As Bryan mentioned, I "grew up listening to the Beach Boys." As a matter of fact, my mother claims she was heavily into the group while pregnant with me (if Eileen and I ever have a child, I plan to have a small speaker implanted in her uterus playing "Pet Sounds" on a constant loop for nine months). I did not, however, get into the band's more "serious" stuff until I was in high school. Years before a middle school teacher had told me that "Pet Sounds" required a certain degree of maturity on the listener's part to really be appreciated. At the time I didn't know what that meant, but as soon as I heard the album, I understood his sentiment. On first listen, the album seems very obtuse. But after a few spins, it grew on me and I recognized its greatness.
I'll stay away from asserting why the Beach Boys are clearly better than the Beatles, but I will say that the Beach Boys' entire body of work is greatly under appreciated by the music world at large.
Lastly I must agree with Bryan's point that the Beach Boys' music will make the listener happier, so give it a try!
And now some random record reviews:
Lily Allen - "It's Not Me, it's You" - I thoroughly enjoyed Allen's first album for it's blending of musical styles and upbeat mood. On her second album, the strength lies less in the music and more in the lyrics. This is very interesting from an artist who's debut was lauded for its eclectic mix of ska, hip-hop, pop, and jazz. The lyrics on "It's Not Me, it's You" are somewhat autobiographical but loaded with cultural commentary. Allen sings about fame, sex, religion, drugs etc with a lyrical skill that belies her age. However as I mentioned there is quite a heavy trade-off in terms of the music. Here, it is mostly straight-up pop. This is fine, and in a way it makes the complex lyrics even more interesting against the simpler music, but it took some getting used to at first.
She & Him - "Volume One" - I confess, I took the bait when I heard Zooey Deschanel had made an album. Why not? She is cute a button and the album got universally good reviews. Well, I have listened to the album quite a few times, and I feel it got an almost-free pass from the critics. First, the strong points. Deschanel has quite a decent singing voice and is more than capable as a songwriter. The music by M. Ward is simple yet warm and makes the album a pleasant listen. The problem is the album lulls itself to sleep after the first three tracks. The opening track "Sentimental Heart" is incredible. It is sad and beautiful, but it makes me think about Feist. As a matter of fact it makes me want to listen to Feist. As a matter of fact it made me quickly realize that Feist did this song first with the vastly superior "How My Heart Behaves." It is still a great song though. The second half of the album, unfortunately, is very weak. It contains three cover songs, including "You Really Got a Hold On Me." Did the world need another version of this song? The Beatles "I Should Have Known Better," sung by Deschanel in a low vocal register is a massive miss. It just comes off as boring. Lastly there is another needless cover of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." I can't bash a band too much for doing covers, especially considering this an admirable effort from an actor/musician and is essentially a glorified collection of her demo tapes. I wish that they had just made an ep of the first three tracks with some other strong pieces and none of the filler.
She, of She & Him
Beastie Boys - "Paul's Boutique, 20th Anniversary Edition" - "Paul's Boutique" is the "Pet Sounds" of hip-hop. You can apply everything Bryan and I said about "Pet Sounds" to this album (including that it will one day play inside my wife's uterus). Since most people know the album, I want to focus more on this remastered edition, and how it was extremely necessary. Two of my favorite albums are recorded at such low volumes that even when maxing out the volume and e.q. the listening experience is lacking. These albums are Fugazi's "Repeater" and this Beastie Boys album. While a remaster of "Repeater" is nowhere in sight, this new version of "Paul's Boutique" is what I always wished it would sound like. The beats are louder, but not in a "hope I don't blow out my speakers" kind of way. The vocals are crisper, the samples and sound effects clearer, and each track individually now stands apart from the others more than ever. The high point for me is "Looking Down The Barrel Of a Gun," which now truly has the fierce aggression that so many phony "rap-metal" bands have tried and failed to emulate over the years. In an album which, similar to "Pet Sounds," the listener can pick up on new sounds with each listen, this version brings to the surface sounds I never even knew were there. If you haven't heard this album, seek out this new version. If you are a long time fan, it is still worth your while to add it to your collection.
Neon Neon - "Stainless Style" - This one was quite an interesting surprise. About a year ago, I heard two vastly different tracks from this album on the group's myspace page. When I saw the cd cheap I grabbed it. It is a concept album: a biography of John Delorean. The trick is the album sounds like it was made in the 80's. The singer sounds like Eddie Money and the music is chilly synth-pop with antiquated drum machine beats. For someone like myself, who hates fake 80's nostalgia, I'm almost surprised that I like it so much, but it is catchy, smart, and features Fatlip on a track. Definitely worth checking out.
Neon Neon with a sweet Delorean!
The Beach Boys - "Party!/Stack-O-Tracks" - This late 90's reissue of two odd Beach boys albums on one disc is really a treat. They are both the product of the record company's pressure on Brian Wilson in the year leading up the release of "Pet Sounds." The band released ten albums in 1965 and these two are indicative of the struggle to come up with fresh material for Capital Records. The Party album, as most people know, was a hoax. It was recorded in a studio with party banter dubbed in later. It is, however, still completely convincing, fun and overall excellent. "Stack-O-Tracks" is another interesting experiment; a greatest hits of sorts with all the vocals removed. The original copies came with lyric and music sheets so the listener could play and sing the songs him/herself. It was your own Beach Boys karaoke album. Unfortunately, the cd reissue does not include these music sheets, which was a huge disappointment to me. The album is important though, because it will make you realize that the Beach Boys were not just riding their excellent harmonies. Even on songs I thought I was completely familiar with, I could hear and appreciate them in a whole new light with the vocals removed.
This album contains a cover of "I Should Have Known Better"
that is superior to the original version.
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