Everybody Solo!

For this installment of WRR, we're reviewing two solo albums from artists who are firmly established frontmen with other bands. For whatever reason, they've felt the need to step beyond the dynamics of their band situations, and the results are pretty good.

One personal note: Film school has recently compelled me to buy a pair of high end headphones. Not a tiny, tinny pair of earbuds, or even the over the ear foam ones from the old Walkman days. I mean large, stick out three inches from your ears, thick headband over the top headphones. And damn, am I thankful. Any self respecting music fan should be listening to their favorites in as much detail as possible, which you can't get out of your iPod, computer speakers, car stereo or probably even your home speakers.

Also, major bonus points if you know where I stole the post title from.

A.C. Newman - Get Guilty
By Sean B.

A.C. Newman knows how to write songs. For proof see the amazing Twin Cinema, the 2005 album from Newman's main project, The New Pornographers. For more proof, see this quote from Wikipedia: "The titular songs of the band's first two albums use at least six distinct major chords each, suggesting two or three different keys. The melody of the second of those songs, "The Electric Version", begins with an arpeggiated diminished triad—a rare opening flourish for a pop song." I have a vague notion of what that means and a vastly less clear idea of how to do it. But thats why I'm reviewing, and not writing, music.

Newman's second solo, Get Guilty, opens with the regal chord progression of "There Are Maybe Ten Or Twelve." Did he use an arpeggiated diminished triad? I have no idea, but it doesn't matter because it sounds awesome (in the olden sense). One could easily a imagine a conductor leading an orchestra through this song. I also enjoy the songs self awareness in the line, "And the eyes they were a color I can't remember, which says more than the first two verses."

The grandeur of 'Ten or Twelve' leads into the pacific opening of "The Heartbreak Rides," which builds a steady momentum, drums picking up, dense layers of guitars, synths, keys filling the sonic palate until the end when a controlled outbreak leads to a rhythmic outro. "Like A Hitman Like A Dancer" continues in an upbeat manner and may be the funnest song on the album. "Submarines Of Stockholm" comes the closest to emulating the dynamic energy of The New Pornographers and "The Palace At 4 AM" is probably the highlight on this album.

There's nothing on Get Guilty that I do not like, but unfortunately, there's little that I absolutely love. The song writing is tops, but I feel the arrangements don't do them justice. A more prominent role for some electric guitars would really make the album more lively. There's just something flat and uncompelling about these songs, and I know its not in the song writing. After the mild let down of the last TNP album, I really wish that A.C. Newman would have let the full band take a crack at some of these songs. But perhaps he saved his best songs for an upcoming Pornographers album. Now that would be awesome.

Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid
By Sean B.

When you are in a two person band, and the other guy plays the drums, I'm not sure what the compelling need to go solo is. Personally, if I were the drummer I'd be pretty offended. But that's about all I'm going to devote to questioning Dan Auerbach's motives. As the singer, songwriter, guitar player for The Black Keys, Auerbach (and his drummer) have been churning out grungy, garage blues since 2002.

For the most part, Keep It Hid doesn't divert too far from the fuzzy, minor scale basics of other Black Keys recordings, but the opening track "Trouble Weighs A Ton" is beautiful in its acoustic austerity (This video doesn't do it justice). I'd question the sequencing here, but it is a beautiful and, as the title suggests, mournful song. The second song, "I Want Some More" sticks closer to the older Black Keys script, and slightly psychedelic "Heartbroken, In Disrepair" sounds like a b-side from the last BK album. "When The Night Comes" is a placid ballad, with sparse finger-picking, some strings in the background and an occasional bass drum. "The Prowl" is another straight up Keys song, with a slightly sinister edge. Titular track "Keep It Hid" is the biggest curve ball, with slightly quirky electronic production which sounds like it could have been produced by Damon Albarn. The acoustic "Goin' Home" is a pleasant little ditty that bookends the album nicely.

The major difference between Keep It Hid and other Black Keys albums is Auerbach's indulgence of various musical styles, whereas BK albums are a mostly homogeneous affair. The results are great and actually refreshing. It's nice to see an artist step out of their comfort zone, even if that comfort zone is just a drummer.