Reviews of new releases: From Dylan to Jolie Holland
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By staff and wire reports
- Annuals, “Such Fun”:
Annuals are a baroque, epic and unwaveringly romantic indie rock band, sort of a kinder, gentler cousin to Arcade Fire. And though their sophomore album is full of sweeping anthems and low-key piano ballads, Annuals are not afraid to go a little bananas when the moment calls. Just when everything’s getting all consistent and “Death-Cabbie,” they throw in a rockabilly digression like “Down the Mountain” and make you see them in a whole new light. Grade: B+
Jolie Holland
“The Living and the Dead”
4 stars
On her fourth album, Jolie Holland — a sultry, smokey singer/songwriter who sounds a lot like Billie Holiday — adds a little rock to her folk/jazz sound. But even as the heavy drums and electric guitars strums creep in, Jolie Holland remains Jolie Holland, an artist at once retro and modern, cynical and hopelessly romantic.
Holland’s stock and trade is still the sad, soul-searching folk song, best listened to on an overcast day, alone and over a few glasses of wine.
Take the plaintive shrug of song, “The Future,” in which Holland essentially sighs through every word: “Everything around here makes me sad / Everything’s part of the dreams that we had / That will never be the way we wanted them to be.”
— Micah Mertes
Bob Dylan
“The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs — Rare and Unreleased 1988-2006”
4 stars
More words probably have been written about Bob Dylan than any artist other than the Beatles, and nothing any writer can say is likely to convert those who think he can’t sing or who find his writing obtuse. But for those of us already in the Dylan camp, “The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs — Rare and Unreleased 1988-2006” is another important addition to the canon.
This two-CD set is made up of unreleased tracks, alternate versions, demos, live cuts and movie soundtrack songs recorded by Dylan during his late career renaissance, basically beginning with the “Oh Mercy” album and continuing for two decades.
Listening to the set, it becomes clear that Dylan is an excellent producer — his alternate versions are often equal to or superior to the Daniel Lanois productions, and he’s still got a barrel of songs to draw from; the piano demo “Dignity” and its unreleased version from the “No Mercy” sessions reveal another classic song, and the blues lament “Mississippi” is a true gem.
The live cuts confirm that Dylan’s been working with some of the best bands of his career on the most recent editions of his never-ending tour.
For a collection of outtakes and etc., “Tell Tale Signs” hangs together as a coherent record — a documentation of our time in which things are falling apart and the center does not hold by the greatest songwriter in rock history. It’s a Dylan fan must-have.
— L. Kent Wolgamott
- Oasis, “Dig Out Your Soul”:
Studio album No. 7 finds the Gallagher brothers continuing to recycle The Beatles with a touch of glam rock thrown in for good measure. And some Brits are up in arms, saying the band ripped off Cliff Richard, too. Cliff Richard? In any case, this batch of Brit pop sounds pretty good. But it drones along a bit too much and the lyrics are too sophomoric philosophical for it to match up with the best of Oasis, much less the best of, say, The Beatles. Grade: B-
- L. Kent WolgamottTop 10 songs1. “Whatever You Like,” T.I.
2. “So What,” Pink
3. “Love Lockdown,” Kanye West
4. “Disturbia,” Rihanna
5. “Paper Planes,” M.I.A.
6. “Hot N Cold,” Katy Perry
7. “Can’t Believe It,” T-Pain feat. Lil Wayne
8. “Closer,” Ne-Yo
9. “Love Story,” Taylor Swift
10. “American Boy,” Estelle feat. Kanye West
Other Billboard magazine chart leadersTop pop album: “Death Magnetic,” Metallica
Hot R&B/hip-hop song: “Whatever You Like,” T.I..
Top R&B/hip-hop album: “Fearless,” Jazmine Sullivan
Hot country song: “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,” Darius Rucker
Top country album: “Learn to Live,” Darius Rucker
Top music video sales: “No Bull: Live From the Plaza de Toros Las Ventas: Madrid, Spain,” AC/DC
Top VHS sales: “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Special Edition)”
Top DVD sales: “Made of Honor”
— Billboard magazine
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