Album Review: El Camino -Black Keys

The Black Keys have been providing music fans with real-deal rock & roll since their 2002 debut, The Big Come Up. The duo, comprised of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney, put Akron, Ohio on the map with their modern spin on the classic rock sound. Their mainstream breakthrough, Brothers, marked the band’s unyielding success –winning 3 Grammy awards. Their latest effort, El Camino, is already topping ‘Best of 2011’ lists. But where Brothers was more soulful and bluesy, El Camino is roughly 39 minutes of fast-paced, rock & roll.

El Camino’s lead-off single, “Lonely Boy” opens with what sounds like a purring el camino about to take off -go figure. It’s 3 minutes of hip-shaking accompanied by soulful “oh oh’s” and the story of a love that keeps singer Dan Auerbach waiting. If the instant, viral success of the track’s video wasn’t enough to keep you tuned in, listening to this song turned all the way up will. The following, “Dead and Gone” is reminiscent of the polished sound of Brothers’ “Tighten Up.” What stands out on both of these tracks is the furious restraint in Patrick Carney’s drumming. It’s hard, but controlled, adding just enough to each song to make it standout on its own.

“Gold on the Ceiling” features a bass/keys riff similar to last year’s “Howlin’ for You.” Auerbach’s slightly muffled vocal provide the track with a garage sound and is bound to be a single. El Camino’s standout track is “Little Black Submarines.” Dare I compare it to Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven?” Maybe I won’t be so bold, but the song structure is there. The slower, acoustic beginning that makes the listener feel that they may be at a Renaissance fair, then slowly the drum kicks in, a soft organ adds climatic effect, and finally Auerbach’s heavy guitar –bringing the song into the 21st century. Clocking in at 4 minutes, it’s also the longest song on the record –but it’s worth listening to every second.

Tracks like “Money Maker,” “Run Right Back,” and “Nova Baby” are nods to the sexy, ‘70s tracks by rock giants like T.Rex and ZZ Top. What the Black Keys and producer Danger Mouse did was glam up what the band was already great at producing –real rock and roll for a society that has “club-ready” dance tracks take over radio waves and television sets. El Camino oozes confidence and sex appeal that wasn’t as apparent in the band’s previous efforts. Right now, this is the right sound for the Black Keys and the glam and polish on their retro, garage rock suits them well. **9.2/10

Album Review: Ceremonials -Florence + the Machine

In 2009, British songstress Florence Welch captivated music lovers with her soulful vocals and wonderfully theatrical songs. Florence + the Machine’ debut album, Lungs, went on to sell millions thanks to the commercial success of tracks like “Dog Days are Over” and “Cosmic Love.” Her sophomore effort, Ceremonials, is a sonic continuation of what makes Florence a true original and shows that she is a force to be reckoned with.

The album’s opener, “Only If For a Night” is a melodic feast of subtle harps and keys. Each track is a tale of love, whether it’s letting go of love or finding it. The theme is packaged in poetic lyrics and almost tribal drumming as each song unfolds itself. The released singles, “Shake It Out” and “What the Water Gave Me” represent the conceptual fight that runs throughout the whole record.

While Florence stuck with her unique sound and didn't give into whatever commerical success "Dog Days" had, there are new elements that show Ceremonials as a progressive growth. There are still theatrics, but there’s more of a soul undertone that is complimented by background vocals. The tracks “Lover to Lover” and "Spectrum" are reminiscent of gospel/soul songs from the ‘70s. Other tracks are true to now Florence + the Machine classics. “No Light, No Light” is similar to “Cosmic Love” while the dark ballad, “Seven Devils” seems like a sequel to “Heavy in Your Arms.”

The driving force that deems this record a true masterpiece is that Welch has completely embraced her lower register, giving the album a distinct, mature sound. Ceremonials is vocally and sonically stunning. Die-hard fans will appreciate the fact that she stayed true to herself and where she’s from instead of partnering with mega-pop producers like Dr. Luke or Timbaland. This latest effort shows that theatre and drama can be accessible and beautiful in contemporary music, and Welch proves that she’s that style’s queen. **10/10

Album Review: Mylo Xyloto -Coldplay

Since the late ‘90s, college kids and adult-alternative fans alike have turned to Coldplay for songs to help them get in touch with their deep, emotional side. Whether it’s a song with meaningful, somewhat melancholy lyrics that sounds like pop bliss or a piano-driven anthem, Coldplay has trascended leaps and bounds over their competition. With the upcoming release of their fifth, studio album Mylo Xyloto, Chris Martin and Co. remind their devoted fans why the love them and their critics why they don’t.

With a push in the “weird” direction, Mylo Xyloto balances its R&B influences with industrial rock overtones and quintessential piano jams. The album plays with the ideas of addiction and escape, heavy and light, fast and slow, love and hate. But while its predecessor Viva La Vida was clear in its concept, this album is muddled with Martin’s vocals often being outshined by the instrumentation and production distortions.

Irrelevant storyline aside, each song should be taken for what it is. Tracks like “Hurts Like Heaven,” “Don’t Let It Break Your Heart,” and “Paradise” are masterpieces within themselves. Each track is joyful, festival-ready, and embody a certain flare that has been a part of Coldplay’ aesthetic since the beginning. While these tracks are not completely disconnected from the sonic ideals of Viva La Vida, the obvious R&B, dance feel is fresh and exciting.

The album’s standout track is also its most peculiar. “Princess of China” features vocals from Rihanna, a pairing more unexpected than Coldplay’s pairing with producer, Brian Eno. As unnatural the feeling of these two artists finding a common ground, everything works. The cascading keys add an originality to the song when in contrast with the acoustic guitar. While it can be said that this song is the band’s attempt at a huge radio hit, it shouldn’t be tossed aside as just that. This track in particular shows growth and confidence (and still would even without Rihanna’s help).

While Coldplay diehards may be put off by the dance feel of many tracks, there are moments of classic Coldplay that remind the listener of greats such as “Yellow,” “Shiver,” and “The Scientist.” Chris Martin’s quintessential loveletter rears its head on the track “Us Against the World” and “Up With the Birds.” The piano remains gentle, complimentary Martin’s almost-raspy vocals and seminal falsetto.

As Mylo Xyloto appears to be pretty perfect, the “bore” and “pretentious” tags that have become assimilated with the band are still there. “U.F.O.” does its best to draw influences from U2, but fades into the background and the 3 track intermissions don’t add any musical merit or interest to the album as a whole. Also, the fact that the album has 14 tracks could be assumed that each song was “too important” to leave behind (and some could have been).

Shortcomings aside, Coldplay is who it is. The British entity has said that this could be their last record, let’s hope not. **8.2/10

Review: The Way Sound Leaves A Room - Sarah Jaffe

For the current generation, a strong female presence, stripped of auto-tune and fuzzy distortions, is hard to come by. But Texan-native Sarah Jaffe may just be the perfect contender to take that title –and own it to its fullest capacity. Reminiscent of an early Sarah McLachlan with an endearing brood and raw vocal power, Jaffe brings more than honesty and a hypnotic, ethereal melancholy to the 8 tracks that make up The Way Sound Leaves A Room.

To make a more current comparison, Jaffe’s sound is right up there with the likes of Beach House, Laura Marling, and even Mumford & Sons. The opening track, “All That Time” is ethereal at its simplest, with echoing vocal layers. Much like other tracks, “The Way Sound Leaves a Room” and “Clementine” –instrumentation takes a backseat to Jaffe’s truly beautiful vocals and round melodies and harmonies. The roughness of her tone sounds perfect in juxtaposition to her feminine lyrical content, “I wish I was more delicate.”

While the first half of the EP leans more to a relaxed, singer-songwriter vibe –the second half shows Jaffe testing out new boundaries with a subtle hip-hop influence. From her cover of Drake’s “Shut It Down” to her own song, “When You Rest.” Other stand-out tracks that turn up the tempo with sexy bass lines and an almost danceable groove are “A Sucker For Your Marketing” –which is too short and leaves the listener wanting more, and “Louder Than Ever”, which is much more than relatable. The latte track is poetic and yearning, almost as if Jaffe left the purest part of her soul on the floor.

In all honesty, the only negative I have about this EP is that some tracks feel like incomplete thoughts. Whether Jaffe ran out of words or chords to create something new, a few tracks can become those songs that transport the listener back to a special time and place where they first heard it. **9.6/10

Coming of Age

I finally saw Submarine last night. It was better than I had expected, though I already had a positive bias towards the film since the soundtrack (songs composed by Alex Turner) is such a knockout. As I watched Craig Roberts as the borderline pretentious, socially awkward Oliver Tate -I (being the analyst that I am) began thinking: "I feel the exact same way sometimes, do I have this cinematic-view of 15 year-old mentality at 20 years old?"

I guess a person like me is naturally drawn to coming-of-age films, from The Graduate to Garden State and anything that can fall in the gray area between. For the past 6 years, I've constantly thought about life and love whether it's my life and love or that of others. Then these films come out and, as you watch them, everything makes perfect sense -until the credits start rolling. I guess from the ages of Oliver Tate's 15 to Andrew Largeman's mid-twenties, one is supposed to be discovering who they are and what they want, but isn't it a problem if a 15 year old can relate to someone who is almost 30 on such an emotional level?

I know that film is fictional most of the time, but everything means so much more when you can relate to it. I guess what I'm trying to get at is age...maybe maturity -it's all subjective. A person can feel...confused (for lack of a better word) if there's some indie, Brit film with a inquisitive, insightful, but maybe precocious teenager that he or she can relate to when they're more or less an "adult" on the brink of their twenties. Then you watch Garden State and a person is supposed to have at least something important figured out and set by that age, right?

Either I'm thinking too much into this or I've aged myself too quickly by thinking that I should have some sort of cemented plan by the time I reach 21. Did I enjoy being 15 or did I rush it? Will I be going home to visit my family in my mid-twenties and be completely, emotionally removed from everyone because I wanted to stick to what I thought was right? Maybe I should just be satisfied with being able to relate to something -fictional film or not, regardless of extenuating circumstances.

Does this make any sense?

Photos from NYLON + Guess & Lollapalooza 2011

with Sarah Lewitinn -follow her @ultragrrrl

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

Courtesy of NBC Chicago

The Vaccines

Grace Potter

The Kills

Tinie Tempah

Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes

Chris Martin of Coldplay

Coldplay's crazy amazing lights

Protesters -intolerant AND sexist #pathetic

Does this even really look like Marilyn Monroe?

Phantogram

The Black Lips

The Drums

Ellie Goulding

Lykke Li

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. with bubbles

Ric Ocasek of The Cars

Arctic Monkeys

Foo Fighters & probably one of my best photos ever: Dave Grohl

all photos by me -unless stated otherwise

Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Lollapalooza

Summer vacation is no longer those 3 months out of school and a way from reality. Now, it's just a continuation of work with select days of play. Yet, while I slowly leave my years of sleeping until 1 in the afternoon and spending my parents' money on things I don't particularly leave behind -I will always have those three days of Lollapalooza. Ever since my first taste of Perry Farrell's brainchild, I waited for the first weekend in August to finally start having fun and this year was NO exception. With headliners like Coldplay and Foo Fighters, everyone in attendance was bound to have a great time, regardless of weather conditions.

My weekend started Thursday night at the NYLON + GUESS Party on Michigan Ave. It was an excuse for Faith and I to get dolled up and wander the streets of Chicago before wandering under fluorescent lighting for 2 hours. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. played an acoustic set before Freddie from The Vaccines DJ'ed. We sipped Flirtinis and Coconut/Pineapple Vodka drinks while perusing the clothes that, no offense to GUESS, are SERIOUSLY overpriced. We also met my hero/life-inspiration Sarah Lewitinn: journalist, DJ, author, culture vulture, and all-around sweet person. Meeting her, chatting, and tweeting along with snagging myself a killer swag bag were the highlights of the shindig and a fantastic kick-off to a rock & roll weekend.

Friday, we all woke up in full-out festival mode. Waterproof eyeliner and mascara went hand-in-hand with Urban Decay's "Up All Night" finishing spray and plenty of tank-tops. Finally getting to the front of Grant Park, I could hear Wye Oak playing the Sony stage. The duo was in tight form playing songs off of their debut album, Civilian. I must admit though, my full attention was on The Vaccines who played the Music Unlimited stage as soon as Wye Oak finished. I was "that girl" during The Vaccines -dancing, singing every word, snapping tons of photos and telling anyone who would listen that this band is "SO AMAZING LIVE." They played their debut, What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? in its entirety. Full of energy, I hustled over to see Grace Potter & The Nocturnals.

Now, to say I was blown away by Grace Potter would be a RIDICULOUS understatement. Her voice, her style, and her energy completely blew me away. I wasn't really a fan of the band's latest release but, after a show like that, I will definitely be taking a second listen. And the chant, "Ooh lala, lalapalooza" was stuck in my head until this past Wednesday.

The Kills took the Bud Light stage after Smith Westerns absolutely killed it on the Playstation stage. If I didn't love Alison Mosshart enough already, it's now a full-blown obsession. The chemistry between her and Jamie Hince (a.k.a. Mr. Kate Moss) is fiery and raw. Their set was similar to that of Coachella's, but songs like "Future Starts Slow" "U R A Fever" and, my personal favourite, "Tape Song" had the entire crowd moving -even the couple next to me who rarely parted their lips to take in air.

Tinie Tempah rocked the Google+ stage and I was surprised at how much I actually loved his music. The crowd was wild with random dance-offs, penis balloons flying through the air, and constant, drunken rapping. I caught the end of Bright Eyes' set and watched frontman Conor Oberst jump from the stage and hug everyone he could, getting his full rockstar on. Then, it was all a waiting game for Coldplay.

I could post a novel about experiencing Coldplay for the first time, but I'll keep it to a minimum. It was beautiful -a set full of their greatest hits with frontman Chris Martin absolutely hypnotizing the crowd. "Fix You" was my favourite moment of their set, it just felt like a festival song, with the entire audience coming together. It was different, an atmosphere that was mellow but never lacking in energy. As Muse played across the field, I could only wonder what Matt Bellamy and crew were doing, but when Coldplay plugged back in I couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

As Saturday rolled around, and a little rain drizzle with a breakfast rush to Corner Bakery ensued, the day started with electro-group Phantogram. I can't WAIT for their new album. Afterwards, I made the Google+ stage my home seeing The Drums, Ellie Goulding, and Lykke Li. They were ALL amazing, but Lykke Li was my favourite of the day. Her mash-up of "Youth Knows No Pain" with Kanye West's "Power" was absolutely killer and the crowd roared when she played her hit, "Get Some" off of her AMAZING new album Wounded Rhymes,. I caught a bit of Beirut before heading back to the hotel, in which 5 people had 1 bed -crazy shit.

I was a bit sad waking up Sunday morning and realizing it was the final day of Lollapalooza, and really the end of my summer. No matter how WELL you think you've planned your day, it will get fucked up. I had planned to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Lissie, Best Coast, Arctic Monkeys, and Foo Fighters. I ended up leaving Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. early for The Cars -guaranteeing myself awesome spot for Arctic Monkeys and Foo Fighters. I was actually surprised with how many Cars songs I knew, with the exception of "Let The Good Times Roll" (which, was their opener and it set a great vibe for the rest of the set). During The Cars, I looked over and saw actors Simon Rex and David Arquette standing no more than 5 feet away from me in the VIP section. I kind of just stared at them, not big enough of a fan of either to say "Hello" -but it was kind of cool.

Then...it started POURING. Literally, right before Arctic Monkeys -the clouds just pissed cold rain everywhere. As I stood there and watched the crew come out and cover the band's equipment, I just kept praying for the storm to blow over so I could hear some amazing, new tracks off of Suck It And See (which I still can't stop listening to). At 6:20, the sun peaked out from behind the clouds around the same time a rainbow appeared. Then, out walked the band and the fangirl inside of me erupted. Again, I could write an novel about seeing Arctic Monkeys (for the 5th time), but I won't continue to annoy anyone reading this lengthy (and not-so detailed) account of Lollapalooza 2011. Let's just say, my voice was gone and as I watched Alex Turner slide across the stage on his knees, I felt a bit like a proud parent. My favourite moment was during "Hellcat Spangled Shalalala" -that song is just perfection and the band just seemed lost in its melodies.

An hour later, with more storm could approaching, Foo Fighters took the stage. It was a whirlwind of serious rock & roll, with frontman Dave Grohl admitting that the band won't be "fucking around" and will play as many songs as possible in their allotted 2 hours. A perfect mix of new and old songs were played with original guitarist Pat Smear back on stage. Besides "Everlong", my favourite part of their set was during "My Hero." Dave introduced the track as a "real Foo Fighters'" song and as Taylor Hawkins' drums kicked in, it started raining harder than it had earlier that day. It was like a scene from a movie, a truly epic moment where everyone just reveled in the imperfections of such a perfect moment. Mud, as well as fans, were flying through the air and everyone around you was your best friend. It was the most amazing ending to a weekend of freedom and fun.

While the festival seemed be overdone with house music and dubstep, the "real" bands honored the legacy that is Lollapalooza. Now, with the summer ending and the real world rearing its ugly head, I can only wait for the end of next summer.