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.

Gibbard and Ferrar Channel Kerouac's Spirit Through Music

Jay Ferrar, founder member of Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, a father of the alt. country movement and Benjamin Gibbard, founding member of Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service, in many ways an indie rock king, have teamed up on an unlikely project, a tribute to Jack Kerouac through music. One Fast Move Or I'm Gone showcases Kerouac's own words and images and Ferrar and Gibbard create a dreamy palette for them to land on. Though partially a soundtrack to a documentary film of the same name, this album easily stands on it's own as an enjoyable piece of music.

"California Zephyr" is an uplifting song with Gibbard on lead vocals. Slight reverb on the electric organ and acoustic guitar create a hopeful tone, reflecting the lyrics about breaking free from your past.

Ferrar lends his trademark melancholy vocals, with that edge of a twang, to "Low Life Kingdom." Gibbard provides backing vocals. Mournful steel guitar and plaintive drumming complete the mood.

"All In One" is a bit crisper and fuller than most of the other songs. The drumming isn't as compact and the layered vocals and waves of steel guitar add to this effect.

"Breathe Our Iodine," with Ferrar on lead vocals, is very understated. The drumming is mostly just the stick clicking on the side of a snare and a quiet acoustic riff mid-mix.

"These Roads Don't Move" is a gently undulating country song as it's core. Musically, it could have easily found it's way onto Lucinda Williams' World Without Tears.

Musically, "Big Sur" reflects it's subject matter best. It's a soft, introspective song that conjures up images of it's namesake, like the water and the forest.

"One Fast Move Or I'm Gone" has rock-like drumming that provides an anchor for Gibbard's voice and the acoustic riffing placed on top of it.

"Final Horrors" is unique on the album because it's essentially a blues song. With lightly overdriven electric guitar, Ferrar channels Skip James or early John Lee Hooker.

"The Void" feels as vast as it's title suggests. Whether it be piano or guitar, the core of the music ripples outward from below to push on the vocals and acoustic strumming from Gibbard.

While Gibbard and Ferrar have come from different places musically, they've found common ground in a love for Kerouac's works. The two are also experts at creating mood with their vocals, which is what this kind of project demands. This collaboration has produced music that is atmospheric but earthy and organic, exactly like Kerouac's writing.

Professional Production and Psychedelia Color New Daniel Johnston Album

Daniel Johnston, possibly most famous for his "Hi! How Are You?" mural on the Drag in Austin, TX, returns with his first album of all new material in six years, Is And Always Was. This music, his most cohesive in recent memory, is a good indication that the severely bipolar Johnston may be getting healthier. But the flipside to that is that the album also has an edge of studio sheen not heard before from him.

"Mind Movies" starts the album off with a solo acoustic performance.. Daniel's simple strumming isn't as frenetic as it's been in the past and his vocals are affected with appealing psychedelic reverb in parts. An ethereal drone in the background compliments this well.

"Fake Records of Rock n' Roll" is a full band blues-rocker. Lyrically, Johnston laments the state of the music scene in his own way, going on to say that people today don't know what real rock n' roll is.

The tamborine-heavy "Queenie the Doggie" recalls jangly '60s rock. Johnston's layered vocals add to this. "Tears," towards the end of the album, is similar but with a thumping, slightly irregular bassline.

"Without You" is about Johnston trying to free himself from negative influences. If there is a theme to the album, this song exemplifies it: the struggle to put one's life back together. Amongst the rollicking piano and guitar of a rock song there's some weird keyboard warbles.

The crunch, fervent energy and talk-singing of "I Had Lost My Mind" make it a punk-like song. On the surface, the lyrics are funny, like much of Johnston's music, this one being similar to King Missle's "Detachable Penis," but also kind of tragic considering the obstacles life has thrown his way.

The title track, "Is And Always Was" surpasses the rest as far as the echo and reverb goes, so much so that the overall vibe is one of flying through the air. Think Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd.

"Light of Day" is Johnston's version of a rock n' roll love song. The song has plenty of spring reverb and laid back acoustic strumming.

A lot of amazing things can be done in a recording studio. Professional production does serve these songs well and has crafted a great psychedelic rock album. However, all the added sounds and tricks do take away from what made Johnston's previous, self-recorded music so amazing. Gone are the toy pianos and other oddities that peppered his most well-known songs. Diminished is the intimacy that made the unique worldview found in his lyrics so powerful and compelling. But that being said, music has to evolve and if Is And Always Was is the shape of things to come for Daniel Johnston than there's no real reason to fret.

Iggy Pop Goes Solo Again With A Radical Change In Musical Direction

At age 62, Iggy Pop continues to buck trends. Abandoning the punk sound he helped create, his new solo album, Preliminaires, ventures into the territories of jazz, blues and even French romantic balladry. This new mix of sounds has created music that's just as unique and refreshing today as The Stooges were when they exploded on the scene in the late '60s.

"Les Feuilles Mortes," a song recorded by French singer Edith Piaf, among others, opens and closes the album. Pop's version has him using a deep baritone croon a la Leonard Cohen. But the mix of electronic-sounding percussion and bright acoustic guitar brings to mind David Byrne's "Like Humans Do."

Once more featuring deep baritone singing, "I Want To Go To The Beach," expertly captures the mood of the song's lyrics. With reverb-drenched low-key guitar and piano and a gently rolling rhythm, the image of a lazy day at the beach with waves crashing comes to mind.

"King Of The Dogs" is pure classic New Orleans jazz, complete with trumpet leads. Pop's vocals take on a raspy quality here. The song could be described as an appealing mix of Preservation Hall and Tom Waits.

"Je Sais Que Tu Sais" is swamp rock at it's finest. This song would easily find it's way on the soundtrack for TrueBlood. Driving drums move the rhythm along with some bluesy acoustic slide guitar. Pop's vocals are mixed low and sound distorted, possibly even sung through a "green bullet," a microphone often used for blues harmonica. Airy female vocals provide and interesting contrast with his as well. This song shows up again near the end of the album with the English title "She's A Business."

Though "Nice To Be Dead" is definitely a rock song it has no similarities to Pop's previous work. Despite crunchy, chugging guitars the urgency of punk isn't there. The rhythm is like a snake biding it's time before it's prey moves within striking distance.

Originally a bossa nova song, "How Insensitive" is re-worked by Pop with a space age lounge croon, backed by soft electronic undulations. In this way there are similarities to Pop's past collaborator David Bowie.

Though the title of "Party Time" suggests dumb rock, the song is actually quite schizophrenic, taking elements of funk with it's angular bass slapping and elements of '80s gothy new wave with a continuous synth haze in the background.

"He's Dead, She's Alive" is pure acoustic Mississippi blues. An atmospheric drone gives the song some depth. Pop stays away from the deep croon of much of the other songs. The lighter vocals fit this type of song well.

"A Machine For Loving" is essentially a book reading set to music, with the story being about a dying dog. The melancholy, minor key acoustic guitar goes well with the overall somber quality.

The English translation of the word "preliminaires" is "foreplay." In a sense it's an accurate title. While it's a wonderful listen, you're left not entirely satisfied in the end. It feels as though Pop tried to cram three or four albums into one. Without a defining musical direction, besides the obvious departure from punk, this album loses focus. However, that doesn't stop the music itself from being fantastically eccentric and entertaining, like Iggy Pop himself.

Watermelon Slim Delivers His Blues with a Country Twang

Although his stage name sounds like a blues parody, a la Mashed Potato Johnson from the cartoon Metalocalypse, guitarist and harmonica player Watermelon Slim (real name Bill Homans) has been churning out some of the best Chicago-style blues in recent memory, built on his working class background. It's his time spent as a trucker hauling watermelons that define the lyrical theme of his new country-flavored album, Escape From The Chicken Coop.

"Caterpiller Whine" has a barreling roadhouse rhythm. Percussive piano and urgent electric slide guitar define the song. Slim's gummy, worn vocals fit the style perfectly.

Many great blues songs have a double entendre and "Skinny Woman and Fat Cigars" is an obvious but entertaining example of this. The song has a laid back feel, also invoking Southern staples such as sweet tea.

"You See Me Like I See You" is an example of the classic Nashville country duet, basically Slim playing the part of George Jones and Jenny Littleton playing the part of Tammy Wynette. Steel guitar and soft, simple drumming abound.

"Wreck On The Highway" takes a cue from classic bluegrass. The lyrical and vocal structure is clearly influenced by people like Ralph Stanley. Acoustic slide guitar and mandolin fill out the song.

"Hank Williams You Wrote My Life" may just have the best song title on the album. The vocalization has a drawn-out bluegrass quality but the rest is pure country, including the catchy chorus hook.

"It's Never Too Hard To Be Humble" has acoustic slide guitar fit into a waltz-like rhythm. Tinkling piano in the background gives the song another interesting element.

Slim leaves the truck driving stereotypes, which actually might have some truth to them since he lived that life, towards the end of the album with "Truck Drivin' Songs" and "18, 18 Wheeler." The first has a Lyle Lovett feel, that place where country, blues and swing intersect. The second has speedy drums and fiddle breaks.

Blues purists might be put off by this album but there's a fine line between classic country and blues. Both genres are famous for detailing the tough times life throws at you and the joy music can bring. And an album about "truckin'" wouldn't be complete without some country flavor. Despite a few bland songs, Watermelon Slim delivers this music honestly without too much of the modern mainstream Nashville country sheen.

The Dead Weather Rocks the Blues with Mixed Results

It might be safe to say that Jack White has music ADHD. The White Stripes and Raconteurs leader is not content with being in just one band, or two for that matter. But the upside to that is that listeners get to hear many facets of his talent. With The Dead Weather, White returns to his first instrument, the drums. Taking more of a back seat like this gives his band members, Alison Mosshart from The Kills, Jack Lawrence from The Raconteurs and Dean Fertita from Queens Of The Stone Age, more of a spotlight and it shows on the band's debut album, Horehound.

"60 Feet Tall" begins like a rehearsal warm-up, a rolling drum beat from White and disjointed guitar licks from Fertita. But the song soon morphs into a slow burning, Zeppelin-like bluesy groove with Mosshart's sultry but earthy vocals invoking Patti Smith. Unfortunately, the percussion is cymbal-heavy and that bleeds all over the track in certain sections.

One of two songs released as a vinyl .45 on Record Store Day, "Hang You From The Heavens" takes much of the electro-blues of The Kills with it's geometric and intricate drumming. Fertita's guitar lays thick slabs of fuzz.

Whether it was intentional or not, "I Cut Like A Buffalo" has a lot of reggae flavor. This has most to do with the prominent electric organ, played by Fertita, and the regular echo flurries. White sings lead here and it sounds filtered through a megaphone.

"So Far From Your Weapon" begins with a similar intro to "60 Feet Tall" but with call-and-response vocals, reminiscent of classic blues. Again, the drumming is cymbal-heavy. Oddly enough, the defining element of this song is a weird warble from an indistinguishable instrument lurking in the background.

"Treat Me Like Your Mother" is aggressive from the outset with driving drums and crunchy fuzz guitar riffing. The tempo increases towards rollicking rollercoaster standards halfway through the song with pummeling drums and fast slide guitar lines. Mosshart and White trade lead vocals. You could even call White's vocals in this song rap.

"Will There Be Enough Water" is a departure from the overall sound of the album. White's only guitar contribution, it takes much from early John Lee Hooker, specifically minor key elegies like "It Serves Me Right To Suffer." The heartbeat drumming and nearly inaudible piano in the background help to create a true blues emotion.

While Horehound is bookended perfectly, nearly half the album is unremarkable, a mess of odd rhythms that are abrasive rather than interesting. However, the majority, even if it is a small one, does save the album and makes it worth listening to and owning. Once again, Jack White has found a new way to interpret the blues while staying faithful to traditions. But when all is said and done, Mosshart's contributions are what make this album unique.