Album Review: Double Capricorn by Robert Schwartzman

 

Robert Schwartzman is capable of producing many different types of music. From the classic rock sound so prevalent in the first two Rooney albums, to the folkier sound of later Rooney and the JR & jr ep, to the 80s synth sounds featured on his Solobob single and the track he produced for Miles Fisher, Scwartzman can vary his styles enough to pass for several different musicians. This genre-shifting talent is perfectly showcased on Double Capricorn, which slides through sounds seamlessly to create something that definitely sounds great.

The album opener is one of my favorite tracks, "Out Of My Mind," which has a very vibrant beat and a great 80s sound. It's catchy and singable, and starts off a vibe that continues through most of the album; one that suggests these songs for summer driving with the windows down. Schwartzman continues with "Second Chances," a song that wouldn't have felt very out of place on the second Rooney album, apart from the fact that it has a more developed maturity to it. "Someone 2 Love" has a nice sound to it, but the half-rhymes and sometimes the complete absence of rhymes leave me a little annoyed (i.e.: "If you've got a problem with the way I wanna kiss // Well you can't turn every moment together into a little fairytale"). "You Don't Have to Lie" manages to sound very modern, with touches of MGMT, but while still retaining some sounds from Calling the World.

From here, the album moves into "Innermission," a short instrumental piece which explains why I thought the album seemed even shorter than its sparse ten tracks. "Innermission" flows smoothly into "I Know Why" and the album begins to take a sharper turn toward the sound of the 70s. "Love Is All Around" is another catchy track with a retro sound. The synths and drums are very reminiscent of the 70s, but not in a negative way. The album is led toward a close with "Just a Dream Away," which reminds me a little of the lovechild of ELO and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. The final track, probably my second favorite, is "All My Life," which for some reason sounds like The Beatles as a dream-pop band.

This album does feel a little short to me, in part because I have been spoiled by listening to artists who cram their albums to the max. However, when it circles around to the beginning again, the songs don't feel old or annoying. On the third and fourth listens at least, the songs still feel fresh and bright. My main complaints have to do with the CD sleeve not containing a track listing, but I suppose the titles are unimportant as long as you know what you're listening to. If you take a gander at the liner notes, you will note that almost every sound you hear on this record was produced by Schwartzman (excluding the drums on "Someone to Love" and "I Know Why"). That in itself is pretty impressive, not only for Scwartzman, but for the modern music model in general.

If you're on the fence about whether or not to buy this album, I would just like to point out that this album was released on Robert Schwartzman's own label, California Dreamin' Records, and that all profits go to the Tibetan Healing Fund. So, y'know, you'll be helping out yourself and someone else. Just a point of note.
 

Robert Schwartzman is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer.  

Double Capricorn is his debut solo album.

Double Capricorn can be purchased  here.

Seasonal Music Roundup: A Halloween Playlist

I don't know about you, but I love to get into the mood for the holidays with appropriate music. And by that, I mean all the holidays. I know everyone has their own ideas of "scary" songs, but sometimes it's hard to put a finger on which songs creep you out the most, in order to make a playlist. Sometimes, you might just want some recommendations of Halloween songs. Luckily, I am here to provide.

Two years ago, I compiled a list of Halloween-Related Music Videos (which is really rather embarrassing, but I'll make the mistake of linking you to it anyway). This year, I am focusing on the scarier sound or lyrics of a song rather than the videos, although a lot of them have fun/scary videos anyway. I will admit, some of my choices are recycled from the previous list.

So, in no particular order (apart from musical flow), here is a list of twenty songs for a Halloween playlist (explanations after the image).

"Thriller" by Michael Jackson 
     I know, it's obvious, it's cliched, but "Thriller" is just a great Halloween song. It's perfect to kick off the playlist, with its high-energy, but beyond that, it has all the references to classic horror elements, from the monsters to the tense thriller feeling. Plus, any song with Vincent Price narration has to be a bit frightening. And of course, it has a terrific, groundbreaking music video:

"Zombie" by The Cranberries
     The Cranberries are an under-rated 90s band. I can never understand how there are so many of their CDs floating around thrift stores and yet no one seems to want them now. In any case, a song referencing zombies is a definite Halloween winner in my book (even if it is an anti-war song).

"Lullaby" by The Cure
     For a band with such a goth appearance, many of The Cure's songs seem to have a positive, romantic subject matter. Such is not the case with "Lullaby" which details the story of Robert Smith preparing to be eaten by a giant spider. I don't know about you, but giant, goth-digesting spiders seem pretty freaky to me.

"11 Mustachioed Daughters" by The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
     Believe it or not, I actually am capable of going a whole blog post without mentioning The Bonzos. I just prefer not to. While most Bonzos songs pivot on the bizarre and the sometimes comedic, this song takes "unhinged" to a whole new level. It's quite impossible to properly explain the creepiness of this song without you hearing it for yourself.

"Leave It Open" by Kate Bush
     The Dreaming is a slightly spooky album altogether with Bush's usual haunting voice. But little is creepier than "Leave It Open." The ambiguous and insane lyrics paired with the strange and slightly futuristic vocal effects make this song sound more than a little off its rocker.

"Turn The Lights Off" by Tally Hall
     This was my summer song, along with all of Good and Evil. But we can still take it at its surface meaning rather than the obvious innuendos due to the clever video that was just released for it:

You know, monsters, claws, it's Halloween right?

"Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads
     I never would have included this until I saw it suggested by somewhere around three other people. I got to thinking about it and I decided that killers are pretty scary. I'm just not afraid of David Byrne, that's all.

"Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr.
     Another obvious choice. Ghostbusters is an amazing movie though, and this is a great song for going out and sucking up poltergeists in your unlicensed nuclear accelerator. 

"Love Potion #9" by The Clovers
     Guy gets a "potion" from a creepy gypsy lady. Enough said. It was pointed out to me that this is not the most common version of the song. Most people know it by The Searchers. I would like to clarify that The Clovers are the original artists of this song.

"Damn These Vampires" by The Mountain Goats
     Once again, I'm just going to take this song literally, because it's a good song and it relates at face value. It has the typical elements of a Mountain Goats song, while still managing to capture an old-time feeling and referencing vampires.

"Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon
     A bit of comic relief in this playlist. It's very Halloween-ish, but in a completely-ignoring-the-subtext way (spoiler alert: it's probably not really about werewolves). I'm sure Warren Zevon meant it to be humorous and it's a great classic rock song no matter what time of year it is.

"Ode To Billy Joe" by Bobbie Gentry
     This song is spooky. Not only is there the death of Billy Joe, but also: what were they throwing over the Tallahassee Bridge?

"Kids" by Ben Lee
     The original version of this song is unusual. This cover is eerie. Also, beautiful. There's no legitimate video for this cover, but there's a live version:

The album version is a little slower and more hair-raising, but not extremely dissimilar.

"Bang Bang" by Nancy Sinatra
     This song got street cred. and about 100% scarier by being featured in Kill Bill. Even without that though, that boy derives a sadistic pleasure "shooting her down." And Sinatra sings it slowly and hauntingly enough to make it fitting for the occasion.
 
"Girl With One Eye" by Florence + The Machine
     Like the great spooky songs, the exact circumstances of this song are unclear, but the horrific intent is none-the-less there.

"A Forest" by The Cure
     This song was suggested by my brother. I thought I had enough Cure songs on this playlist, but once I re-listened to the lyrics, I decided he was correct, it's a great Halloween song.

"Get Out Of My House" by Kate Bush
     My mom used to play this to creep me out, because it worked. Another track from The Dreaming, "Get Out Of My House" implies an intruder of some sort. Classic thriller movie stuff.

"Eleanor Rigby" by The Beatles
     Death, ghosts, faces in jars- what more do you want?

"Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
     Well, this is the werewolf change music from An American Werewolf In London, but aside from that, it's almost as good as "Thriller" for implying impending danger.

"The Monster Mash" by The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band 
     The most obvious Halloween song, yes. But not by the original artist! The Bonzos have a certain way of capturing a song and forcing it into their servitude. Although this version isn't far from the original, it's no exception to their ways.


And if none of these appeal to you, may I suggest any Bernard Herrmann score?

You can listen to most of these songs on a playlist I created over on myspace. If you have any questions or suggestions, let me know in the comments! Have a safe and happy Halloween.

Album Review: I Believe In Everything by Speak

For a band that seemed perfectly content to open for cult favorite Tally Hall this summer, Speak have a sound that's delightfully marketable. In fact, I would be very surprised if I don't see one of Speak's songs in the top 40 over the next few years. Speak are a bit like taking fun. infused with disco and a bit of the showbiz dazzle of Carolina Liar ("Show Me What I'm Looking For") along with a few generous scoops of originality. Lead singer Troupe Gammage throws his voice from Bee Gees falsetto (which is a mainstay of the backing vocals) to a rich, deep voice reminiscent of David Bowie or Julian Casablancas (The Strokes). As a second or third album I Believe in Everything would be commendable. As a first album, it's flat-out impressive. I have to give these guys props even for the title, which amused me to no end prior to the album release. Combined with the album artwork, it made me think of a joke answer one might give in response to being asked their religion: "Oh, I believe in everything!" It turns out, "I believe in everything" is just a line cleverly selected from "You Know As Well As I," but it still serves as a great album title.

Those who purchased Speak's EP earlier this year will not find many surprises. That's not to imply that the album isn't original (although it does feature the tracks off of the EP), it simply means that there's no jarring "new sound" or extreme change that would make the band any less appealing. 

"Wars" is a powerful opener for the album, one that I think is ripe for remixes and dance clubs (as is true with many of the Speak tracks). From there, they launch into EP alumni and strong single "Carrie," followed by "You Know As Well As I," the song that lends its lyric to the album title. "You Know As Well As I" is catchy and sweet, with a slightly Wham-esque synth feel. From the EP, "Stand By Us" was probably my favorite, but "I'd Rather Lie" is the song that got stuck in my head last night. "Stand By Us" is a very poppy disco-type tune that brings to my mind the cover of "Stayin' Alive" I heard them do in Ann Arbor that actually made me like "Stayin' Alive." Things are calmed down for the latter half of the album, including songs like "81," which Speak performed acoustically prior to the album release in a visually and audibly beautiful video: 

Admittedly, hearing the acoustic version first made the album version a little bit less impressive to me.

Speak close the album with what I consider to be one of the weaker tracks on the album, "Too Afraid," a song that has a lot of radio marketability, but lacks some of the personality of their other songs. When the album ends, it's a slightly unexpected. I Believe in Everything is just over half an hour in length, which isn't impossibly short, but it's slightly less than average, and somewhat startlingly so. But the half an hour is packed with catchy, poppy tunes. Speak are unique enough to set them apart from the crowd, honest enough to give them musical credibility, and have a sound that's just mainstream enough to make them popular. Any way you look at it, I see a great future ahead for Speak, and look forward to their next album.

Speak are four gentlemen from Austin, Texas. Left to Right: Troupe Gammage, Nick Hurt,

Jake Stewart, and Joey Delahoussaye.

I Believe in Everything can be purchased here.