhaps the most recent selection to hold my heart captive. Mostly well-defined by the term "folk", Postcards From The Friendly City has something else going on, which may be called "alt-country" in some circles, even though it's more progressive than most alt-country bands that exist today. Reminds me a good deal of the Deer Tick War Elephant album I posted a few weeks back, which isn't terribly surprising, given that both bands are signed to Suburban Home Records, who also represents some of my other favorite singer/songwriters Chuck Ragan and Tim Barry. (Note to readers: If you ever find an indie band you like, always check out who else is on their label - there's likely a few more you'll enjoy. Saddle Creek Records is a good example.) Hailing from Tampa (I know, who'd have thought?), Have Gun, Will Travel (HGWT) have a sound more representative of Memphis than mid-Florida. What's interesting is that this band just sort of came together with one member at a time, creating a fuller sound with each new player. Those players are: Matt Burke (voice, guitar, harmonica, occasional banjo), Daniel Burke (stand-up/elec. bass, voice), JP Beaubien (drums, percussion), Joshua "The Violation" Hernandez (viola, mandolin), and Scott "Fats" Anderson (elec. guitar, lap steel). The lyrics are really honest, the music is pretty straight-forward, and all of the songs are played in a really loose, live sort of way, which seems to capture the essence of HGWT pretty well. This isn't big music for a big venue, but rather exactly what I have in mind when I think of the perfect bar band, and I don't say that as an insult at all. What I mean is that these are really well-crafted, thoughtful songs that are better suited to a smaller, more thoughtful audience, that's all. And I must warn you: It's a catchy album! So, if you're the kind of person who tends to hear a hook and hum it out loud the rest of the day, just beware. Goes well with The Felice Brothers, The Avett Brothers, or just about any other brotherly bands.

Highlights: "Salad Days" and "Asa Dalton"

Paul Westerberg - Suicaine Gratifaction

Following his time as leader of indie-rock icons The Replacements, Paul Westerberg took to releasing more radio-friendly pop hits as a solo artist, and his success was immediate. Before he could even compile an entire album, Westerberg found fame providing the score for the film Singles, for which he also contributed his most well-known-to-date singles "Dyslexic Heart" and "Waiting For Somebody". These songs would later also appear on his 1993 solo debut, 14 Songs, which bears little resemblance at all to what would be his third solo album, Suicaine Gratifaction. Released just six years after the success of Singles, the songs of Suicaine Gratifaction revealed a deeply personal glimpse of Westerberg's inner demons and insecurities. Widely known for his wry wit and self-deprecating humor, Westerberg went about the writing of this album by bearing whatever soul his pen could provide at the time, and the recordings capture every chord (and discord) his muse could muster. Truthfully, this is in fact the most personal album I've ever heard by any major artist. Toned-down productions that often seem to be secured from a single take, this album is full of emotional breakdowns beaten back by upbeat breathers that keep it from falling apart completely. While Westerberg sometimes seems like the kind of songwriter whose songs might fare better in a friendlier voice, there's no substitution for the real connection the artist shares with his work; someone else could sing the lyrics, but few could feel the weight of Westerberg's words. His first and only release under contract with Capitol Records, Suicaine Gratifaction received little (if any) marketing support, resulting in no single for the album and sales that slipped before they even started, which all contribute to making this one of the greatest diamond-in-the-rough finds of all time. The songs are beautiful (even in Westerberg's sometimes beastly bear-growls), and no matter how many times I listen to them, they always seem to find new ways for me to identify with them. As far as hearts on sleeves go, this is verbal voyeurism at its very best. Go get a copy.

Highlights: "Lookin' Out Forever" and "Tears Rolling Up Our Sleeves"

Rage Against The Machine (self-titled)

Let's be clear: This particular pick is NOT everyone's cup of tea, and I respect that; however, since my goal of this blog is to promote albums that I feel EVERYONE should hear, I'd be derelict in my duty if I excluded it based on popular tastes. Whether you appreciate music as loud and vulgar at times as Rage Against the Machine, the fact remains that this band (with this album) changed what was happening in music at that time (1992). Unlike most musical trends and emerging genres, there weren't a lot of Rage Against the Machine copycat bands that followed, leaving the band in a class all their own. Blending and bending genres ranging from metal to funk to rap, rock, reggae and everything else in between, RATM wasn't just taking on the American government, they were taking on the American music culture. Incorporating politically-charged lyrics with grunge-rock grooves and earth-pounding percussion, this band boldly went were no band had gone before, and achieved a level of success that few bands this heavy ever will. Don't make the mistake of lumping this band together with the lump-headedness of most 90s metal meatheads! RATM contains some of the most intellectual and creative lyrics I've ever heard. This isn't just a band full of rage, they're a band full of righteousness. In a genre filled with angry mama's boys and misfits, RATM members Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk were the "real deal"; Morello was himself a Harvard grad who worked as an aide to Democratic Senator Alan Cranston prior to joining the band. They talked the talk louder than anyone else out there, but they also walked the walk, even if that meant getting arrested for inciting riots now and again. RATM was one of the few bands since the sixties that led a charge of change and actually had a chance of achieving it. I first heard these guys play as the first band on the bill at Lollapalooza 93 in New Orleans. The show opened with an elderly woman raising her middle finger to the crowd and asking us to join her in chanting "F... the New Orleans Police Department". As an angst-ridden teenager, I was instantly hooked. As I review the album some 18 years later, I realize that as a teenager I hadn't even begun to understand the true power this band possessed. For anyone who's ever felt fearful that America is just an "old boy's club" disguised by democracy, this band's for you.

Highlights: "Wake Up" and "Freedom"

Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous

Aside from being the album that catapulted Rilo Kiley from the indie scene into the mainstream, More Adventurous was exactly what the title suggested: An adventure into variations of sounds unseen in the band's prior releases. In fact, as Rilo Kiley's third full-length album, you get a glimpse into the band's past sound, as well as a look ahead to what would become their next album, Under The Blacklight. For a band that never hit a sophomore slump, they came out swinging with More Adventurous, like they were out to prove themselves somehow. Even now, I don't know what they were trying to prove, but they succeeded, and I'm a believer. More Adventurous doesn't have a bad track on it. No filler tracks. No b-side speedbumps. Frankly, I'm surprised that the physical CD can support the weight of the content on this album; the songs are that heavy. Released not long after the suicide of Elliott Smith (whose music we'll feature soon), two of the songs ("Ripcord" and "It Just Is") were written with his loss in mind. The lyrics are thoughtful and genuine, the music is carefully constructed, and the production is perfectly balanced between polished-up and stripped-down. Led by the bright, beautiful voice of Jenny Lewis, there's enough going on here for anyone to appreciate it. Be sure to check out any and all side projects related to the members of this band; it's all good.

Highlights: "It's A Hit" and "Accidntel Deth"

Various Artists - Dream With The Fishes (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Not as hard to find in this digital age as it once was, the soundtrack for the film Dream With The Fishes is well worth the digging. Much in the same way that the films Singles and Almost Famous (yes, I realize those are both Cameron Crowe examples) were told through the music within them, this soundtrack helps move the story along, making it a story in and of itself. After scouring various record shops for nearly two years, I finally found this gem hiding out in the French Quarter of New Orleans, which is strangely appropriate given the tone of the album. That said: If you're looking for an upbeat, party mix, keep looking - this ain't it. Blending variations in mood that range from somber to dark to melancholic to depressing, Dream With The Fishes is an album that requires the right atmosphere. Now, if you find yourself in the mood for such feelings, you won't find a better album out there. Best of all, it's not jam packed with a bunch of unrelated hit songs you already own; in fact, I'd be surprised if you own a single album from more than two or three of the artists featured here. Needless to say, this album kept me running back and forth to the record store, trying to find more related music. (Though not featured on the soundtrack, it was Dream With The Fishes that originally introduced me to Son Volt's "Ten Second News" from their Trace album, which I wrote about last week.) There's a lot of music to be discovered for anyone who isn't already a "music person". Might not be for everyone, but for those who are open to it, there might not be anything that compares.

Highlights: Nick Drake's "River Man" and Waterboys' "Fisherman's Blues"