Bubblegum - Mark Lanegan Band

Track list:

1. When Your Number Isn't Up
2. Hit the City
3. Wedding Dress
4. Methamphetamine Blues
5. One Hundred Days
6. Bombed
7. Strange Religion
8. Sideways in Reverse
9. Come to Me
10. Like Little Willie John
11. Can't Come Down
12. Morning Glory Wine
13. Head
14. Driving Death Valley Blues
15. Out of Nowhere

Running time: 49 minutes
Released: 2004

I can only have this because I adored the contrast that came of the combination of Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan. I would never have come across him were it not for the partnership with Campbell, whose waifish voice is a polar opposite to his gruff drawl. I don't figure that I listened to this much at all, and I suspect I may be cutting a fair bit, but time to give it a shake.

The start is not what I expect. A soft, tinkling piano, isolated and alone. This is soon replaced by a slow and deliberate riff and drum pattern, then Lanegan almost speaking - there is just a hint of musicality in the delivery - a lyric over this low slung considered structure. I rather like it. I am away on holiday, in Greece. I have not got to these pages recently. My nation is imploding - politely and less so. I am trying not to let short-sightedness and xenophobia ruin my break. That is proving tough.

Hit the City is harder, more insistent, more reminiscent of the grungy rock that I was expecting. The edge isn't really there - it has a muted tone, a fuzz, and the hammered guitar chords are subservient to the dueling voices as Lanegan is joined by a female accomplice. It is a short tune, and we're past it before I know, and into a deliberately paced, bluesy structure which, whilst quite simple and unengaging in itself, seems to work really well with the gravel-toned croon that lies above it. There is a definite primacy of the voice here - the compositions are leaving it a lot of space and appear to be kept simple to allow it to shine.

I find myself wanting to vent about the stupidity of Brexit, the ridiculousness of those with the least to gain voting down those with the most to lose. The smug and the vile amongst the leaders. I don't wish to do so, though. Despondency is high on the list of feelings just now, but I am in a lovely climate, not currently at work... more established rants can wait. Positivity is more becoming, in general, though negativity screams loudest. Lanegan has growled his way through Metamphetamine Blues whilst I have been vacillating on that point, and I am now faced with One Hundred Days which has a much lighter feel to it, cleaner and aired well without really shaking up the basic format. A touch more top end, and a touch more duration to explore the theme further. This is really rather nice. Simple, not special, but rather nice.

I think I was off with my prediction of cuts. A third of the way in there is no knife to wield, and no realisation of the apprehension I had that this would be full of harder rock numbers that bored or turned me off. No, this seems to strike a more mellow chord - slower, more considered and crafted, not rocket-fuelled, rage-filled angst. The overall tone has been lighter than I expected, too. There are moments of darkness in the playing, but the application of the voice has been more nuanced. That said, I don't like Sideways in Reverse at all - here the track is taken over by dull guitars, a perfect example of what I just said hadn't been present. Thankfully the following tune appears to head back to sparse instrumentation, crucible for a slower vocal, again a duet.

Lanegan seems to be good at atmosphere, I want to say laconic, but that isn't the right word at all, neither is sardonic. What is the expression for this sort of lazy drawl... deliberate but effective. I can't think of one that encapsulates it right. At moments he sounds Waitsian, at others more like E, from Eels. In all things I find him more interesting the slower he seems to pace his delivery - a quicker roll to Like Little Willie John makes the song less enjoyable, and the less said about Can't Come Down the better. There will be some excisions, just not too many.

Sombre reflection suits him, considered and clear threads of guitar, simple and sparse drum patterns and long vowels. This isn't exciting music, but rather soothing. There is a melodic quality to Lanegan's vocalisation, despite the roughness around the edges; if that roughness was planed out then it wouldn't have half the appeal. I recognise I have a bit of a thing for whisky-soaked, cigarette-smoked, gravel-strewn throats. Huskiness, imperfection... humanity. I even find myself getting into the groove of Head, which is richer in composition.

My immediate reaction to the driving pace of Driving Death Valley Blues is to flinch away. This is a generic American rock form that I am not overly keen on. It delivers on energy and repetition, fine if either of those things are your jam, but not on the interest or craft or construction that draws me towards people with Lanegan's type of voice. The closing track which follows it though... light acoustic lead in, contrast with the voice, and then with bass and drums, it all works much better. Light and dark, substance and shadow. Theme, presence. Not enough vocal - the long instrumental middle is lacking something - but that voice appears again to bring us to a close. Overall I have liked this, though enough of it fell flat to be a bit of a frustration. I'm not about to go look out his work with Queens of the Stone Age, for example, but... when it is geared more towards the cooperation with Campbell... I'd happily take more of that.

Beautiful Freak - Eels

Track list:

1. Novocaine for the Soul
2. Susan's House
3. Rags to Rags
4. Beautiful Freak
5. Not Ready Yet
6. My Beloved Monster
7. Flower
8. Guest List
9. Mental
10. Spunky
11. Your Lucky Day in Hell
12. Manchild

Running time: 43 minutes
Released: 1996

Going back a bit now... hard to imagine that this is almost 20 years old and harks back to when I first started to buy music in any volume. I had two of the singles from this album after hearing them on the radio and then got the album eventually. I did not, however, buy any more from Eels so they were never really a favourite. I have fond memories for some of these songs, but no clue about many more.

We start with Novocaine for the Soul, which was a single here but not one of the two I picked up. For me this song was a bit of a grower, not one that I was taken with from the off. I like the mix of the dark and the ornamental - a contrast of style and substance that characterises a few of my favourite songs, as well as ones like this that I just rather like. Its the expansiveness of the arrangement that gives the open effect, but the darkness of the lyrics and tight confines of the verses that set you up for the majesty. That is a theme that carries on with Susan's House - which was the first single I bought. Verse tense, spoken, dark. Chorus plinky - and very dated - but much more melodic and relatable.

The conversational tone of the narrative is engaging in a voyeuristic kind of way. It's a little like watching something like The Wire and getting a view into a world that is nothing like the one I know. I listen to these now, two decades on, and I wonder why I never picked up more Eels records... and even as I do, and enjoy this one, I do not feel compelled to get more.

Interesting; the songs overlap here. The start point of Rags to Rags is before the backing of Susan's House has completely faded. I know that was more common back then, but I had not noticed it before. I cannot say I really recognise this tune but it definitely carries on the common theme. The chorus and bridge are still more expansive, the verses confined and tight. There is less melody here, just more darkness - but in a decent way, not gratuitous or unwelcome. I am at the end of a week off, just Sunday to go. I have achieved less than I would have liked but have at least managed to get the shelves battened and caused a lot of little red casualty symbols to appear in Blood Bowl. Yeah, the latter is not an achievement really but it speaks to how I have wanted to be spending my time - mindlessly punching digital opponents into oblivion. I do not really feel any better for it, but I suspect I am in a slightly better place for the switching off. Still have a bit to do tomorrow, not least finding time to watch England (hopefully) play well in Dublin. The Six Nations is a dream for getting through these late winter weekends.

Not Ready Yet is more familiar by sound than by name but once it starts is very recognisible; this and the title track that preceded it are more in the same vein: dark and slightly grubby with moments of tenderness or light occasionally chucked in - whether in the form of a lighter lyric, or a particularly sweet chord/hook/backing that is there then gone. So far this album stands up pretty well. The songs are less familiar in this mid-scection; does that mean weaker as they haven't sunk into my subconscious over the years? My Beloved Monster is certainly the oddest and poorest effort yet - it feels more like an interlude, and is certainly for the chop. It's almost like the commentator's curse with sports: say something nice about someone then they disappoint immediately!

The balance appears to have shifted - I want more darkness back as the brighter sound is less engaging. I think it is temporary though as Mental and Your Lucky Day in Hell certainly bring the grubbiness back in later. The other thing I did this week is restart playing World of Tanks. Hopefully not to the level I did before and hopefully in a more laissez-faire fashion. Yesterday evening ended on a hilarious note when my (empty) artillery piece successfully completed a yakety-sax escape from a heavy 1 tier higher than me to complete a capture and win as last man standing. Epic. Why do I digress? Flower and Guest List are filler, that's why.

I have fond aural memories of Mental, despite the name, and when the song kicks in they come flooding back.... this is a little like the reverse of earlier. The lightness is in the verse - a sparse staccato touch - and the grime appears in the chorus with a much harder rockier edge bringing angst and emotion to bear. It loses the plot a little in the bridge but then falls back into its pattern which is a really strong basis... only to disappoint by going a full minute with the only lyrics being a repeated utterance of "not at all" - the edge is still in the composition though, and whilst it wanders a little in the outro the first 2 minutes of the song are really impactful. Spunky comes and goes in the way of dross and then we hit the second of the two singles I bought back in the day.

I love the spooky theme of Your Lucky Day in Hell. Mumbled lyrics over a darkly persistent tune, and that light touch that comes in for the chorus again. Contrast, it's a good idea people. Also, it's a videogame I really should get around to playing - I have it sat in my Steam list but never got around to it yet. This track is, weirdly a bit of a relaxing one, despite the haunting base - the light orchestral touch on the chorus really lifts it and reminds me of downtempo artists like Zero 7 and the like with the relaxing tunes they created some 5 years later (oh jeez, Simple Things being 15 years old makes me feel much older than this being 20...).

We are coming to the end now. Overall the album starts strong, thematic and interesting but that dwindles over time. There are good points to the later tracks, but they are not so consistently good as the front five and my attention has certainly wandered more as the tracks have gone on. Part of that may be finishing up the dregs of yesterday's wine but I do think that the quality of output has dipped since the end of Not Ready Yet - meaning that I was probably right with my comment on the lack of subconscious familiarity, and right not to run out and buy any more Eels music. Still, some cracking songs here too so I cannot really complain.

The Basement Demos - Matt McIntosh

Track list:

1. What It Means To Bleed
2. New England Rain
3. Graceless
4. Bless Your Heart
5. In This Town
6. They're Everywhere (interlude)
7. Lock & Key
8. World Stands Still

Running time: 23 minutes
Released: 2008

OK, so this is a completely random thing. I have no record of it, but I think someone pointed me at this on LastFM when it was all free, but it is free there no longer so... I have no idea why anyone would point me at this guy, his past work and band affiliations not being known to me or in a field that I ever followed. Still, I have them, so I must listen, that is how this works.

This is a home recording, raw not overproduced. Driving guitar and a gravelly hoarse voice that is breathy, reminding me of E from Eels. Keys join in, plinking away over the rhythm set up by the strumming. It all feels a little bit formulaic, pleasant enough but not arresting. I do like the raw nature of it but the composition and delivery fall a little flat. The second track feels like it goes on forever - a repeated pattern over a vocal that is barely more than a strained whisper. If there were a touch more variety in the instrumentation it would work pretty well, but alas it is just a little too empty for too long. By the time the variations arrive the song is too sullied to be fully redeemed.

McIntosh's vocal is pleasing - I am a bit of a sucker for a dark, broody delivery. Not screamed, not shouted, but contained anger, angst harnessed for effect. This presents me with a quandary, because I like the raw nature and the singing, but what I feel the songs need is... more production. Or at least more people involved. The slightly dull edge to everything works but there is not enough there for it to be effective, and I am not finding this predominantly one man and a guitar effort quite interesting enough.

Bless Your Heart has a bit more to it - keys and some other form of percussion - the overall sound goes in the right direction, keeping the rawness whilst growing in volume, but the song and performance unfortunately are less interesting. It also somehow runs into technical difficulties in WMP and is captured as another play of the opening track despite the fact I have not touched the playlist this time. Oh well. In This Town has a nice dirty, gritty air to its main guitar line, but suffers from a pretty dull arrangement. Overall this feels like a "nearly great" effort. There is something to like in every track here, but I am not finding anything to love. It does amuse me that the song tagged with (interlude) is longer than two of the other seven tracks though.

Did I say something to like about every track? That streak looks like it will broken by Lock & Key. I do not like the playing here, and the song is very dull for a minute and a half before it gets some tempo - the last minute does offer something more palatable but not enough to excuse an opening that was simply unpleasant. Generic as the hook sounds, World Stands Still is a much peppier end to the selection and this has some real charm to it before the abrupt end and fall of silence.

I am presented with a decision here. Each track did offer something of interest, but was it enough to keep? I think on balance probably not, and yet I am stayed by the fact that whilst I got all these tracks free, they are free no longer. Might I want to come back to this? I think on balance probably not for most of it - there is a little bit too much missing or out of place on each track to really say that I enjoyed this brief listen. It was pleasantly diverting but not gripping or compelling so I think I shall say "thanks, but no thanks" and trim.