Monday Morning Music Review: McCartney and Illinois

Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full


Paul McCartney released his latest studio album on June 5th and it's pretty good. It's not as good as his 2005 release, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (which I think is incredible... more about that another time) but it's definitely worth listening to.

In general, the songs find McCartney mostly reflecting on his life (hence the double-meaning album title) and they even sound like different periods throughout his career. Some sound like the Beatles, Wings, solo and even John Lennon / George Harrison numbers.

The album starts off with Dance Tonight. You may have seen this on the iTunes + iPod commercials. The song features a strummed mandolin along with acoustic guitars, bass, and bass drum. Occasionally other instruments pop-up. It reminds me of Any Road from George Harrison's Brainwashed album. The lyrics are simple ("Everybody's gonna dance tonight, everybody's gonna feel alright, everybody's gonna dance around tonight"). On first listen I thought I would grow tired of it, but the melody does get in your head and you will find yourself singing it.

Next is Ever Present Past, which is an upbeat rocking song with a very modern sounding production. It's pretty good but to me does not seem to have a chorus. The "The things I think I did" part sounds like a bridge. Just a minor nit.

See Your Sunshine follows and really sounds like some unreleased Wings track. Even the backing vocals sound like Linda McCartney and Denny Laine. A cool part of the song is the "Look what you do to me baby" line. I hear a kind of Elvis type of performance the way he sings it. The song is OK, but Paul's bass playing is killer in this - really cool chops on display. If your really into Wings, you would probably love it.

The next song, Only Momma Knows, harkens back to Wings also, but the rockin' Wings a la Helen Wheels or Uncle Junior's Farm. This songs throws you off a bit because it starts with classical music. Sorrowful sounding violins play for a bit before everything kicks in. It took me a few listens to really appreciate it and now I love it.

You Tell Me sounds like a track from Chaos. I really love when McCartney does moody and somewhat dark music. Here is someone most famous for being happy and writing love songs, but if you look back some of his best work is dark and moody (Eleanor Rigby, Yesterday, Let It Be, Hey Jude, For No One, etc.). This falls into that category too. The lyrics could be better though. But I really like the melody.

Mr. Bellamy is quintessential McCartney: a song about some eccentric English character... think Eleanor Rigby, Uncle Albert, etc. At first listen it really caught me offguard and I wasn't sure if I liked it, but on repeated listenings it is probably the one song I look forward to on the album. It's a classic pop song that is structured like a classical operatta. You can imagine it being acted out on stage. I LOVE THIS TRACK.

Gratitude is probably the weakest song on the album. It sounds like a solo John Lennon song (think "God"), but while "God" had some pretty deep lyrical meaning, this song doesn't. Also the performance and production seems weak.

After Gratitude begins what's been pitched as a 5 song medley (sort of like side 2 of Abbey Road). I say "pitched" because to me, only 3 of the songs are actually linked. Anyway, the medley starts with Vintage Clothes/That Was Me/Feet In The Clouds.

Vintage Clothes is a very 1966/67 Beatlesque song. It's pretty catchy and while the lyrics are somewhat quizzical, you understand what he is saying (basically everything is cyclical and while fashions/styles change, who you are on the inside is what matters). There is a whistling motif/hook in the song which is very catchy and probably should have been repeated a couple of more times, but all in all it's quite enjoyable.

That Was Me is a groovy jam that has McCartney flipping through an old photo album and reminiscing about periods in his life (childhood, teenage years, early Beatles). It's a good jam and catchy.

Feet In The Clouds is McCartney doing Brian Wilson (Beach Boys). It's a pretty good song. There is a middle section of vocal harmonies that, in my opinion, is almost blasphemous. I say this because the harmonies are done with a Vocoder or AutoTune (i.e., very mechanical sounding). As an effect it's fine (you hear it in many pop songs today), but it's FREAKING Paul McCartney doing a Brian Wilson-type song!!! In other words two of the best at creating and singing multi-part vocal harmonies and here they are done with a device. That said, I still like the song itself, but it would have been better with natural harmonies.

Next up is House of Wax, which is a very dark, somewhat long song. It has Pink Floydish aspects to it. In fact there are two guitar solos that are just dying to be performed by David Gilmour. The solos aren't bad, but they don't have the emotional/bluesy tone that only Gilmour can seem to pull off. It took me a few listens to really appreciate the song and it's still growing on me. The lyrics are very poetic and probably some of the strongest stuff McCartney has written.

The End of the End is... well... McCartney's own funeral instructions. That's the easiest way to put it. It can be a little uncomfortable listening to a man sing about the day he dies, but the melody is enjoyable. It's in the McCartney piano-style of Let It Be and Hey Jude, although this song doesn't have the chorus pay off of the other two.

Nod Your Head closes the album. This song is growing on me, but there's not much on the bones here. It's one of those McCartney songs that are basically jams (think "Why Don't We Do It In The Road" or "Wild Honey Pie"). There are aspects of it that remind me of AC/DC believe it or not.

So there you have it. It's definitely a continuation of a string of very strong albums (Flaming Pie, Driving Rain, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, Memory Almost Full) that have marked McCartney's later life resurgence. It's good. Get it. Case closed. Available at Amazon and iTunes.

Illinois - What The Hell Do I Know?

Illinois is a Bucks County, PA band - what? but their name is... Yo! furgetaboutit! They are a pretty cool sounding folk / electronica indie outfit that released their debut EP called What The Hell Do I Know? and it's pretty good. I found these guys via WXPN in Philadelphia. I first heard the song Screendoor, which I absolutely love! I went and found them and their EP on iTunes. The EP is only $3.99, so take a chance and spend $4 on their music instead of a pack of cigarettes or a Starbucks Latte - what do you have to lose? Overall the EP has flashes of Beck and 70ish pop rock music, and it's a definitely good listen. Available at Amazon and iTunes. Here's a video of them performing Screendoor:

Monday Morning Music Review: Springsteen and G33K

I’m going to try and post music reviews every Monday morning. I’ll cover an album from a major (i.e., signed) artist as well as an indie (i.e., unsigned) artist. I’m a big proponent of indie music and these people don’t have huge marketing and promotion budgets. Please help support the indie artists by purchasing their albums. BTW, if you are an indie artist doing Rock and Pop Rock music and you would like me to review your CD, shoot me an email at musings.dln@gmail.com and tell me about your music. I do not promise to review everything sent to me, but I’ll do my best to help you get some exposure.


Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band – Magic

The latest album from fellow New Jerseyan Bruce Springsteen and the gang returns back to the classic E Street rockin’ form… but don’t let it fool you. Lyrically there’s a dark undercurrent to the album about lying, losing, and making mistakes. It also sounds like two separate EPs packaged as a single album – this isn’t bad, but there’s a definite change in mood about half-way through the album (from rockin' good time Springsteen to somber acoustic Springsteen).

The lead off track, “Radio Nowhere” is a pretty good driving song with typical Springsteen lyrics – questioning the current state of music and radio and in extension the American Dream. The next song, “You’ll Be Coming Down” gets right to the modern Springsteen sound with some great lyrics like the line “You’ll be fine long as your pretty face holds out, Then it’s gonna get pretty cold out”. "Livin’ In The Future" has that classic E Street Band sound (think 10th Ave. Freeze-out) and seems destined to be a great concert song, including a NaNaNaNa ending to get the crowd going. "Your Own Worst Enemy" is one of my favorites on the album. It has a little bit of a Beach Boys influence to it and finds Bruce really giving a nice vocal delivery. "Gypsy Biker" is an anti-war song (could be about Iraq or Vietnam, it doesn’t matter), but the message is subtly and effectively told about a soldier being buried. Springsteen does a good job of talking about the divisions within our country right now with lines like “To the dead it don’t matter much ’bout who’s wrong or right”.

"Girls In Their Summer Clothes" is the second Beach Boys influenced song and you can almost picture the Jersey Shore in the summer. "I’ll Work For Your Love" includes the classic E Street chiming piano along with lyrical references to Christ and the Bible. The title track, "Magic" is a nice somber acoustic song with a haunting violin. The next song, "Last To Die" is another anti-war song that evokes the line from the famous congressional testimony of John Kerry. "The Long Walk Home" is another favorite of mine, with lyrics describing those moments in your life when you are reflecting on the things you’ve done and lost. The final song on the album is "Devil’s Arcade" which starts with a beautiful cello that plays the main melody line from the song. The lyrics evoke images of a wife or girlfriend visiting a wounded soldier at Walter Reed (or any veteran’s hospital). Available at Amazon and iTunes.

Here’s the video for The Long Walk Home, which was shot in Freehold and Asbury Park, NJ:


G33K – Some Assembly Required

G33K is really indie artist Todd Moore from Grayling, MI. I first noticed Todd’s music when he posted his song "Supermarket Superstars" on the Harmony Central songwriting forum. "Supermarket Superstars" is a great snapshot at the current state of celebrity in our country, with the triumvirate of Paris, Britney, and Lindsey. Plus it has a tinge of XTC to it, so I had to love it!

G33K’s CD is called Some Assembly Required and it’s a great mix of PowerPop with a little Modern Country sprinkled on top. The first 3 songs on the CD ("What You’re Doing To Me", "Supermarket Superstars", and "Some Assembly Required") really get the album off to a rocking start. G33k slows it down a little bit with "Float Me On The Key Of C" but picks it right back up with "Clone Of You". Both of these songs ("Float Me..." and "Clone of You") have a modern electric country feel to them. In particular "Clone of You" could be a great live roadhouse song with flying beer bottles and chicken wire! Next up is "Barbie Doll" which gets you right back into the PowerPop mood with a distinct Cars feel to it. "Any Other Way" is another really nice ballad that’s a duet with Theresa Wagner that you could imagine on a country radio station. The next song, "Where You Won’t Be Alone" is a good midtempo rocker that reminds me of Document-era REM. G33K fires up the PowerPop machine again with the next track, "4 2 Nite" and continues with the last track, "Darlene" – another midtempo rocker. The CD also includes several bonus tracks for your enjoyment. If you enjoy good PowerPop songs and good vocals with tight harmonies, definitely pick up this CD. Available at http://www.myspace.com/g33kfr34k