Martha Wainwright "Love Will Be Reborn" (2021)

Love Will Be Reborn

release date: Aug. 20, 2021

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]

producer: Pierre Marchand

label: Cooking Vinyl - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Middle of the Lake" - 2. "Getting Older" - 3. "Love Will Be Reborn" (4 / 5) - 6. "Body and Soul" - 7. "Hole in My Heart" - 9. "Sometimes" - 11. "Falaise de malaise"

5th studio album by Martha Wainwright as follow-up to her 2016 album Goodnight City is with a new producer in the form of Pierre Marchand, who is known for his work with musicians within singer / songwriter and folk music, such as Sarah McLachlan, but also Kate & Anna McGarrigle (Kate is Martha's mother), Rufus Wainwright (Martha's brother), as well as Daniel Lanois and Lhasa de Sela. Nearly five years is a very long time in between releases, and Martha Wainwright has never been the one to spit out albums like others do, but here she is back with 11 of her very own compositions as she last did with Come Home to Mama in 2012. Since 2016, she has gone through a divorce from former musical partner and regular producer Brad Albetta, and she has had to reconcile with the role of a single mother of two, which may also have a significant impact on the musical drought. If nothing else, the existential challenges have been food for several of the new songs, such as the title track, "Getting Older", "Hole in My heart" and "Falais de malaise" are clear examples of.

The cover quite nicely reflects the title with Wainwright sitting as if in a waiting position, ready in her fine dress to turn towards a new love. Musically, there is no revolutionary news, but the music has generally become more subdued with several songs in the singer / songwriter style without a lot of frills in the shape of synths and other electronic equipment. It's occasionally alt-country, it's naked and honest, and the album appears to be her most complete since the more poppier I Know You're Married but I've Got Feelings Too from 2008. She has never been shy about writing openly about her own life, about challenges with parents, family, and especially love - the broken and the new, but the songs here appear as her most mature, where self-reflection has been given more space than before, and where it mostly was an issue of pointing outwards rather than seeing inward. Also, and for once, she sounds more like herself than all possible others.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com, Gaffa.dk 4 / 5 stars ]

Martha Wainwright "Goodnight City" (2016)

Goodnight City

release date: Nov. 11, 2016

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,46]

producer: Brad Albetta & Thomas Bartlett

label: Play It Again Sam - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Around the Bend" - 2. "Franci" (4 / 5) (live in studio) - 3. "Traveller" (live in studio) - 4. "Look Into My Eyes" - 6. "Window" - 8. "Alexandria" - 10. "One of Us" - 12. "Francis"

4th studio album by Martha Wainwright following a full four years since her last studio album Come Home to Mama (Oct. 2012), but most recently it follows the duo-project The Wainwright Sisters and their debut Songs in the Dark from 2015, where Martha stars alongside half-sister Lucy Wainwright Roche.

Goodnight City is, as usual, produced by husband Brad Albetta, who, however, is involved for the last time as the couple should divorce in 2018. Here, Albetta shares producer credit with Thomas Bartlett, who previously participated as keyboardist on all of Wainwright's albums since the Edit Piaf album Sans Fusils, ni souliers, a Paris..." (2009). The album offers 12 tracks with a total running time at just over 45 minutes. In the past, Wainwright has been songwriter and composer on the majority of her songs, but here she's alone credited half of the tracks and as co-writer on two. Four tracks are written and composed by others, respectively by Michael Ondaatje & Thomas Bartlett ("Piano Music"), Beth Orton ("Alexandria"), Merrill Garbus ("Take the Reins"), and brother Rufus Wainwright ("Francis").

Stylistically, there is a small change to trace since her 2012 album on a collection of songs mostly native to mainstream pop / rock - and most clearly, this is more subdued in a modern singer / songwriter style with ties to folk pop. In the main, 'cause you'll find detours with more tempo and energy, such as on the slightly out of place rock-wrenching and Iggy Pop-inspired "So Down", but also on the glitch pop-arranged "Take the Reins" - both of which fall somewhat outside the big picture. On "Around the Bend" Martha imitates the role model Joni Mitchell quite a bit, although the song is actually very fine, but I guess that's just how things are with Martha Wainwright: she's fully capable of lots of good stuff and she has a great vocal, but too often she tend to over-dramatise a bit. Best track here is Wainwright's own "Franci" - not to be confused with Rufus' "Francis," which rounds out the album - but both songs were written for Martha and producer Albetta's 2014 son, Francis Valentine Albetta.

The album is a welcome return to Wainwright in her more usual style, despite resulting in a record low on album charts worldwide.

[ The Guardian, Gaffa.dk 4 / 5, 👍Under the Radar 3,5 / 5, The Independent 3 / 5 stars ]

Arcade Fire "Everything Now" (2017)

Everything Now
release date: Jul. 28, 2017
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,92]
producer: Arcade Fire and various
label: Columbia - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 2. "Everything Now" - 4. "Creature Comfort" - 5. "Peter Pan" - 7. "Infinite Content" - 11. "Put Your Money on Me"

5th studio album by Arcade Fire is self-produced by the band with various co-producers on selected tracks sees the band on their perhaps most radical stylistic change. Reflektor had the band try on disco and alt. dance on a number of tracks, but with this, the band has completely moved into a new territory of dance-oriented music.The title track is extended in 3 songs: track 1 "Everything_Now (Continued)", with an underscore continue track 13 "Everything Now (Continued)" without the underscore and plays with the media as to underline what is proposed in the two track titles "Infinite Content" (#7) and "Infinite_Content" (#8) - the whole album is meant to play indefinitely.
It's not that it's bad, 'cause the production sound is there - it's more so a question about what they contribute with. Yes, they can play whatever they feel like, but going synthpop on the dancefloor means that you should add something to the genre - new danceable tunes. But this is just all so ever cute without that thangg. Where are the more than just interesting songs? The title song has been playing on my radio for months, and I'm so tired of that tune. It never was a great one after all, but that's how the music business works these days. Some tracks are cheesy, some have indie pop potential ('Peter Pan', 'Infinite Content'), some sound as drawn after other successful dance songs by New Order ('Creature Comfort'), Daft Punk / Chemical Brothers ('Signs of Life', 'Electric Blue').
Looking down the Arcade Fire path, I see greatness in the wilderness, but I no longer have strong expectations about this band for the future. They jumped right onto the big scene, and perhaps too soon to be able to navigate and continue in what would have been a natural progression.
The album cover is made in numerous editions with different colours and titles in native languages.
This is not really recommended.
[ 👍allmusic.com, Q Magazine, The Guardian 3 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

The Wainwright Sisters "Songs in the Dark" (2015)

Songs in the Dark [debut]

release date: Nov. 13, 2015

format: digital

[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,84]

producer: Brad Albetta (recorded by)

label: Play It Again Sam - nationality: Canada / USA

Track highlights: 2. "Hobo's Lullaby" (live) - 9. "Long Lankin"

Debut album from The Wainwright Sisters counting Canadian Martha Wainwright and her younger American half-sister Lucy Wainwright Roche, daughter of their common father, Loudon Wainwright III and Suzzy Roche, American vocalist and known from the vocal group The Roches. Prior to this, in 2013 Martha Wainwright released the soundtrack album Trauma: Chansons de la Série Télé, Saison #4 - collecting the music from the entire season 4 of the Canadian edition of the TV series "Trauma", and her latest studio album is Come Home to Mama (Oct. 2012). Lucy most recently released her second solo studio album There's a Last Time for Everything (Oct. 2013) and earlier that year she released Fairytale and Myth (Mar. 2013) as a duo release with her mother Suzzy Roche.

Songs in the Dark consists of 16 classic lullabies in the form of folk and singer/songwriter compositions mainly from the 60s, but also from earlier, as well as from the following decade. These include compositions of their familial ancestry: from their father, Loudon, Martha's mother Kate McGarrigle, and tracks from Lucy's aunt, Terre Roche. In addition, you'll find songs by Paul Simon, Richard Thompson, Townes Van Zandt, Cindy Walker, Irving Berlin, as well as three traditionals often known in versions by Woody Guthrie (including track #2). The album's credit list includes several family members: Aunt Anne McGarrigle and her children, Lily and Sylvan Ranken, and Aunt Jane McGarrigle.

These are acoustic tracks held in typical vocal-based arrangements accompanied only by acoustic guitar, sometimes by violin and bass, and generally characterised by the absence of percussion and other rhythmic instruments other than the sporadic sound of bells. In general, it is a slightly one-sided album, where vocal dynamism is missing. Like the sisters Anne & Kate McGarrigle, the two half-sisters here are known for strong vocals but on the album you'll find few challenging melodies, where you miss the fine two-partness that Anne and Kate mastered, and perhaps the intention is just to collect a series of lullabies and play those as they should and should be used: to put people to sleep. At least it's a bit of a long-sufferance.

Recommended mostly for 'little ones' who are ready to sleep.

[👎 allmusic.com 4 / 5, PopMatters 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine, 👍Mojo 3 / 5 stars ]

Martha Wainwright "Come Home to Mama" (2012)

Come Home to Mama
release date: Oct. 16, 2012
format: cd (Deluxe Edition)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]
producer: Yuka Honda
label: V2 - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "I Am Sorry" (live) - 2. "Can You Believe It" (4 / 5) - 4. "Proserpina" - 5. "Leave Behind" (live) - 8. "I Wanna Make an Arrest"

3rd studio album by Martha Wainwright following three years after her Piaf live album Sans fusils, ni souliers... (Nov. 2009) and 4½ years since her most recent studio album, the acclaimed I Know You're Married but I've Got Feelings Too (May 2008). The album is produced by Japanese-American artist Yuka Honda, who previously worked in the role of producer until 2000 for a limited number of artists, which also includes the debut album Into the Sun (1998) by Honda's then-boyfriend, Sean Lennon, and Wainwright's album here was apparently recorded in Sean Lennon's home studio. Sean Lennon plays bass on two of the standard album's ten tracks, and Honda is also credited on keyboards, synths and for drum programming on several tracks. The deluxe edition contains three demo recordings as bonus material.

The album is Martha's first since the passing of her mother Kate McGarrigle at the age of 63 in 2010, and several of the songs are said to be centered on the loss.

Come Home to Mama - whose title, by the way, is a line from the track "Prosperina" - is more the musically and stylistically natural extension to her most recent 2008 studio album, making it a more pure pop / rock, folk pop, and singer / songwriter release.

Aside from the song "Can You Believe It", the album doesn't offer definite hit material, but several quite fine compositions. Her 2008 album bore certain traces of inspiration from PJ Harvey, and here I think more of an influence from Kate Bush and / or Tori Amos that intrudes - and quite generally, I think it points to Wainwright's most evident artistic weakness. All of her albums seem to contain tracks that in some way show some form of admiration or inspiration from others - whether it's her parents' folk tradition, brother Rufus's puffed-up arrangements, or other role models' idiosyncrasies. And it both results in releases pointing in several directions (apart from her 2009 Edith Piaf live album), and at the same time takes the focus away from Wainwright's very own qualities. She's undoubtedly a skilled songwriter and she has a great voice, but her greatest gift has probably been to imitate anyone, and unfortunately, she still often falls into imitation rather than cultivating her own position.

Despite challenges, I think this album is her second best so far, and it's by no means uninteresting. The selected tracks here also show what she's capable of when she sounds most like herself.

[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

~ ~ ~

Note: A double CD tribute album Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle in honor of Kate McGarrigle was released Jun. 2013 featuring a wide range of artists including Loudon Wainwright III, Jane and Anna McGarrigle, Sloan Wainwright (Loudon's sister), Rufus and Martha Wainwright on live recordings from four tribute concerts over three years from the first in Jun. 2010 in London, two concerts in May 2011 from New York and the last in Jun. 2012 from Toronto. The album contains 34 tracks, most of which were written and composed by Kate McGarrigle.

Arcade Fire "Reflektor" (2013)

Reflektor
release date: Oct. 29, 2013
format: digital (2-disc)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,96]
producer: Arcade Fire, Markus Dravs, James Murphy
label: Merge Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Reflektor" (3,5 / 5) - 2. "Flashbulb Eyes" - 4. "Here Comes the Night Time" - 5. "Normal Person" - 9. "Here Comes the Night Time II" - 13. "Afterlife"

4th studio album by Arcade Fire is a double cd released on Sonovox in Canada, and it follows three years after The Suburbs.

The style has altered - again. I guess, that's what they do. The chamber pop style is almost completely gone, and instead the album has a touch of electronic, or alt. dance.
My initial thoughts on the album were not positive and after some time I must say that I'm not convinced about this band anymore, as they have sort of ceased to interest me. Reflektor is somewhat boring, without glimpses of... interest. I think its close to mediocre and feel like handing it 3 out of 5 stars. It's not really bad, I just don't ever feel like listening to it 'cause nothing on it appeals to me.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4,5 / 5, NME 4 / 5 stars ]

Martha Wainwright "Sans fusils, ni souliers, à Paris..." (2009)

Sans fusils, ni souliers, à Paris... (live)
release date: Nov. 24, 2009
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: Hal Willner
label: V2 - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "La foule" - 4. "L'accordéoniste"

3rd album by Martha Wainwrigth, where the full title is Sans fusils, ni souliers, à Paris: Martha Wainwright's Piaf Record following the acclaimed I Know You're Married but I've Got Feelings Too (May 2008). The album is not the expected new studio album. Instead, it's the live recordings of three concerts from mid-June 2009 at Dixon Place Theatre, New York, thus not what the title could imply recorded in Paris, France. The album title is with reference to the lyrics of "Les Grognards". All songs are Wainwright covers of familiar Edith Piaf songs and it's basically a tribute album.

It's indisputable that Wainwright is a most talented vocalist with a large repertoire and register, and as a French-Canadian she may possess a natural bond with French culture and traditions, and although she is highly capable as a singer, I just don't think she is up to the task particularly convincing on this arena. Wainwright is known for mastering contrasts between the emotionally vulnerable and the more expressively devilish, and yet here her voice seems to lack an emotional attuned dimension that you find in Piaf's versions, but also in songs performed by Mireille Mathieu, who have given most of these songs a different and personal quality.

It's not an unambiguously bad album, where Wainwright misses the mark - it's only more so that others have done it better.

[ Sunday Tribune 3 / 5, The Times, The Guardian 4 / 5 stars ]

Martha Wainwright "I Know You're Married but I've Got Feelings Too" (2008)

I Know You're Married but I've Got Feelings Too
release date: May 12, 2008
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]
producer: Brad Albetta; Martin Terefe
label: Cooperative Music - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Bleeding All Over You" (4 / 5) - 2. "You Cheated Me" (4,5 / 5) - 4. "Comin' Tonight" (4 / 5) (live) - 6. "Hearts Club Band" (live) - 9. "The George Song" - 11. "Jimi" (live)

2nd studio album by Martha Wainwright follows three years after her self-titled full-length debut from 2005. The album is mainly produced by her husband Brad Albetta, who is behind six of the album's thirteen tracks - he and Martha married in 2007. Martin Terefe has produced four tracks, and in addition Tore Johansson has produced two, and Kate McGarrigle is the producer a single track. Jeff Trott is co-producer on one, and the duo Ger McDonnell and Mike Hedges are also credited as co-producers on one track.

The music is folk and singer / songwriter, but the album here is cut significantly more like a contemporary folk pop album with stress on pop. The compositions are written by Wainwright, and a single track "Jimi" is taken from the '99 ep Martha Wainwright, but here in a rearranged version. Where the debut was stylistically in keeping with an American folk tradition, this one shows a new side to Martha Wainwright stepping more in the direction of brother Rufus Wainswright's more contemporary folk pop and chamber pop releases with distance to father, Loudon Wainwright III and mother Kate McGarrigle's tradition of more simple and guitar-based folk.

The album was my first encounter with Martha's music, and I first adored the fine and much played "You Cheated Me" on the radio without having in any way cultivated other tracks from the album. When I finally listened to the whole album, it was a rather positive experience, and my first thoughts were that it was a good album with several fine tracks. At first it was the first two tracks that stood out the strongest, but gradually I listened more attentively to other tracks, and then it was one of those rare occasions when it dawns on you that you have come across a jewel. And yes, she could be inspired by a certain Polly Jean Harvey, and I had the same experience when I discovered her album Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea (2000). Likewise, this is one of those albums that just seems to grow as you listen to it. It's a bit magical when you listen to these kinds of releases that come so rare. You stumble upon one or two tracks and after a while it's as if other tracks rise up, as if with a raised finger saying : "Hey there, I'm also here, Okay!", and finally, you end up loving the whole package.

The album garnered positive reviews and became Martha Wainwright's commercial breakthrough with a top-10 position at No. #6 on the Canadian Albums Chart, and it generally performed well in several other countries worldwide. Having released two more studio albums through 2018, this one remains her best-selling album.

However, my enthusiasm for the album cooled a little over time. I still consider it better than good, but after a while it sort of lost my interest - as less impressive. Perhaps there is too much of the same going on here - musically and lyrically. In a way, it's a bit the same way I've experienced albums by brother Rufus. When you haven't lsitened to any of them, it's easy to be impressed by that brilliant control over your own voice register they both possess and after some time you (perhaps) discover how little progression the musical universe offers. Make no mistake, I still like both of their music, and especially this very album! I just ended up where it has to be taken in smaller doses. It's still a highly recommendable album. And if you haven't been there: do yourself a favour and check this one out!

[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone, The Observer, The Guardian 4 / 5 stars ]

Martha Wainwright "Martha Wainwright" (2005)

Martha Wainwright [debut]
release date: Apr. 12, 2005
format: cd (Special Edition) / vinyl (2025 RM) (clear vinyl)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,64]
producer: Brad Albetta, Martha Wainwright
label: Drowned In Sound Recordings - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Far Away" - 2. "Factory" - 5. "Ball & Chain" - 7. "This Life" - 8. "When The Day Is Short" - 9. "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole" (live 2014) (live 2018) - 14. "Bring Back My Heart"

Studio album debut by Martha Wainwright - or: her official debut. In 1997 she made a 10-track cassette, which is not usually counted among her albums. The album also follows a couple of ep releases, the latest of which is the 4-track ep Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole (Jan. 2005), where the title track is included here. Several tracks are taken from her first two EP releases: the title track is from Factory (1999) and the two tracks "G.P.T" and "Don't Forget" are from the ep Martha Wainwright (1999), and the latter is also on her '97 -cartridge. Thus, her debut album contains four out of thirteen tracks from previous releases.

The music is kept in a traditional folk and singer / songwriter style and is thus quite close to the musical characteristics of her parents. Martha is the daughter of folk and singer/songwriter Loudon Wainwright III and folk vocalist Kate McGarrigle. Older brother Rufus is perhaps the family's best-known voice.

The album was well received, but did not garner much commercial acclaim. In turn, Martha Wainwright was nominated New Artist of the Year 2006 at the Juno Award.

Track #9 "B.M.F.A." is Martha's greeting to her father...

Martha writes and sings in an American singer / songwriter tradition where, in addition to her parents, you're reminded of Emmylou Harris and especially Joni Mitchell.

It's a good and solid album that is mostly quite promising, as it contains some really good tracks and then overall perhaps isn't super original but still possess enough magic not be overlooked.

[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young "The Monsanto Years" (2015)

The Monsanto Years
release date: Jun. 29, 2015
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: Neil Young & John Hanlon
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "A New Day for Love" - 3. "People Want to Hear About Love" (live) - 6. "Workin' Man" (live) - 8. "Monsanto Years" (live)


36th studio album by Neil Young released as 'Neil Young + The Promise of the Real' is something as antique as a protest album. The band 'Lukas & Promise of the Real' is made up of frontman Lukas Autry Nelson (son of Willie Nelson) on guitar & backing vocals, Corey McCormick on bass, Tato Melgar on percussion & backing vocals and with Anthony Logerfo on drums. Furthermore the band feature Lukas' brother Micah Nelson on electric guitar, electric charango and on backing vocals.
Stylistically, it's nothing new as they play country rock and folk rock. Some of the songs a more hard rock-shaped and mostly just sound like Young with Crazy Horse. Apparently, Young's long-time friendship with the Nelson family bound them stronger together after the 2014 Farm Aid project and paved the way for a collaboration album.
The protest thing here is against the American agricultural corporation Monsanto, which has found itself involved in many controversies - on the American continent, in Asia and in Europe most of which apparently dealing with the company's role in the handling of chemical waste and pesticides, and its production of GMO-related (Gene-Modified) crops and seeds as well as PCB-material. All of which sounds pretty nasty.
Anyway, the album turns out a bit like Neil Young has landed his freight ship on a subject that has caught his attention. He is a farmer - or: he is running a farm and has been preoccupied with ecological farming and ideas of 'green' products throughout the years. He has also been working on making car engines run on various types of energy, and in my mind, he sort of does whatever he wants. Lately, he has been highly productive musically - putting lots of energy into releasing new material, as if he ponders on when to leave the planet, and whenever something crosses his path, he puts "the plane down" and deals with it before taking off to another project that make him turn his head. This is a bit like that. Having been involved in Farm Aid, he perhaps felt like he needed to pay tribute to that idea by releasing a studio album in that "ballgame". And here it is!
The album mostly gained positive reviews, although, I don't find it that good and feel much like Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone. The great songs are absent and at best some compositions sound much like Neil with Crazy Horse, but others just sound like old-school protest songs without much else to offer than some lines about what Monsanto did wrong, which make me think more of Neil's old collaborative project-band CSNY - as they didn't always find the common ground. Having said that, Neil is Neil Young, and he can do whatever he wants in this world, and this is a project that he engages in and that ain't bad.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, The Guardian 5 / 5, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

Alanis Morissette "Havoc and Bright Lights" (2012)

Havoc and Bright Lights
release date: Aug. 28, 2012
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]

Tracklist: 1. "Guardian" (3,5 / 5) - 2. "Woman Down" (3,5 / 5) - 3. "'Til You" (3 / 5) - 4. "Celebrity" (3 / 5) - 5. "Empathy" (3,5 / 5) - 6. "Lens" (3,5 / 5) - 7. "Spiral" (4 / 5) - 8. "Numb" - 9. "Havoc" (3 / 5) - 10. "Win and Win" (3,5 / 5) - 11. "Receive" - 12. "Edge of Evolution"

8th studio album release by Alanis Morissette. The album received mixed reviews but I think, it's better than most of what else is released in the genre of singer / songwriter, pop / rock. Alanis has a saying with her lyrics - her subjects may be heard of before but she's an intelligent songwriter, and her music is never boring or dull. The style is as usual a product of a genuine will to be sincere and personal, and the music is often voluminous, spacious anchored around her strong singing voice. Sometimes her music tends to be too heavy orchestrated for my liking, e.g. on "Receive", but overall, this is far from a lesser release.

Neil Young "Storytone" (2014)

Storytone
release date: Nov. 4, 2014
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,35]
producer: The Volume Dealers (aka Neil Young and Niko Bolas)
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

35th studio album by Neil Young and his second in 2014 is a big band music / orchestrated album with Young singing and a full orchestra backing him live with strings, brass and choir while recording the arrangements. This is a long way from A Letter Home - not to say anything else by Neil Young - and stylistically, it's difficult to narrow down, as Young mostly sings in his traditional folkish and bluesy singer / songwriter style with a full orchestra backing him up without or with only a few traditional rock band instruments. Yeah, there's a electric guitar in some places and bass and whatever, and some tracks are held in a stronger blues or folk tradition by putting emphasis on the use of a guitar or by being less dominating, but it still feels strange when a song kicks in as some movie-theme ballad from "When Harry Met Sally", only to be interrupted by Neil Young's fragile singing voice. It's... odd. And frankly, too strange for my liking.
I won't say I'll never get to appreciate this. I've been wrong before with Neil Young. Perhaps when I'm hanging in there at 78 or 88 I will start to like it. For now, I doubt it. It's simply an odd experiment, 'cause that's also what it is, and these recent years Young does seem to have come to a point where he just jumps into the water without too much thinking or asking about a project's validity. I think, he just goes along with that new idea of his and skips the consulting process. "What the heck! What's there to lose?! The album, the idea will sell itself!! And... I don't know what to do with the money anyhow."
I really can't find any tracks to highlight from this album, and I simply do not find it anything but mediocre - and sometimes hardly even that. Boy, when Neil Young misses he makes sure we all know, but that's how it is with this genius 'cause very often - not to say mostly - he hits a lot better than most.
Not recommendable.
[ allmusic.com, Mojo 3 / 5, Rolling Stone, Slant 2,5 / 5 stars ]

Arcade Fire "The Suburbs" (2010)

The Suburbs
release date: Aug. 2, 2010
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Arcade Fire, Markus Dravs
label: Merge Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "The Suburbs" - 2. "Ready to Start" (3,5 / 5) - 5. "Empty Room" - 6. "City With No Children" (3,5 / 5) - 9. "Suburban War" - 12. "Deep Blue" - 13. "We Used to Wait" - 14. "Sprawl I (Flatland)" - 15. "Sprawl II  (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"

3rd studio album release by Arcade Fire. I think it slighty betters the 2007 album, The Neon Bible.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 4 / 5, Q Magazine 5 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young "A Letter Home" (2014)

A Letter Home
release date: Apr. 19, 2014
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Jack White and Neil Young
label: Third Man / Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 2. "Changes" (live) - 3. "Girl From the North Country" - 4. "Needle of Death" - 5. "Early Morning Rain" (live) - 7. "Reason to Believe" - 9. "If You Could Read My Mind" - 12. "I Wonder If I Care as Much"

34th studio album by Neil Young released on Jack White's label Third Man Records and recorded using a 1947 recording booth-device named Voice-O-Graph, which in the day (would be found all over the country up until the 1970s) was introduced to the ordinary man as a possibility to record his / her own record of a message or song directly onto vinyl. This particular device has been re-established at White's Nashville headquarter of Third Man Records, and the whole album has been recorded using the technique of the Voice-O-Graph.
I think, one has to dig into the idea behind this album to be able to appreciate it. Against his normal writing process, Young has covered familiar and classic songs by various artists of various styles and decades including artists like The Everly Brothers, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Bert Jansch and Bruce Springsteen. Most of the tracks are played solely by Young playing guitar, harmonica and piano. Jack White contribute on guitar, piano and with backing vocals on two tracks. Because of the recording process, all tracks have been recorded in one take and without any post-processing, i.e. dubbing, mixing, mastering, which has its obvious limitations but also a unique form. Songs are country, traditional folk and singer / songwriter material and the most apparent common denominator is naturally the sound of the recordings. The scratchy and narrow tone could be annoying, but the result is more an album with a strong historical message. Young's force with just a guitar and harmonica at hand is something that will forever live on and follow his legacy, and that is here only once again underlined. The best songs here are "Changes" written by Phil Oachs, "Needle of Death" by Bert Jansch and "Early Morning Rain" by Gordon Lightfoot all of which perhaps are the strongest "natural" sources of inspiration found on this by Neil Young.
It's a homage to ancient days, lost values and a reminder of what it takes to make music: and it's not a necessity to have 56 tracks available in a million-dollar studio with all the right producers and mixers to make an album worthwhile. Even nowadays. It's an album that would serve well as introduction to all contemporary pop and rap artists. Listen and learn!
The idea and the songs together make this a nice and warm album, but the narrowness in the production sound also has its natural limitations - its perhaps like treasuring a vintage wine from a specific fine year of the 1950s - it's there to look at and talk about but for drinking... Of course this is for listening but for hours and day after day, I guess you have to be more than just a bit nostalgic. The album is not Young at his most vivid and utmost inspiring but nonetheless it's one of his best studio releases since Silver & Gold (2000) and consequently an album worth more than just a glance.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Alanis Morissette "Flavors of Entanglement" (2008)

Flavors of Entanglement
release date: Aug. 28, 2008
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5]

producer: Guy Sigsworth

label: Maverick - nationality: Canada

Tracklist: 1. "Citizen of the Planet" - 2. "Underneath" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "Straitjacket" - 4. "Versions of Violence" - 5. "Not as We" (4,5 / 5) - 6. "In Praise of the Vulnerable Man" (3,5 / 5) - 7. "Moratorium" - 8. "Torch" (3,5 / 5) - 9. "Giggling Again for No Reason" (3,5 / 5) - 10. "Tapes" (3,5 / 5) - 11. "Incomplete" (3,5 / 5)

7th studio album release by Alanis Morissette. Together with Jagged Little Pill and Under Rug Swept this album is clearly among her top 3 albums, I think. And frankly, of these, I do prefer this one. 

The album contains no weak tracks at all, which is the basic reason that it's on my top 3 list of best releases this year, and the singles "Underneath" and "Not as We" are simply some of her finest songs ever.

2008 Favourite releases: 1. Sigur Rós Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust - 2. Bloc Party Intimacy - 3. Alanis Morissette Flavors of Entanglement

Neil Young "Psychedelic Pill" (2012)

Psychedelic Pill
release date: Oct. 30, 2012
format: 2 cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Neil Young, John Hanlon and Mark Humphreys
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: Disc 1: 1. "Driftin' Back" - 2. "Psychedelic Pill" - 3. "Ramada Inn" - 4. "Born in Ontario" - Disc 2: 2. "She's Always Dancing" - 3. "For the Love of Man" - 4. "Walk Like a Giant"

33rd studio album by Neil Young recorded with Crazy Horse is released only 4½ months after his collaboration studio album with Crazy Horse Americana, once again proving Young's vitality. Every now and then Young slows down - two years pass on and then he puts out two albums in the same year - back on track! Where Americana was a bunch of old songs and covers in new arrangements, this is brand new material from the man himself, and I can't help thinking that this was the album he really put all efforts in that year. Not only is it an album of new compositions - it's also Young's first 2-disc album, and with a playing time at more than 1 hour and 27 mins, it's his longest studio album to date; although it 'only' contains 9 tracks. Two of the compositions have a playing time above 16 mins. and the very first track has a playing time at 27:36 mins [!].
With its distorted 'psychedelic rock' sound, the album makes me think of Broken Arrow and an older album like Rust Never Sleeps both also with Crazy Horse. It has the same distorted feedback sound, as one will find on Broken Arrow and yet it dwells likewise throughout the single tracks as opposed to the more 'rock'-fussed albums Ragged Glory and Weld with Crazy Horse. And although, he also made Americana this year together with Crazy Horse the style here is really not linked in any way with the former release from this year, which compared to this sounds more like less worked-through material - something that could have stayed in the studio. However, their get-together work for Americana was probably what was needed to create this one, 'cause here they sound like the tight unit they used to be.
The album may not contain great single hits - it's more like one organic type of thing that grows, evolves and changes its direction running through a field, sometimes rapidly, sometimes in slow-motion while reviving some of the same elements one will find on some the quartet's familiar pieces.
I really enjoy this one and think of it as Neil Young's best studio album in more than a decade.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone, NME 4 / 5 stars ]

Arcade Fire "Neon Bible" (2007)

Neon Bible
release date: Mar. 3, 2007
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,33]
producer: Arcade Fire
label: Merge Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 2. "Keep the Car Running" (4 / 5) - 3. "Neon Bible" - 6. "Ocean of Noise" - 7. "The Well and the Lighthouse" - 9. "Windowsill" - 10. "No Cars Go" (4 / 5)
[ full album ]

2nd studio album release by Arcade Fire. The band has been expanded by drummer Jeremy Gara, and violinist Sarah Neufeld. Stylistically, the band has moved towards a more wholesome rock-sound, with Funeral being more wild this sees the band take on a more traditional approach.
Yes, it's nicely produced - at times I find it too mainstream-sounding. It probably contain fine lyrics but my initial feelings about it are bland, as I had set my expectations higher.
And of course the album could only disappoint with the meteor-like approach by the debut. It comes out 2½ years after the fabulous debut, and no, it does not live up to that, alas. Frankly, I find it a bit of a difficult listen. I soon tire of Butler's vocal, which I find stay much in the same performance, and the arrangements don't stir up anything - nor my interest. Still, there are some fine songs here, but overall, it fails as to hand me substantial evidence as to why I should consider this band the new big thing - but they were!
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, NME 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young "Americana" (2012)

Americana
release date: Jun. 5, 2012
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,08]
producer: Neil Young, John Hanlon, Mark Humphreys
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

32nd studio album by Neil Young released as Neil Young & Crazy Horse. The album features Crazy Horse again but unlike almost all Young's other albums this doesn't have music written by Neil Young. Instead it contains mostly traditionals some of which have music arranged by Neil Young or others. The title seemingly refers more to the sources of the music - composers and / or being American traditionals than a reference to the music style. The music is more folk, country and folk rock. It's like Okay, but nothing great here, I think.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5, The Guardian 3 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young International Harvesters "A Treasure" (2011)

A Treasure [archival] (live)
release date: Jun. 10, 2011
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,46]
producer: Neil Young & Ben Keith
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 11. "Nothing Is Perfect" - 12. "Grey Riders"

A live album by Neil Young released as Neil Young International Harvesters features live recordings from his 1984-1985 U.S. tour with the International Harvesters, and it's volume nine in Young's "Archives Performance Series" and the sixth to be released. The material is a blend of old familiar songs, newer ones and previously unreleased material all played in the style of country rock.
One could suspect Young from having landed in a track where he's 'obligated' to release a new album every year now time is ticking away. Sure, it's not going faster, but Neil may have come across the thought that he he doesn't have his life in front of him anymore. So when he doesn't feel like releasing brand new material, he can always turn to his "Archives".
I think, it's great that he wants to share all that filed material of his, but it does make it strange to sit down and be forced to think some 30 years back and think: "how good was it then?" vs. "how good is it today?" And regardless the answer be able to acknowledge these recordings from a contemporary point of view considering time, quality and legitimacy.
In the early and mid 1980s Young seemed lost. He bounced from one style to another trying to be modern or contemporary enough to keep up and still be popular or worthwhile. And he failed time after time releasing the albums Hawks & Doves, Re-ac-tor, Trans, Everybody's Rockin', Old Ways and Landing on Water - all unsuccessfully. Is this his way of returning to his dark(est) ages by pointing out that he stood firm and still played great songs? We can't really tell. But listening to the songs here I find it difficult to greet these country rock songs as "A Treasure" to pay tribute to. We've really heard this dozen times or more (or more), and no matter when, I don't really like Young's country rock. Period. Yes, when he played After the Gold Rush and Harvest it made sense, but not in the mid 80s or today. It doesn't contain memorable stuff and it's not good.
Not recommendable.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

Alanis Morissette "So-Called Chaos" (2004)

So-Called Chaos
release date: Feb. 26, 2004
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]

Track highlights: 1. "Eight Easy Step" - 2. "Out Is Through" (4 / 5) - 7. "Not All Me"

6th studio album release by Alanis Morissette. This reminds me a lot about Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998).

It doesn't contain that many special songs, and as with the aforementioned album, whenever Alanis lacks the good songs, she or the producer tend to throw in a handful of energetic powerdriven tracks that shows her as the angry grunge-inspired lady of rock. Kinda like the same recipe as Pearl Jam has used on a number of occasions, actually.

I think this is her weakest effort so far.

[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 2 / 5 stars ]