Buy This Album - 'I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it' by The 1975

The sophomore slump is a real thing. After you've had your entire life up to the point that you write your first record, the new deadlines of being an already established artist tend to quench the flow of a substantial amount of artistic juices. Add to this the dynamic of a successful first record, and now you've found yourself with the added pressure of living up to (or even exceeding) expectations. Even more rarely do you hear real artistic growth between a first and second record.

Well, it seems that The 1975 has defied all of those tendencies with their second label release, I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it.

The band's self-titled debut took me by surprise and blew me away. The retro '80s influences, the great playing, the hooks... it was an unusual breath of fresh air in a market oversaturated with disposable pop detritus or artists trying too hard to be important. It rocked, it grooved, it was singable and accessible with just the right amount of artistry to remind everyone that these cats weren't looking to be anyone or anything but themselves.

I'm glad to say that the new record has picked up right where the first left off, but with enough twists on the original idea to verify the notion that these guys aren't settling. They're not over-extending themselves, either, but they're moving in directions that indicate growth and a lack of contentment with where they left off the first time.

Whereas the first record featured short sound effect-y interludes between songs, I like it when you sleep... has taken things a bit further, featuring entire instrumental pieces built on the foundations of those earlier clips. These might not be welcome news to everyone, but they're an interesting touch on a modern pop/rock record. The instrumentals on this record are pleasant and intriguing, and they allow you to disappear a bit into the soundscape while wondering just what the guys had in mind when they were orchestrating them. They bring to mind composers like Hans Zimmer or James Newton Howard, and they demand another layer of attention: this is a record designed to be listened to. Imagine that.

As for the more conventional tracks, the band is back to their proven process of drawing from artists before their time. There are traces of Bowie and Prince here, with hooks for days and electronics that manage to keep from becoming annoying or obtuse (a notable feat in today's music scene). And I, for one, can't wait to see if Adam Hann (the band's guitarist) manages to reintroduce the guitar solo back into popular radio. The guy is a monster player and the band doesn't shy away from showing him off here and there.

I like it when you sleep... has been a great trip for me since its release last Friday. If you like solid, groovy, melodic pop/rock from real musicians who understand their heritage and seem more interested in their art than succumbing to the machine of industry celebrity-ism, be sure to give it your undivided attention. The 1975 are proving they've got plenty to say and, hopefully, are just getting started.

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Buy This Album - 'The Epic' by Kamsai Washington

Those of you who have been keeping up with this blog know that I am all about promoting jazz. But, in an attempt to be sensitive to both my audience and the spirit of the times, when it comes to modern jazz music, I'm always on the lookout for one of the genre's more elusive qualities: accessibility. I understand that a lot of jazz these days just goes over people's heads and recommending it probably does more to damage people's impressions of the art form than to bolster them.

The album I'm plugging today is one of those rarest of examples: one that is both innovative & original while retaining an accessibility for the vast majority of interested listeners. The Epic by Kamsai Washington is real jazz. Make no mistake. But it is not a difficult album to listen to. If you're at all interested in the genre or just wondering what great contemporary jazz music sounds like, than you should give this album some serious attention.

I don't think I'm alone in thinking that Washington could very well be one of the next huge names in American jazz music. He's already compiled a resume of gigs that reads like an old veteran's (including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Harvey Mason, for instance, as well as arranging the horn parts for Kendrick Lamar's latest release), and his Epic record has certainly been turning heads for the past 6 months or so (his snub for a Grammy nomination is just the next in a long list of facepalm-worthy nonsense from the association). But, dig it: $11.99 on iTunes gets you 17 songs and just a shade under three hours of music. When he named it The Epic, he wasn't being facetious.

I can't say enough about this album, people. Whether you're a serious jazz fan or you're simply interested in beginning to learn what it's all about, check this record out. It's a great one.

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Buy This Album - 'Grand Ukulele' by Jake Shimabukuro

I first discovered Jake Shimabukuro when I heard his cover of 'Every Breath You Take' by The Police in the midst of a ridiculous Adam Sandler comedy. The film was set in Hawaii, so Shimabukuro's ukulele-driven renditions of pop songs added a distinct regional feel to the familiarity of the melodies. The thing I couldn't help but notice was that while the movie was silly, the music was not. It was really, really, really good.

My next encounter with Jake came during my visit to the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix last month. They had a portion of their artist section devoted to him and took advantage of his recent recordings to help showcase his instrument of choice. Again, I found myself irresistibly drawn to his music - to his ukulele music.

I know what you're thinking: Niche. Gimmick. Contrived.

I'm here to tell you: Jake Shimabukuro is none of those things.

The simple truth is that Shimabukuro manages to transcend musical boundaries with an instrument generally considered to be one-dimensional & narrow. And he does so in a way that refuses to feel forced, fake, or phony. This is not schtick. This is genuine musical mastery. This is real art.

His record comes complete with a myriad of different styles, all convincingly voiced by his uke. Shades of melodic rock, bluegrass, pop, easy listening, and even classical can be found on this album. There are some tracks where Jake fronts a rhythm section of bass & drums, there is some symphonic accompaniment, and there are solo tracks. There is real soul here. There is groove & feel. There is melody you can't help but want to sing. There is romance. There is joy. And all of it coming from a tiny wooden body and four little strings. It really is something that needs to be heard to be believed.

Jake Shimabukuro might be a genius. He is certainly not something you've ever heard before (unless, of course, you've actually heard him before). His music is sublime, pleasant, magnificent. It is music, after all is said and done, that makes you feel glad to be alive.

Buy This Album - Nathan East

For my first post of 2015, I would like to very deliberately direct your attention toward someone else.

Nathan East - the master bassist with more than 2,000 album credits to his name and superstar sideman who has performed alongside artists like Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Toto, Daft Punk, Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, & Michael McDonald -  has finally released his very first solo project.

And it's amazing.

There is nothing quite like discovering a truly wonderful album you have no idea even existed, and, thanks to the algorithm driving my Facebook feed, soon after Christmas Nathan's record was brought onto my radar. It remained on my radar for only a few moments, however, as I could not open iTunes fast enough in order to purchase it.

It's worth every penny. Actually, it's worth a lot more than all the pennies you're going to pay for it.

What you're going to get when you buy this record is not only a Grammy-nominated masterwork, but a celebration of the music & career of one of the world's greatest living musicians. Nathan East has been one of popular music's most prolific bassist's for 40 years (he toured with Barry White while he was in high school, wrote & sang "Easy Lover" with Phil Collins, played the classic bass line to "Footloose", and, more recently, made the entire world dance on "Get Lucky"). He is one of the quintessential examples of a musician's musician, and when he announced that he was finally going to create his own record, a legion of the world's greatest players & singers came out of the woodwork to make it with him.

 

Nathan with Toto on their 35 Anniversary Tour in 2014. (Check the solo at 5:00)

 

What's more is that Yamaha - the company who's instruments Nathan has endorsed for decades - has produced a documentary film called For The Record chronicling the album making process as well as celebrating the life of one of music's favorite sons. They have released the documentary for free right here on Hulu.com, and I cannot recommend enough that you carve out 90 minutes for yourself and watch it.

(The film also contains a touching memorial to Ricky Lawson, the drumming giant who died last year from a brain aneurysm. Nathan's project was one of the last things Lawson recorded before he passed, and the entire film is dedicated to his memory. I wrote a post about Ricky last year, as well, and it was touching for me to see his musical brothers doing their best to honor him.)

So, if you would like to know what makes a guy like me really geek-out, buy this album and watch this film: wonderful music made by a bunch of true masters in a celebration of one of their own.

(...and the rest of us fangirl all the way home!)

Buy This Album - 'The Joshua Tree' by U2

Let me begin by saying that I'm not sure I can say enough about this album as it pertains to my musical life. Oh, I know, U2 has been the band du jour for just about every rock musician alive for the last 15 years and whole bands & an entire genre of Christian worship music seem to exist both because of & in order to rip off this record. But, for me, it was one of two albums that served to form my dreams and start me down the path toward a life in pursuit of all that music has to offer.

And, seeing as how The Joshua Tree is, by most accounts, one of the greatest rock albums of all time, I needn't spend too much time trying to convince to you to purchase it (if you haven't already). However, I could offer up a little sentimentality to try and distract you for a few minutes and perhaps give you a tiny peek behind the curtain of my musical identity.

It wasn't just the music with this one. I mean, it was, but it was something more than that. The intangibles of what make U2 who and what they are are part of what hooked me so hard. I mean, as I mentioned before, there are some very, very popular mainstream acts selling lots of records these days who wouldn't be anything if they didn't have U2 around to mimic. But there's something to U2 and to The Joshua Tree that these other, newer bands didn't quite get. Namely, that both the record and the band were more than the sum of their parts, more than the notes on the notated music sheets, and more than the particular chords and grooves they were playing. There was an identity there that went far deeper than the way the music appears on paper.

There was the joyful expectation of Where The Streets Have No Name immediately followed by the restless wonder of I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. There was the heartbroken passion of With Or Without You immediately followed by the rage of Bullet The Blue Sky. There was the depth of empathy in Running To Stand Still and Mothers of the Disappeared. And, for whatever reason, all this (and more) is what I needed to find in order to fall deeply and madly in love with the idea of being a musician.

Buy This Album - 'Unstoppable Momentum' by Joe Satriani

Now before anyone goes rolling their eyes or exhaling too deeply over the idea of being told to buy a CD without a single lyric on it, hear me out. (I’m not going to let this review deteriorate into a discussion on the merits of listening to music without lyrics. Just know this: you should.)

In the world of guitar gods, soloists, shredders, face melters, and mind-bending musical weirdos, Joe Satriani has always done an impeccable job of standing out from the rest. The biggest reason for this, as far as I can tell, is not a dearth of comparable licks, technique, skill, or musicality (when it comes to rock guitar, Satriani is one of the best alive.) It’s a commitment to keeping his music grounded in the things that most of us are always craving in every album we listen to: groove, feel, dynamics, and melody. Far too often, instrumental artists allow their art to take them far beyond the boundaries of what most non-musicians can stomach or appreciate, losing any sense of relevance or listenability along the way. Satriani has always been great not only for his chops, but for his accessibility – here’s a guitar master who’s downright easy to listen to.

Buy This Album - 'Every Man Should Know' by Harry Connick, Jr.

It's not every day an established, reputable, and masterful artist releases new material that reveals a completely new musical direction. And when it does happen, the results are not always palatable. 

Nevermind about any of that here.

Harry Connick, Jr. has made a musical career out of keeping the crooning tradition established by the Sinatra's, Martin's, and Darin's going strong. His first musical offerings were most definitely cut from that same cloth: big band swing and orchestral jazz. Connick has since occasionally diverged, and in impressive fashion most every time: anywhere from New Orleans funk with Star Turtle & She to hardcore jazz with Occasion & After Hours (alongside the indomitable Brandford Marsalis).