White Ghost Shivers Share The Love With Studio Album Reminiscent Of Their Live Show

The White Ghost Shivers return in fine form for their sophomore release Nobody Love You Like We Do. The tightly intertwined yet playful nature of the band's live show really comes through in the songs. The seven musicians in this bawdy band have some serious chops. No cheap novelty act here.

"White Trash Fast Food" begins with minor key tenor banjo strumming and that great style of upright bass playing that sounds like the strings are being hit with drum sticks. This song has an overall gypsy jazz feel and has guitar, clarinet and violin solos. The warbled vocals are harmonized well between Cella Blue and Hot Thomas. "Short Haired Girl" has a similar formula but with a frenetic speed.

Conjuring up the vibe of a 1920s dance hall or a sleepy riverboat cruise, "Nobody Loves You" tells the familiar story of someone who's been done wrong by their lover. The newest Shiver, piano player Babyface Gray really shines here with some great ragtime-like playing.

"Too Easy" definitely has the feel of the album's cover, a wild train barreling down the rails. Poppiticus' bass playing, like in "White Trash," drives the song forward. This is augmented by some great undulating up and down clarinet.

Staring with a smoky, melancholy clarinet intro, "Some Things A Girl Can't Give Away" picks up into a bluesy number with some great nuanced, lush vocals from Ms. Blue. A great piano solo brings to mind great bluesman Roosevelt Sykes. A nearly overblown (nearly to the point of squeaking) clarinet solo adds some raucousness.

"Sweet The Monkey" is about a terrible and sneaky criminal who may or may not be an actual monkey. Deep saxophone, probably a baritone, augments the ominous feel the band is going for, as does the percussive piano. Professional beanpole Shorty Stump provides dramatic lead vocals, augmented by Cella Blue.

A staple of White Ghost Shivers, "Sweet Banana," now has a studio version. This is a calypso-inspired song with a lot of ukulele (banjo-uke and otherwise). A jagged violin solo bridges the song. For good old-fashioned double entendres and innuendos, this song is one of the best in the Shivers' bag of tricks.

"Murder In The Big Top" could be considered a Halloween song. It has a spooky tone thanks to undulating clarinet and the ghostly sounds of a musical saw. The violin solo, thin, muffled and crackly, interestingly sounds like it's being played through a transistor radio. The deep vocals that accompany the line "murder in the big top" bring to mind Lonesome Wyatt from goth-country duo Those Poor Bastards.

"Maybe Mary Might Marry Me" is a great ballad of unrequited love, somewhat in the dance style of "Nobody Loves You." Lilting clarinet and violin and a steady tenor banjo strum drive the song. There also might be a slide whistle solo here, though it's hard to distinguish from the clarinet and saxophone.

Almost a minor key sea shanty, at least for the music, "We Never Mention Aunt Clara," is about a preacher having an affair with the titular aunt. The song features one of the best double entendres on the album with "pumping her organ." Interestingly, the chorus is kind of an upbeat waltz that's almost children's song like, which doesn't fit with the theme very much. This song also has some of Cella Blue's best vocals on the album.

There are many more instrumental breaks on the album than on the band's debut Everybody's Got 'Em. A lesser band might have fallen into a repetitive trap with this but The White Ghost Shivers shine in their ability to weave everything together in a skilled and lively manner that feels spontaneous. Each member of the band is just as adept at being a rhythm player as they are a soloist. Of particular note is horn player Saturn, who really excels all over this album. The band also clearly have a unique sound but are unafraid to mingle multiple styles to create a good song. If this album doesn't make a listener want to see a White Ghost Shivers live show than said listener must just not like fun.

Blues And Ballads Flavor Tom Waits' Bad As Me

Bad As Me is the first album of all new material from Tom Waits in seven years and it is well worth the time spent. Waits tries on a myriad of hats, pulling styles from all parts of his forty year career for this music while following a path of blues and ballads.

"Chicago" has a rhythm track like a gyrating factory machine. It helps to accentuate the lyrics that appear to be about the great Southern migration from the farms to the more Northern factories. An interesting mix of banjo and saxophone achieves this. Rolling Stone Keith Richards provides those Chicago blues guitar riffs he's so good at. Waits employs one of his many voices, the one like he's guzzling gravel.

Another interesting mix of sounds, Indian tabla drums, played by Waits, and spiky electric organ, played by Augie Meyers (Sir Douglas Quintet, Texas Tornados, Bob Dylan), provides the main rhythm on "Raised Right Men." A Chicago blues shuffle played with these instruments is certainly odd but it works. The drums sound like industrial machinery or metal trashcan lids, a style that has become synonymous with Waits and, as of late, played by his son Casey. Waits is wailing and moaning urgently here. Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers plays bass but it is not distinguishable.

An undulating Eastern European gypsy rhythm meets the old west meets 1920s jazz on "Talking At The Same Time." Waits uses his falsetto here but think more delta bluesman Skip James and less Robert Plant. Meyers provides some bluesy piano. The guitar playing has a lonesome surf/country echo. "Face To The Highway" is similar but slower and doesn't stand out as much. The percussion stomps but softly. Clean, jazzy little guitar fills give a slight Steely Dan meets Chris Isaak feel in parts. Bells and a somber violin break add dirge elements.

"Get Lost" has that '50s rock n' roll thing going for it. Waits yelping vocals overlay a simple but solid rhythm backbone with some sax flourishes. A great, bright energetic guitar solo with bite is played by either longtime Waits axeman Marc Ribot or David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), who plays on almost every track.

"Back In The Crowd" is a romantic ballad with a Mexican feel. The acoustic guitar riffs and the waltz-like rhythm help to achieve this. Brush drums and electric guitar fills complete the song.

Two songs have an Italian ballad feel. "Pay Me" uses accordion, vibes and violin to get this. Waits uses his "real" voice. Some piano adds to a melancholy feel. "New Year's Eve" is a fitting bookend to the album. This is a story-song in the best Tom Waits tradition, recounting the tale of imperfect family and friends on an imperfect holiday fraught with disaster.

"Back In The Crowd" is a love ballad with a Mexican feel. Acoustic guitar plucking and a waltz-like rhythm help to achieve this. Brush drumming and occasional electric guitar fills complete the song.

The title track, "Bad As Me" definitely seems like one that a record company would put out as promotion. Waits is being the quintessential howling madman that people expect him to be. His vocals invoke Screamin' Jay Hawkins' here. The instruments, jagged guitar, undulating sax and piston drumming, sort of roll off each other in waves. Chicago by way of Mississippi blues harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite gets a solo.

"Kiss Me" has an appealingly sparse arrangement. The upright bass, piano and vocals structure invokes the smoky after hours jazz club and coffee house feel of Waits' early '70s music. "Last Leaf" is similar but feels like a song friends would sing together after having had a few at a dark Irish pub. Lyrically, it has an obvious but appealing metaphor about staying true to who you are. Keith Richards provides slightly ragged but earthy background vocals.

On "Satisfied" Waits channels his inner Howlin' Wolf and once again, Richards brings the blues. Les Claypool (Primus) plays bass on this song but like with Flea on "Raised Right Men" you can't really hear it.

In the beginning it might appear as if Waits is attempting to rap on "Hell Broke Luce" but its nothing so pedestrian. This song imitates the "left, left, left, right, left" military march. Lyrically the song is about how war is hell and for many soldiers, the hell is carried with them when they come home. This song has a hammering rhythm and blues guitar fills.

Tom Waits has always made music about the seedier side of life, the ne'er-do-wells, the misfits, and the scalawags and thankfully that hasn't changed on Bad As Me. Even his love songs aren't maudlin. In the world of a Tom Waits song, you can't know happiness if you haven't first experienced sorrow first. The only downside to this album is that at times the tracks vary too wildly so a cohesion is lost.

His cigarette and alcohol flavored voice is also in fine form. Unlike some other gravely-voiced singers, Waits clearly recognizes that his is an instrument unto itself and has taken care to cultivate it as such as opposed to fighting it. He has also never been a flavor of the month type of musician. Fleeting trends do not enter his equation. He is a genre unto himself, which is why his records continue to be significant achievements amidst a cookie cutter landscape.

Long-Awaited New Primus Album Full Of Extended Jams And Social Commentary

Primus is back with their first full-length album of all new music since 1999's Anti-Pop. The band's lead singer, principal songwriter and bass wizard Les Claypool has spent much of the last decade steeped in the jam band scene and this shows itself, for better and for worse, on Green Naugahyde.

"Lee Van Cleef" has somewhat of a quick and repetitive reggae/ska beat with little cymbal fills, bouncy bass and a herky jerky extended guitar solo.

"Green Ranger" has the swirling, slightly unsettling style that is Claypool with a bow on a stand-up bass. The guitar is mostly comprised of harmonic, single-note bursts. Eerie, distorted vocals languish mid-mix. This is more of a drug trip than an actual song.

Theremin-like flying saucer effects define "Moron TV." Deep but treble-heavy bass riffs anchor the song to Earth amid fast drumming. "Jilly's On Smack" is lyrically a typical Claypool-penned song where he takes a random name and attaches some kind of problem to this person. Like with "Moron TV" a musical sound effect is employed, here one like helicoptor blades turning. The instrumentation overall here is like evil jazz-fusion with ghost-like vocals. It's a little over-long.

The feel of "Eyes Of A Squirrel" expertly reflect the frenetic nature of that titular animal. The bass and drums have a start-stop-start rhythm. Short lead guitar breaks explode every now and then. The vocals are hard to understand except in the chorus. The song also features a long instrumental outro.

"Hannepin Crawler" and "The Last Salmon Man" are both more traditionally Primus than the rest. The latter has more space between each instrument, an undulating guitar riff and fuzz bass. The former has less effects on the bass and a big, loud guitar solo. Overall, it has similarities to classic Primus song "Those Damned Blue Colored Tweakers."

"Tragedy's A Comin'" is probably the funkiest, of the Bootsy Collins variety, song on the album. An Indian-like opening guitar riff gives way to slap-happy bass.

One of the weirdest songs on an already weird album, "Extinction Burst" has an over-the-top vocal intro like someone singing opera in the shower. Then the vocals turn into the phrase "hop hop hip hip" repeated over and over again. Machine-like drums and unrelenting bass and guitar add to an overdriven factory feel.

Two political-themed songs on the album are "HOINFODAMAN" and "Eternal Consumption Engine." Speak the Led Zeppelin-like first one's title out phonetically to get a sense of what its about. Hint: It has something to do with selling out. The second song also has a commercialism theme, about how everything is made in China. Music-wise, it has gypsy touches mixed with old, bouncy cartoon music.

With Green Naugahyde, lushness is the new name of the game for Primus. It's actually quite amazing how great the amount is of and the varied nature of the sounds coming from just three musicians. With this new jam-heavy nature, guitarist Larry LaLonde has more to do and this helps showcase what a great musician he really is. Drummer Jay Lane is a new/old hand, having left Primus is 1988 and returning in 2010. His work with various jazz bands and Bob Weir, of The Grateful Dead fame, in his band RatDog add to the jammy sound. Claypool's lyrics have always reflected his off-beat sense of humor and skewed worldview but this is the first time with Primus he's been bluntly political. This isn't a bad thing though for it simply reflects the tense times we live in - in a wonderfully Claypoolian way. While the new Primus status quo has created some great music, the mountains and walls of sound have somewhat buried and closed in the power trio "limitations" that made Primus so great in the first place as more emphasis was put into instrumentation over effects.

The Decemberists are an American Folk-Rock Band and Prove Just That on New Album

Portland-based The Decemberists have been experimenting with the concept album format since 2006 with The Crane Wife. Then came the epic story in The Hazards Of Love, where none save "The Rake's Song" could stand by itself unaided by the others. But now the band is back to creating songs that are musical statements by themselves. With the help of, on select tracks, Peter Buck of R.E.M. on guitar and folk musician Gillian Welch on backing vocals, The King Is Dead showcases the classically literary folk-rock The Decemberists are famous for, this time with an Americana bent.

"Don't Carry It All" has Bob Dylan-like harmonica playing with slow jackhammer drumming. The chorus is melodic and filled with fiddle. A mandolin break, probably by Buck, that has Italian and Chinese hues.

Buck appears on two other tracks as well. "Calamity Song" has an early R.E.M. feel to it, unsurprisingly. Acoustic guitar strums over Buck's chiming electric. The song is laid back i a swirling and lush way. "Down By The Water" proves that The Decemberists could be a great backing band for Neil Young. It captures the grungy folk-rock beast that early Crazy Horse was, full of aggressive harmonica and strumming, a good chorus hook and jangly guitar from Buck. Accordion adds a uniquely Decemberists touch.

The two songs with the most country flavor are "Rise To Me" and "All Arise!" The former is driven by piano and a big vocal track. The acoustic guitar, soft horse trot drumming and pedal steel guitar add the mournful country quality. The latter starts out with a fiddle hoedown and even has a bit of honky-tonk style piano playing.

Despite the silly title, "Rox In The Box" is a great addition to the band's collection of sea shanty/Irish folk ballad/pirate songs. It undulates along with an acoustic guitar riff combined with prominent violin and accordion.

The only aspect of a concept album still around here are in the songs "January Hymn" and its counterpart "June Hymn." The song about the first month of the year is mostly just complex acoustic guitar picking and voice, with some icy glass-like pedal steel. The odd breathy background vocals and arrangement recall Simon & Garfunkel. The song about the sixth month of the year is fittingly warmer. It has an early '60s Dylan-like guitar arrangement accompanied by simple electric organ and harmonica. Both songs have slice-of-life lyrics.

"This Is Why We Fight" is the most straightforwardly rock and roll song on the album. Driving drumming anchors the rhythm for distorted harmonica and jangly guitars. A feeling of dread permeates this song. Its a little too repetitive and could use some oomph.

"Dear Avery" ends the album on a fade out of sorts, which is fine if you like that sort of thing. But there's something to be said for a grand finale. This song is sparse, slow and sleepy but mostly in a beautiful, not boring, way.

Many bands fail in their attempt to downsize effectively after ever escalating the epicness in concept albums. Often times the resulting new album will feel boring in comparison. The Decemberists have avoided this trap with The King Is Dead because they have focused on simply creating fantastic songs, musically and lyrically, that aren't necessarily trying to prove some lofty point. The band members, pretty much all multi-instrumentalists, work as parts of a whole and what they do best is taking older musical styles and transforming them into something that is truly unique but with a warming familiarity at the same time. Introspection housed in organic, woody American folk-rock is the name of the game here and it works splendidly.

Awolnation Defy Easy Labeling With Infectious Musical Stew on Debut EP

Aaron Bruno, formerly of Under The Influence Of Giants, responsible for the disco-funk flavored "Mama's Room," a sizable hit on alternative rock radio in 2006, returns to re-invent white r&b again as Awolnation with debut EP Back From Earth. However, this time Bruno steps out of the '70s and into the future with thick electronic beats.

"Burn It Down" is part Little Richard, complete with "Woooo!," part breakneck techno and maybe even a little Michael Jackson. For most of the song, animated live drums throttle underneath quickened electronic blips. This song is like a bus with cut break-lines speeding towards a brick wall.

Muted but distorted guitar, thumping bass and clean organ make "Guilty Filthy Soul" more of a traditional soul-rock song. Bruno's vocals here are mostly unadorned and his emoting would do James Brown and Freddie Mercury both proud. Bernie Worrell-style funkified synth sounds add a touch of George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic.

"Sail" may be the most provocative on the EP, a layered minor key dirge-like song. Electronic violins provide most of the melody while heavy slabs of electronic fuzz fall between them and a mix of live drums and drum machine. The bridge of the song does feature a smattering of guitar and piano too. Bruno's vocals here are layered and given a scratchy quality that enhances the anguish in his delivery and lyrics. Overall, the song, with its fade-in and fade-out, seems like it could go forever and what is heard is just a snippet of the whole.

The final track, "MF" is where the album loses some focus. It feels less like an actual song than dance club fodder. Bruno seems to be screaming himself hoarse in a quasi-rap style that becomes grating before the song is half-way through. The music here is entirely electronic, and while full of heavy beats like the rest, it feels overly repetitive.

Awolnation, while taking some cues from classic r&b, 1970s rock and heavy electronica like The Prodigy, mixes these disparate sounds into a stew that is unique and enjoyable. Bruno's impassioned, energetic vocal style is infectious. The live instruments and studio electronic wizardry find a compatible place when most of the time they don't in other music. These days, specific genre labeling in music is meaning less and less and Awolnation is definitely a positive outcome of this trend.

Petty Sings The Blues

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers are back with their first new album in eight years, Mojo and it's a mess of blues. The band has moved as far away from the signature Petty sound as possible. Most of the time this experimentation helps the music but there are a few instances where it'd be better to stick to what they do best, honest to goodness American classic rock.

"Jefferson Jericho Blues" is driving, repetitive energetic Chicago blues in the vein of Muddy Waters. Wailing harmonica is the lead instrument while the guitar snakes around underneath, sometimes with a raw crunch and other times liquid.

The band channels their inner Pink Floyd on "First Flash of Freedom." Huge atmospheric, drawn-out notes inform this song with a David Gilmour meets Stevie Ray Vaughan quality. Vocals don't show up for well over a minute.

"Running Man's Bible" is a pretty standard electric blues song but the recording technique makes it sound live. There are hints of Albert King in the short bursts of lead guitar. Another live-sounding song, with its room reverb-soaked vocals is "Takin' My Time." It also features Hendrix-like lead guitar and a heavy thud drum pattern.

The sleepy "The Trip To Pirate's Cove" is reminiscent of post-Cream Eric Clapton meets Steely Dan. The song is cool and collected with clean blues-based guitar licks.

Petty has often shown his playful side but "Candy" is plain goofy. Full of half-baked blues cliches in the lyrics, its ultimately boring.

"No Reason To Cry" mostly continues the tradition of Petty's country-flavored solo songs. But this time around its almost too mellow, although the steel guitar is a nice touch. The song could use a memorable chorus hook.

Taking a page from Led Zeppelin, the first single "I Should Have Known It" has an infectious heavy riff throughout. Even the drumming cascades like an avalanche John Bonham-style.

"U.S. 41" is pure Skip James acoustic blues with some southern swamp rock thrown in. Petty even adopts a slightly dissonant falsetto like James. Employing a raw production value, it sounds like everything is filtered through the natural distortion of a "green bullet" harmonica microphone. Resonator slide guitar and piston-like drumming leads add to the effect.

In the tradition of Eric Clapton's cover of Bob Marley's "I Shot The Sheriff," the band attempts reggae on "Don't Pull Me Over." The experiment mostly succeeds, although it takes a bit to get used to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers playing swirling, echo-filled dub.

"Good Enough" is full of biting lead guitar that proves Mike Campbell is a highly underrated player. Benmont Tench's organ really shines as well, starting as shimmering texture in the background than emerging triumphantly as the guitar dies down.

Like all the best bands of the 1970s, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers play blues-based rock and roll. However, Mojo is the most straight-ahead blues that's ever been heard from the band on a studio album. While most of the songs show an excellent blues band has been inside them all these years, others suffer from Petty's voice. His distinctive nasal drawl is part of what makes the band's classic hits so great but the blues needs something meatier. Depending on the point of view, Mojo could be seen as a failure or a success.

Spoon Declare War On Melody

It's a good thing when bands don't stick to the same formula over and over again. There's nothing worse than stale music. However, Spoon has managed to change the formula and make an overall flat-sounding album, Transference, at the same time.

"Before Destruction" is a raw song that has a demo-like quality. The sound is far away and consists mostly of Britt Daniel's rasping vocals and jagged acoustic guitar strumming.

"Is Love Forever" takes a page from The Strokes' guitar playing book with a bouncy and punchy but ultimately boring riff. Too much robotic factory precision. The most interesting part of the song is the psychedelic reverb on the vocals.

"The Mystery Zone," musically at least, sounds a lot like the funked-up mid-'70s "Miss You" Rolling Stones. An intricate bass line anchors the song and the guitar and keyboard echo play off that.

"Written In Reverse" is one of the better songs on the album and surprise, surprise it's the current radio single. The rhythm here isn't too geometric and this allows some of the raw soul elements that have always been part of Spoon to come back. The percussive piano and Daniel's impassioned vocals help as well.

"Goodnight Laura" is a melancholy piano lullaby. This may be the only song on the album that's pure melody instead of pure rhythm. This song is somewhat reminiscent of live solo piano performances from Neil Young.

"Got Nuffin" came out last year as a radio single and on a lackluster EP of the same name. The song itself has an enjoyable slow burning guitar riff. In hindsight, this is somewhat of a precursor to the sonic approach this whole album takes but it doesn't quite go off cliff like other songs.

"Nobody Gets Me But You" is almost electronica. The drums are definitely "enhanced" and the only other prominent instrumentation is a funk-like bass riff.

While not without its bright spots, Transference definitely favors rhythm at the expense of melody. Good music needs both or you end up with the cold results the majority of this album ends up with.

Contra Proves An Unsuccessful New Direction For Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend exploded onto the indie rock scene two years ago with an appealingly organic, world music tinged sound with an Ivy League sensibility. Nobody had managed to capture that sound before besides perhaps Paul Simon. The band has attempted an about face on their highly-awaited sophomore album Contra. But the experimentation doesn't pay off.

"Horchata" has atmospheric vocals from singer/guitarist Ezra Koenig. Besides the marimba, everything else, like engine piston drumming and synth strings and choir, seems affected by overblown studio wizardry. This approach sets the tone for the whole album, reminiscent of solo Sting or Paul Simon as produced by Brian Eno.

"Holiday" and "Cousins" are perhaps the only two songs on the album that have prominent guitar throughout. The former has a ping-pong rhythm and the latter pummels along at a breakneck speed, which sounds like more studio magic.

Taking a cue from King Sunny Ade, "California English" has some interesting juju guitar leads undercut by jagged rhythm tracks. Koenig affects a stupid "ethnic" accent for portions.

The final song on the album, "I Think Ur A Contra" is an incredibly dreamy affair. A wave-like mix of keyboards and guitar harmonics washes over the listener.

Vampire Weekend's keyboardist, Rostam Batmanlij, produced Contra and it definitely shows. Too much in fact. It sounds as if the rest of the band had barely any contribution at all, just letting Batmanlij fart around. The problem with synth-heavy music in general is that it can end up sounding a combination of thin, cold, soulless and robotic. This, coupled with the lack of variety in instrumentation, hurts Contra. Vampire Weekend is a full band and it's a shame they don't sound like one here.