Then again, I think the world would be better if SNL stopped chasing popular music artists and sought out talent needing the exposure more often, so hey!  Have Lana Del Rey on the show.

The trouble with performing on SNL though is that it will make or break your career if you aren’t established.  Given that Lana’s album Born To Die isn’t even out yet, this is a risky venture to accept if you’re not absolutely ready.  Plenty of amazing artists seem to sound kinda meh on the show, as compared to typical live performances; I blame SNL’s sound system and acoustics, because how else would the disgustingly talented Florence Welch sound a little off?

So, Lana happened… and well, the intarwebs exploded.  Twitter became a mass of “WTF is this awful, boring hot mess doing on stage?” and “OMFG STFU how dare you insult our goddess Lana?” and “Um, Lana… I love you, but…”  See for yourself, dearies (if these disappear, search YT or, if American, Hulu):

Now, admittedly, I’ve never heard the studio cut of Blue Jeans, but I have heard Video Games and um… yeah.  Not a great performance.  The timing seems off, as if she hasn’t rehearsed and is starting too early or late in places.  Her voice also seems to wander away from the proper notes several times.  And Blue Jeans?  Kind of atrocious, and doesn’t make me want to search out anything else by Del Rey.

But I did, just to see if she’s always lousy live… And found these:

Better… moments of meh, but average overall. Enjoyable in comparison.

Holy crap, Lana has stage presence?  Where the hell did it go last night?  And although I’m not keen on certain moments in this either, it’s a far more polished performance than SNL.  If she’d sounded like this last night, I’d be much more interested in checking out Born To Die.

So, what happened?

Nerves?  Pressure?  The realization that this was no longer some fun enterprise funded by Dad where she could just write songs and sing in a studio?  Illness?  All of the above?

I’m inclined to think that, as grateful as Lana Del Rey claims to be for her opportunities, she never wanted to be mainstream.  No desire, no passion for it.  She just wants to tinker around, play tiny clubs now and again, and relax.  Take this quote from a recent interview, which is only fueling the backlash over SNL:

What bothers you about the criticism?
I’m just not interested. Music is secondary to me. I wish I could go back to normal. I’m a really quiet person. I always have been. It’s hard when you see a lot of things written about you. It’s not what I had in mind.

For someone who’s having the world bow down to her before her album drops, that’s a pretty blase attitude about your current career path… She’s also made comments about how she’d prefer to quietly make music and not have people listening to it and critiquing it publicly.  None of this suggests someone who even wanted to be on SNL, let alone deserves to be.  Her constant use of “I’m gonna kill myself” and similar expressions in interviews also grates on me, because it sounds melodramatic for the sake of it.

Will Born To Die be any good?  Maybe; thus far, it sounds like Lana’s trying too hard to be Adele on an electronica remix, and frankly, I’ve yet to be truly impressed by Adele (her voice is decent, but not my cup of tea; every song is the same whiny love gone wrong shtick to my ears).  But how many people will bother to check her out now?

Maybe that’s how Lana planned it…

For a few years now, I’ve been twitching in my seat, eagerly awaiting the opportunity to see American Idiot.  As a fan of the rock opera/rock musical genre (Rent, Spring Awakening, bare), I naturally wanted to see the latest entry into the talent pool.  It also helps that I dig on Green Day.  Add in the involvement of Spring Awakening‘s Michael Mayer and well, you have a recipe for success.

Unfortunately, the show doesn’t quite succeed.

American Idiot is the story of friends Will, Johnny and Tunney, a trio of partying American youth with dreams but little real ambition to achieve them, aside from Johnny.  Strumming their guitars between trips to the 7-Eleven and parties with “the usual suspects”, they don’t have a care in the world.  When Johnny finagles three bus tickets to “the big city” for the trio, they pack up and enthusiastically prepare to leave – that is, until Will’s girlfriend, Heather, announces that she’s peed on a good five sticks and all of them are positive.

From here, the story – and I use this term loosely – breaks into three pathways, with scant detail and little explanation.

Johnny and Tunney leave anyway, but while Johnny loves the city lights, Tunney enters into an emo existential crisis of sleeping in bed all day and whining about society.  Why he is only now seeing what surely lay before him in the sticks, no one knows; perhaps it’s reduced access to intoxicating substances?  Watching an army commercial on TV, Tunney is lured into joining the armed forces, much to Johnny’s dismay.

Meanwhile, Will and Heather begin to eke out a sorta life together as her womb swells up, with Will eventually checking out of reality because of the overwhelming responsibility, much to Heather’s dismay.  So wrapped up in his own “woe is me” tale, he’s also lost to Johnny.

Alone, Johnny befriends a larger than life drug dealer named St. Jimmy, who promptly shoots Johnny up and introduces him to Whatshername (literally; that is her character in the cast listing).  Their love affair burns out as ultimately, drugs win over human emotions.

The longer the show continues, the more disjointed and rammed together it feels.  There’s no coherency to the storyline – just a scant two or three lines and another song begins.  And while normally, the music is the dialogue and narration in a musical, the trouble is, although rock operatic, Green Day’s award-winning album is still just an album.  Lyrics written for a song are often more abstract and repetitive, and herein lies the weakness of American Idiot: there is no story to follow.  It is a performance art concert, or a series of loosely connected vignettes at best.  As a result, aside from Johnny, none of the characters are given enough depth to encourage us to care about them.

On the positive side, the performances by all cast members are strong, and the staging/sets is brilliantly done.  TV screens covers the walls behind the performers, broadcasting propaganda and insights into the characters, while a set of stairs made of steel rods and steps is tilted on its side to become a ramp, converted to resemble a bus and more throughout the piece, the ensemble effortlessly pulling off the changes.  Nicci Claspell makes her aerial work look easy, rolling and flying across the stage effortlessly.

The strongest points of the production are the opening sequences of “American Idiot” and “Holiday”, the acoustic guitar-laden “Wake Me Up When September Ends”, and encore “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)”, which allows the ensemble to shine in a fun goodbye to the audience.  But they’re not enough to save the production from the mid-show lag, where every song sounds like the next, and no real exposition seems to be happening anymore.

American Idiot feels like a show still in workshop, in need of fine tuning to better convey its meaning.  This isn’t to say it’s not worth watching; there’s enough beauty and innovation here to make a trip to the theatre worthwhile.  But to call it the “first groundbreaking musical of the 21st century” when it’s preceded by the truly brilliant Spring Awakening and is essentially a less-coherent Rent is an overstatement.  I have seen Rent three times, Spring Awakening sixteen times.  I am glad I have seen American Idiot, but feel no urge to go again, no desire to seek nuances and moments previously missed.

For information on the tour, head over to the official site.

That said, I am still going to run down some of my favourites, disappointments and my handy last.fm charts.  Let the games begin!

Favourite Album of 2011: Lights Of Endangered Species – Matthew Good

Runner Up: People & Things - Jack’s Mannequin

For 2011, it was really no contest for my favourite album.  Granted, I withdrew from collecting/listening to new music, but what I did listen to was often touted highly or from artists I generally think highly of.  All the same, this was the easiest category to respond to for this posting.

What makes Matthew Good’s Lights of Endangered Species so damn amazing?  You mean, aside from it being Matthew freaking Good?

The album, first of all, marks somewhat of a departure for Good stylistically; layered in pianos, horns and strings, heavy on ambiance, Lights is an album best enjoyed late at night in the glow of candles, with a tasty drink of one’s choosing.  It’s an album for night owls, for the insomniacs who won’t/can’t sleep until the wee hours: it’s restless, sprawling at times and shortened attention span at others.  It peaks and falls off, the album functioning in three distinct movements or waves.  It’s absolutely brilliant, and far more of a song cycle than other albums released this year *cough ToriAmos cough*.

Lyrically, the Matthew Good that has endured as a Canadian staple is still here, although he’s still leaning towards the political, as he did on the equally mind-blowing Vancouver album.  This, too, makes the album worthy of top honours:  it’s timely as always, dealing with issues of environmental destruction (title track; Non Populus), sexism (In A Place of Lesser Men), corruption on Wall Street (Zero Orchestra), and a general sense that none of us are crazy – it’s the world we live in that’s the true problem (What If I Can’t See The Stars, Mildred?).  When Matt delves personal, as with folky tune How It Goes or the aforementioned Mildred’s pontification on bipolarity and creativity, he’s reflective as always, and in the case of Mildred, he nails the experience of bipolar disorder on a sonic and lyric level.

I often compare Good to Roger Waters (he of the iconic Pink Floyd):  their styles of songwriting, knowledge of politics and ability to write from deeply personal places are uncannily alike (for juxtaposition, spin Pink Floyd’s The Wall and then play Good’s Hospital Music).  Here on Lights, Good takes the songwriting to a more abstract form, allowing songs to meander into solos, the words sparse, making my point.  He flat out acknowledges that for years, he’s longed to do an album that didn’t fit neatly into the commercial box his label built for him; this is that album, and it’s ethereal, haunting, and expansive.  Of all of the albums I heard in 2011, only Matthew Good delivered an album enjoyable from start to finish, with no glaring holes or stumbling blocks.

Kudos, Mr. Good.

Before moving on, I would like to give a nod to Jack’s Mannequin’s third full-length release, People & Things, as a runner up for this category.  Although a couple of the songs are average in my books, Andrew McMahon (formerly of Something Corporate) has delivered another gorgeous piano pop album with songs that linger for days after playback.  A later release in the year, I expect that it will continue to grow on me as I discover new insights and nuances, but it is already a favourite to spin on repeat.  Check it out as well.

Biggest Disappointment of 2011: (tie) Let England Shake – PJ Harvey; Night Of Hunters – Tori Amos

2011 was the year that female artists let me down, particularly artists I tend to think highly of on the whole.

The first letdown, Harvey’s Let England Shake, came to me first as I watched her livestream performance at Coachella (by the way, music festivals of the US:  THANK YOU.  It’s about freaking time!).  As Harvey plucked out new tune after new tune, I found myself… bored.  Utterly bored.  Even Harvey looked somewhat bored delivering her new material.  I was completely caught off guard:  what the hell had happened to my beloved PJ, she of the awesome rocking and moody material?

Well, the moody remained; however, it seems Harvey has fallen victim to what a friend and I call “Tori Amos Concept Album Syndrome”.  While the notions behind Shake should have produced a vicious, piercing album, the execution is drab, dull and mutes out the lyrics with its sameness.  It’s not memorable; I wouldn’t be able to recognize any of the new material on the radio at all by name.  It essentially feels like a retreading of White Chalk, which was a far more interesting concept.

Speaking of that syndrome, it continues to plague Tori Amos, leaving me in the awkward space of having only genuinely loved one of her last four albums, and somewhat liking another.  Every album the woman has put out since 2001 has been a concept album, and while her earlier works also held loose concepts that bound the material, her latter catalogue suffers from a sense of “rammed on” songs, filler, and songs written to somehow ‘fit’ the concept, instead of an organic emergence of a unifying theme.  Scarlet’s Walk remains her best executed concept album – almost a decade ago.  While I personally loved 2007′s American Doll Posse, it has it flaws, and certain people will never be able to embrace its true concept beneath the wig-adorned veneer of the Dolls.  The rest of her works since Scarlet – The Beekeeper, Abnormally Attracted To Sin, Midwinter Graces and this year’s Night Of Hunters – are watered-down versions of what Amos is capable of, and suggest someone struggling to churn out material on a schedule, as opposed to taking a hiatus and letting the Muse come and go as she pleases.

On paper, Night Of Hunters sounded so promising: any Tori fan worth his/her salt is aware of the strings peppering her catalogue, and how beautiful the arrangements sound alongside Amos’ classically trained prodigy playing.  Even the veering into classical music territory didn’t bother me; one of the best albums of the last decade, in my opinion, is Max Richter’s The Blue Notebooks.  Where the whole idea goes wrong, frankly, is the inclusion (again!) of Amos’ daughter, Natashya, and the cheesy musical feel of the exchanges between mother and daughter.  I blame Amos’ work on The Light Princess for her decision to script the Amos Family Musical over gorgeous re-imaginings of classical pieces:  the lyrics are simplistic at times, pretentiously puzzling at others.  Tash sounds like a child trying to imitate an adult (Emiliana Torrini or Bjork), and the effect is grating on my ears.  The only standout tracks are opener Shattering Sea and the title track, featuring Tori’s uber-talented niece.

It was a very disheartening year for my female contingent…  I really wish both women would just stop with concept albums, go away for a few extra years, and return with something more honest and perhaps personal.  Amos, having already mentioned a 2013 album to fans, sadly won’t ever listen.  I wonder how many guest spots Tash will have on that one.  Maybe her dad can join in the fun, too?

2011′s Summer Jam:  I Wanna Go – Britney Spears

Let’s bring it back from the downer of the last category to something silly and fun:  my summer jam.

Every year, one song or another – usually something fairly pop-ish – becomes my summertime obsession.  Often, I obsess for the whole year, but it still comes to mind as “summer” when reviewing the year.  Past examples include Cobra Starship’s Snakes On A Plane (Bring It), M.I.A.’s Paper Planes, fun’s All The Pretty Girls or the Hayley Williams-B.O.B. duet, Airplanes.  Notice an obsession with planes?  I just did… which is funny, since I’m scared of flying.

This year, however, Britney Spears slipped into my ears with her latest album, and while it fell flat next to the surprising awesome of previous outing Circus, single I Wanna Go fast became an addiction.  It’s just such a fun, bouncy song to sing, a head-bobbing, whistling delight.  Even better, the video is tongue-in-cheek and self-deprecating, which I always appreciate from an artist.  It’s a sign of humility and maturity.

Even now, I’m singing this in my head as I shake my body with sass.  “I-I-I wanna go-go-go!”

Song That Sums Up The Vibe Of 2011:  Dog Days Are Over – Florence + The Machine

Anyone who’s close to me knows that my life has been pretty rocky.  The last 7 years or so have been a strange and bleak world of defeat and watching my twenties slip by with no sense of accomplishment or purpose.  Getting laid off in 2010 was just the final proverbial straw.  It really seemed that my one big positive was finding my fiance.

And then, something happened: I found a way to turn the recent lemons into lemonade.

I got to take a year off work, courtesy of EI.  I’ve been working since I was 14, and given all the stress/medical issues/etc. I’ve dealt with, I desperately needed that time off.  But, more importantly, I qualified for a program to go to college and upgrade my useless Bachelor’s with a social service worker diploma, complete with the elusive experience that kept getting me rejected for jobs in my twenties.

I’m back in school, and being a nerd to end all nerds, I am giddy.  But more importantly, I am finally doing what I’ve wanted to do for over a decade.  I’m also supported by a loving fiance who works overtime to supplement my income, cheers me on to my straight A’s, and is paying for our impending nuptials.

My life has been a rollercoaster of happiness and being stabbed in the back by trusted people, but in 2011, the clouds finally began to really lift.  The dog days are over – now, it’s time to press on, and keep soaring.

Rediscovery:  Third Eye Blind

During my angsty teens, a staple disc I spun was the self-titled debut of Third Eye Blind.  Oh, the hours I could spend, singing along with every word!  But then, I kinda forgot about them after their second album – which isn’t to say that I stopped spinning that first disc.  I just never bothered to see if they were still around.

Well, when I got wind of a concert – free! – in my city this summer, I dug around, discovered a whole discography I’d been oblivious to, and listened merrily, giddy to finally have a shot at seeing them live.  And damn!  So much goodness abounded in their albums!  I kicked myself for depriving my ears of years of listening time.  I saw their show and lost my mind in joy.  And Third Eye Blind successfully moved back into my sights.

The 90s did it better, folks.  I’m just sayin’.

Album From 2010 That I’m Still Obsessed With: (tie) The Suburbs – Arcade Fire; Wasted In Jackson – Lauren Pritchard

I’m currently spinning Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs as I draft out this second stretch of the post, which says it all, doesn’t it?  After my mixed feelings about Neon Bible, the Montreal bad-asses came back at me with an album filled with hooks and earworms.  Had I done this post last year (I gave it a pass for unknown reasons), these two albums actually would have been on top of my list.

I’m not going to rave on about The Suburbs; it’s had plenty of airplay and critical acclaim (fuck yeah, Grammys!). I will say that, since we’ve spoken plenty of concept albums in this round-up, that Arcade Fire does it right.  If you have yet, for some reason, to hear this album, spin it three times and come back and let me know what you think.  It is a bit of a grower album, but it does endear itself and linger in the mind and heart for days.  Love love love.

Tied with Arcade Fire is the debut album from one Lauren Pritchard, Wasted In Jackson.  First known to me as an original Broadway cast member of Spring Awakening, I had the privilege of seeing Lauren perform in 2008, and was blown away by her bluesy-confessional songs.  Wasted In Jackson is a stellar debut, meandering a little stylistically, but lyrically, it’s insightful, sometimes scathing, but always honest and relatable.  I can’t even imagine my life without standouts When The Night Kills The Day and Painkillers – I am dead serious.  I wish I had done a full review of this album on its arrival, because it deserves a serious promotional shove.  Instead, I’ll just point out that it’s one of a scant few albums I paid for in 2010, what with the unemployment and all, and I regret not a single cent.  Now, if only she’d come play Toronto…

By the way:  Lauren has a second album in the works.  I am excited as fuck, and crossing limbs that Somebody Won’t makes the cut this time.

Best Live Show: (tie) Third Eye Blind @ Echo Beach; Matthew Good @ QET (night one)

As I’ve already raved about both of these artists in this blog, I’ll keep this brief.

Why Third Eye Blind?  An awesome set spanning their catalogue and favouring my beloved self-titled.  God of Wine.  Stephan confessing that he’d had a motorcycle accident recently, was performing with cracked ribs and on no painkillers (they make him too stoned to function), and still KILLING IT.  Plus,I got into a fist fight at this show, which was a first in over 200 live shows.  Ra!

Why Matthew Good?  I saw three shows this tour and loved them all.  I point out the second show I saw because the set was strongest and I took my dad to it for his birthday gift, but all three shows rocked.  Plus, I finally got to meet Matt courtesy of VIP packages, and he was so sweet to me.  Piano!  At last!  My only whining complaint is they only did Running For Home (one of my absolute fave songs) in Vancouver.

Late To The Party Award: Florence + The Machine

This always happens to me:  no matter how eagerly I seek out new music, and no matter how many friends recommend awesome stuff to me, I always end up being late to the party with one artist or another.

So, um, yeah:  I only heard Lungs this year, when the deluxe edition came out.  After all of the hype and seeing Flo belt out Aretha tunes alongside my girl Christina Aguilera, I got off my ass and checked her out.  Um, holy shit!  Lungs is pure genius.  LOVE.  I can’t even begin to describe its influence on this year for me.  And while Ceremonials is not quite as bad-ass to my ears (which isn’t to say it’s bad – just not as good as Lungs), I am still madly in love with Florence + The Machine, and grateful that at least ONE redhead hasn’t let me down this year.

Dropped Off My Radar: Tori Amos; Lady Gaga; Music In General

Straight up:  I’m writing this at 2am and running out of steam.  Let’s keep this brief-ish.

Lady Gaga:  I’ve never called myself a fan of Gaga, but prior to this year, I had a respect for her in that she supported LGBTQ rights, seemed to love her fans genuinely, and had a few catchy songs I enjoyed (Bad Romance is MY SONG).  However, this year, Gaga pissed me right off and I officially dropped her from my radar.  Her tune Born This Way bites and does not, in any way, speak of my experiences of bisexuality; further, the video is a pretentious, masturbatory self-worship piece.  You are not a Goddess or a Mother to the world, honey; just stop.  Thankfully, Weird Al owned that bitch with the epic Perform This Way.

Oh yeah: let’s not forget the blatant Madonna rip-off in that song that goes with the Ace of Base rip-off in Alejandro… Gaga’s made-up email of approval from Madonna story… Her general “I am amazing and epic and no one else matters anymore” bad attitude… Her rip-offs of Lifehouse and Rent in Edge of Glory’s lyrics and video…  UGH.  Enough, bitch.  Sit the fuck down.

Tori Amos:  After Night of Hunters underwhelmed me, and having realized how little of her recent output I’ve enjoyed, I’ve been in a state of fandom crisis with Tori.  I will always love her older music, but I’m feeling like my time of following her tours is done – and so’s her reign as my number one artist.  It makes me sad… deeply sad.

Music In General:  Like I said in opening, I epic failed at checking out new music this year, and didn’t really… miss it.  I kind of wanted to remain in my old favourites.  I’m not sure why, precisely, but I’m told that it happens…  Guess I’ll have a lot of catching up to do in 2012!

Guilty Pleasures: Several tracks off Britney Spears’ Femme Fatale

Although nowhere near as solid as Circus, Femme Fatale delivered a few catchy-as-fuck songs to keep me company.  I Wanna Go, Hold It Against Me (complete with AWESOME video) and Till The World Ends all earned repeated spins this year.  Sometimes, I just want mindless tunes.

Most Surprising Musical Awesomeness:  Linkin Park’s Cover Of Adele’s Rolling In The Deep

C’mon, be honest:  did you expect Chester to pull off the biggest goddamn single of the year from a young powerhouse o’ pipes?  I never would have guessed, but holy crap, LP delivers.  In fact… *shh* I ONLY like Linkin Park’s version.  I’m not fussy on Adele’s version at all.  But LP?  I will listen to that shit over and over.  In fact, the cover going viral reminded me that I’ve slacked on keeping up with their material a la Third Eye Blind… Whoops!

Totally swoon-worthy, Chester et al.  *fans self*

Shit I Am Looking Forward To In 2012:

Live Shows: Roger Waters and Jack’s Mannequin

New releases by: GARBAGE (fuck yes!!!), Lauren Pritchard, Fiona Apple, Muse, How To Destroy Angels, Trent going back to NIN

2012 is shaping up to be an orgasmic year for music!  I’m already set to see The Wall tour again in primo seats, Jack’s Mannequin (commence fangirling), and will likely see another show or two.  PLUS!  Garbage has REUNITED and OMFG I need new Shirley Manson NOW.  Did I mention how awesome she is?  She answers fans on FB.  She talked to ME on FB:  for the record, she finds Medication as soothing a song as I do.  <3

There’s also new Muse in the pipeline, How To Destroy Angels’ debut, Fiona Apple (won’t hold my breath yet), Lauren Pritchard AND Trent is also talking new NIN music.  I am dead.

Song/Album Of 2011 That Future Generations Will Be Talking About: 

I’m predicting that the person who asked me this is expecting me to either say Tori Amos’ Night Of Hunters or Adele’s 21.  My best answer for this question is to offer up what I predict will endure, and what I feel should endure.

Predicted:  21- Adele

The bitch has been everywhere, covered by everyone and their mother, and has a throwback sound that is similar to other timeless bluesy/soulful artists.  It’s a given.  Probable second option:  Florence + The Machine

Should Endure:  Lights Of Endangered Species – Matthew Good

Nothing against Adele, but I find her only a little more than average.  She just doesn’t do it for me.  Maybe it’s because I feel like it’s 1994 and Jagged Little Pill 2.0 is happening, and I’m like, why re-do a good thing?  That said, Matthew’s album deserves to endure more for its artistic merit.  But hey, what do I know?  I just listen to music all the damn time and have done so since before I could walk.

And last, the general charts, courtesy of Last.fm!  Fair warning:  I write to soundtracks that I create for whatever story I’m working with.  As a result, songs go on repeat if they are crucial to the scene I’m constructing… So if anything strikes you as odd, blame my writing style!  If you’re really bored, compare notes with my 2008 charts.

Top Twenty Four Songs Spun In 2011:
Dog Days Are Over – Florence + The Machine
Jar Of Hearts – Christina Perri
When The Night Kills The Day – Lauren Pritchard
Howl – Florence + The Machine
All The Pretty Girls – fun.
Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) – Florence + The Machine
Dead Disco – Metric
Raise Your Glass – P!nk
Life Is A Highway – Tom Cochrane
Airplanes – B.O.B. ft Hayley Williams
Snakes On A Plane (Bring It) – Cobra Starship
We Used To Wait – Arcade Fire
You Get What You Give – New Radicals
Money City Maniacs – Sloan
Dark Blue – Jack’s Mannequin
Gimme Sympathy – Metric
A Silent Army In The Trees – Matthew Good
What If I Can’t See The Stars, Mildred? – Matthew Good
Safety Dance – Glee cast version
Gel – Collective Soul
Keep The Car Running – Arcade Fire
The Vancouver National Anthem – Matthew Good
Painkillers – Lauren Pritchard
Ready To Start – Arcade Fire

Top Fourteen Artists (Last.fm Plays) Of 2011:
Matthew Good (Band) *Matt solo was #1; MGB was #4*
Tori Amos
Jack’s Mannequin
Arcade Fire
Florence + The Machine
Third Eye Blind
P!nk
The Fray
Finger Eleven
Muse
Nine Inch Nails
Metric
Lauren Pritchard
Britney Spears

Top Twenty Albums I’ve Spun In 2011 (Most Plays Of Tracks From Album):
Lights Of Endangered Species – Matthew Good
Lungs – Florence + The Machine
Greatest Hits… So Far! – P!nk
Everything In Transit – Jack’s Mannequin
Vancouver – Matthew Good
The Glass Passenger – Jack’s Mannequin
The Suburbs – Arcade Fire
People & Things – Jack’s Mannequin
Wasted In Jackson – Lauren Pritchard
Beautiful Midnight – Matthew Good Band
The Audio Of Being – Matthew Good Band
American Doll Posse – Tori Amos
Hospital Music – Matthew Good
White Light Rock & Roll Review – Matthew Good
Third Eye Blind – Third Eye Blind
Opheliac – Emilie Autumn
How To Save A Life – The Fray
Funeral – Arcade Fire
Spring Awakening Cast Recording
Avalanche – Matthew Good

And that’s a wrap!  If you made it this far, I send you virtual sexytimes in appreciation.  Tune in next year, wherein I promise to return to more regular blogging and blathering about my oxygen: music.

It was a mixed emotion day for me: I wasn’t happy with the new album; the setlists seemed mostly patchy, or loaded with older, overplayed songs; and I also missed the Meet and Greet for the first time ever since I began seeing her live in 1999.  The latter point was made up for by a surprise entourage of amazing people showing up at the pub for dinner with me, but the former considerations left me apprehensive.  No one wants a favourite artist to be a letdown.

Luckily, Tori knocked it out of the park, in the end.

The opening wasn’t too impressive, in my books:  after Shattering Sea (my only love of the new disc) and Way Down (my request, granted by Tori, who then passed along that she was sorry I couldn’t make the Meet and Greet), we slid into Suede, a song I normally like but wasn’t overwhelmed by in this incarnation.  Next came Midwinter Graces number Star Of Wonder, and while I loathe Christmas music and wasn’t thrilled, I was very happy she’d granted the request for it, made by a ten year-old boy (whom I’ll get back to later). I just wish she’d dropped NOH clunker Nautical Twilight instead of Beulah Land to fulfill it!

But then, magic happened:  Maybe California popped out, accompanied by beautifully arranged strings, and I smiled, for it’s one of the few songs I adore on 2009′s Abnormally Attracted To Sin.  The thought of how I’d spent 2007′s December running around California’s warmth, soaking up Tori’s tour for my beloved American Doll Posse slipped in, and it clicked:  just as ever, I was home.

That’s what a Tori Amos show is truly about: a sense of belonging to an enormous, wild, highly dysfunctional (in good and bad ways) family.  It’s comfort, catharsis, and community.

So I settled in, and let Tori take me on a journey loaded with material from my favourite album, From The Choirgirl Hotel, including my favourite song, Spark (which is how she remembers me, apparently – such is how often my friend and I both request it in this city).  We no longer ask for it; she simply plays it, every tour since 2005.  She knows the cities she plays, knows who lives where.  It’s why her cover of Angie likes to pop out in Boston, why Marys of the Sea loves to emerge in Montreal.

Jackie’s Strength, for the record, was the best I’ve heard it: gone is the annoying echo that lended a ridiculousness to a poignant song.  Cooling (written during Pele, released during Choirgirl) was more emotional that the last few times I’ve heard it, and Playboy Mommy was a sucker punch to the stomach and a heart ripped from the chest and thrown to the floor.  Winter, too, was particularly memorable, although the night’s performance of Taxi Ride was the closest rival to Playboy Mommy’s evocative peformance, with its whispered, bitterly muttered, “we are one crap, as you’re invading”.

And, much to my delight, most of the Night of Hunters material improved in live incarnation, so much so that I…. dare I say enjoyed them?  Iffy tune Fearlessness became pleasant to hear, while a pretty good Star Whisperer shines brightly, the same-y vocals I chiefly complained about ditched for a more varied delivery.  Nothing will save Nautical Twilight for me, and Edge of the Moon still feels melodically like a poor sequel to Flying Dutchman, but it was better than hoped for, and reassuring.

The real remarkable aspect of the tour, and the reason the show was so enjoyable, is how well (most) songs take to their reworked form, accented by the strings supplied by the brilliant Apollon Musagète quartet.  Favouring many of the electronic works for a fresh coat of paint, Amos succeeds on the whole, although I found the accompaniment for Hey Jupiter distracting, discordant in beat and emotion, and found Suede too tame.  Spring Haze soars, and Precious Things enchants, but I give the highlight of the night to Cruel, in the best live version I’ve ever heard.  Dark, foreboding, and with vocals more like the studio version I adore (and less nasal), she winds slowly and seductively about you, even as Tori interjected the beseeching line from Yes, Anastasia: “Girls, what have we done to ourselves?”

The interjection of song within song also came into play during a raucous and crowd-thrilling rendition of Take To The Sky, where the elusive Datura came out to tease the audience with its “Is there room in my heart?” bridge.  Utterly genius, and earned such loud applause, Amos almost had to literally say, “Okay, enough!” as she flushed and smiled.  Her good mood carried to the encore, where she playfully teased, “You just don’t know what’s coming, do you!” as she shuffled her papers, cued the quartet, and debuted an upbeat Father Lucifer.

Yes, I am a somewhat jaded fan, but as I stood at the stage during my 34th show, I looked around at my fellow Ears With Feet, and remembered what it was like to first fall in love with the fiery redhead.  I stood behind a man at his first show, giddy for hearing his request and being upgraded to front row.  I tucked a ten year-old filled with wonder in front of me, watching him hit the stage and shout in joy as Precious Things began, and I couldn’t help but grin.  Maybe I won’t ever love another album; maybe the next will blow me away.  The shows, however, always pull me back in, and it’s a very good thing.

But Tori please, for the love of the faeries: stop playing Massey Hall, the most fan-unfriendly venue in the city?  I’m pretty sure every usher you’ve ever booted from a show now works there…

SETLIST: TORI AMOS @ MASSEY HALL, TORONTO 12/8/11

Shattering Sea
Way Down [Solo]
Suede
Star of Wonder [John Hopkins] [Solo]
Nautical Twilight
Maybe California
Jackie’s Strength [Solo]
Cooling [Solo]
Playboy Mommy [Solo]
Winter
Spark
Star Whisperer
Take to the Sky [w/Datura bridge; Solo]
Taxi Ride [Solo]
Songbird [Fleetwood Mac] [Solo]
Fearlessness
Hey Jupiter
Spring Haze
Cruel

A Multitude of Shades
Father Lucifer
Edge of the Moon
Precious Things
Big Wheel

The setlist is up for tonight on setlist.fm (someone beat me to it while I waited forever to meet Matt after the “hey let’s have the back of the line go first now” shenanigans). Basically, Mississauga with Shallow’s Low moved up and Hornets in its place. The crowd was high energy but annoyingly so – super drunk, yelling during songs like Non Populus and Rabbits (seriously, please STFU and save it for Time Bomb or Weapon). I wasn’t happy because I had the “stand the fuck up!” drunken idiot right beside me in the aisle and security going back and forth with him. Last night was a better show for me by miles.

Tony jamming Rick Astley made my life. I want to party with him now.

I’m sad I’m done for this tour. I want more.

VIP: wow…. super sold out and beyond…. Matt was tired when I finally made it, but very nice and sweet about what I talked to him about. He’s a trooper for doing this many shows and all the VIP.

SETLIST: MATTHEW GOOD @ QET, 11/4/11

While We Were Hunting Rabbits
Lights Of Endangered Species
The Boy Who Could Explode
Shallow’s Low
Born Losers
What If I Can’t See The Stars Mildred?
Zero Orchestra
Load Me Up
Hello Time Bomb
Non Populus
Apparitions
Weapon

Giant
Hornets
Set Me On Fire

I loved this set, but more importantly, my dad loved it. This show was his birthday gift and his second Matt show ever, and he said it was pretty much perfect, aside from a few Hospital Music songs he’d want. Definitely higher energy than Mississauga but he’s had a break recently, so makes sense. Killed it. Army was an especially nice touch.

SETLIST: MATTHEW GOOD @ QET, 11/3/11

Set Me on Fire
Last Parade
Born Losers
What if I Can’t See the Stars Mildred?
Zero Orchestra
The Future is X-Rated
Load Me Up
A Silent Army in the Trees (dedicated to Scott Olsen, injured at Occupy Oakland)
Non Populus
Apparitions
Weapon
While We Were Hunting Rabbits

Giant
Alert Status Red
Shallow’s Low

All elements considered, Matthew Good has crafted a roster of songs this tour that, while varying little from show to show, deliver a coherent stage performance that has a little for everyone in the audience.  The staple hits of the Matthew Good Band era are still here for the more casual fans:  Apparitions and Load Me Up make the set each night.  The set is pretty short in terms of numbers (14 orso songs each night) due to the length of the selections chosen, but he’s done his best to hit upon a scattering of the catalogue, for the most part.  Selections from (in my opinion) his strongest solo albums, Hospital Music and Vancouver, are in short supply, and one wonders how it doesn’t feel fitting to deliver The Vancouver National Anthem during the burgeoning Occupy Movement, or just what Matthew has against the short and sweet tunes from White Light Rock and Roll Review.  Initially promising a rotation of acoustic songs during this tour, Matt seems to have settled upon one acoustic number alone; luckily, it’s a fan favourite from the Avalanche album that he’s been begged for repeatedly.

Before addressing the set highlights and performance itself, a few notes:  first, the venue left a lot to be desired.  From a performer’s standpoint, it was precisely what was sought for this tour:  an intimate seated theatre, with great sound; from the patron standpoint, it was bloody awful.  A cash only bar and no ATM on site is foolish and uncommon.  Ushers went crazy, waving flashlights and disrupting the performance in order to thwart casual photography that was unnoticed in contrast, and chastised fans for daring to leap up during the encore and dance.  The seats were smaller than Massey Hall (I thought this impossible, but have been proven wrong), with leg room sufficient for perhaps those of abnormally short height.  I would never go again, which is a shame given the sound quality.

Opener Daniel Wesley also left a hell of a lot to be desired.  Known apparently for a single in Vancouver called Ooh Ohh, and produced by Dave Genn (that name’ll ring a bell with Matt’s fans) of late, Wesley’s style is described as Neil Young meets reggae.  In checking his website post-show, influences include Pearl Jam, which explains why Wesley seems to be attempting to sing like Eddie Vedder, completed with mumbled, indiscernible lyrics.  I’ve really enjoyed Matt’s previous openers, but I was counting the minutes this time.  When your lyrics are so incoherent that a repeated “what you” sounds like a sneezing fit, and in another song, I swear you’ve told me to lick your ass, there’s a problem.  I also couldn’t take his earnest song about gangs and drug wars seriously when framed by tracks Drunk and Stoned and the aforementioned hit, which tells us to ‘smoke a little ganja’.  I’m also surprised, honestly, that Matt is touring with him, given his anti-drug sentiments.  It just didn’t work for me at all, and I plan to skip his set next week at the Toronto shows.

Matt, however, did not fail to impress.  The stage lit only by two table lamps, the set began with Matt at the microphone in darkness, and Anthony providing a solo piano accompaniment to the long-desired While We Were Hunting Rabbits.  I’m floored by the arrangement, which feels more sinister and foreboding stripped down this way; I almost never want to hear it as a full-band performance.  Chills.  The set slid into the title track of the new album and felt smooth, as if the two were meant to be juxtaposed.  The set carried on from there, heavy on the new material but also darting off into Matthew Good Band hit territory with singles Hello Time Bomb, Load Me Up and Apparitions (with Giant, another gem from Beautiful Midnight, opening the encore).

In terms of song selection, only Rabbits was a wow-factor choice; the set was, as I’d predicted for the city, a safe and staple show.  This isn’t a bad thing; I enjoyed every single minute, and felt Matt was delivering a solid performance throughout.  I just wish he would dare to do more of the rarities in acoustic form on this tour, or better still, take advantage of Anthony on piano and delve into the catalogue that is coated in dust due to its dependence on that instrument (Change of Season; Running For Home; Strange Days in full-band fashion).  I’d also like to see Alabama Motel Room and Symbolistic White Walls resurrected, and perhaps more of Everything Is Automatic and less Load Me Up (which I’ve heard at all but one of my shows).  The new material shone on stage:  horn loops were employed for the saucy Zero Orchestra, while Non Populus was breathtaking.  An experimental album has made the leap successfully to the live arena, no doubt; it would be nice, though, to see more of the older material allowed to gain new life and meaning alongside Lights of Endangered Species.

All that aside, it was a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable performance, complete with lengthy banter from Matt on topics spanning Catholic school canings, ear pieces that leave musicians obliviously deaf to their audiences, v-necks, and the mythos of the ‘random shouter’ audience member.  Matthew is hilarious; I would strongly suggest he book a speaking/music tour in the future, wherein he does Q&As or random rants, then plays a few tunes acoustically, etc.  I would be there in the front row.

US dates are coming soon; in the meantime, Canadians, get thee to a show.  Or three, like me.

Set highlights:  While We Were Hunting Rabbits; Zero Orchestra; Non Populus; Weapon

Setlist:  Matthew Good @ Living Arts Centre, 10.25.11

While We Were Hunting Rabbits (acoustic)
Lights of Endangered Species
The Boy Who Could Explode
Born Losers
What If I Can’t See The Stars, Mildred?
Zero Orchestra
Load Me Up
Hello Time Bomb
Non Populus
Apparitions
Weapon

Giant
Set Me On Fire
Shallow’s Low

Total Eclipse Of The Heart is already one of my favourite songs of the 80s, but this video took it to a new world, where all of the things that baffle music aficionados about music videos are challenged, mocked and parodied, to the point where I was holding my aching sides at the end.  In watching it repeatedly on YouTube, I then discovered this wasn’t a one-off:  it was a piece of a delicious puzzle of creative minds sporking the entire industry, video by video.  I clicked link after link, bookmarking favourites, replaying them over and over, and even writing them intentionally into a story online, so as to encourage others to partake.

Like Weird Al Yankovic, these comedic masters forever altered my perceptions of certain songs.  I can no longer hear Gangsta’s Paradise without singing the lyrics to Amish Paradise; now, I can no longer sing Safety Dance without gleefully declaring, “Look at that!  Holy crap!  Definitely LSD!”  Enrique Iglesias has become an excuse to warble about bitch-slapping Mickey Rourke.

Literal Music Videos are love.  Just as The Big Bang Theory celebrates cerebral humour, these videos celebrate the oddities, absurdities and whacked-out visuals that have earned many a Moon Man statue. The concept is simple enough:  the lyrics of the song are changed, so that the artist sings about what’s happening on screen.  Seeing the potential for fun, yet?

Here is a selection of my favourites, for your viewing pleasure.  Copyright issues are frequently a problem these days on YouTube, so if something isn’t visible in your country, try Funny or Die, where a lot of Literal fans have taken their material to safety.

Total Eclipse Of The Heart – Bonnie Tyler

My first literal video, and pure brilliance.  One of the very best.  Dusto McNeato may have created the meme, but I really feel dascottjr is a master of the artform, and you’ll be seeing a lot of his work here. “I walk onto a terrace where I think I’m alone/But Arthur Fonzarelli’s got an army of clones!”  I love all of the pop culture references in this one that move beyond the actual video.  And how can you NOT laugh at, “What the effing crap?  That angel guy just felt me up!”

Take On Me – A-ha

The first EVER Literal Music Video, and still one of the funniest!  My fiance and I randomly chant, “Pipe wrench fight!” in our lives now, thanks to Dusto McNeato’s genius.  His mimicry of the original artist is INSANELY good.  The entire pipe wrench verse is just epic.  “Band montage!”

One Week – Barenaked Ladies

Another dascottjr video, and my beloved Cancon content!  Heidi Montag references, exploding crotches, and mocking camera effects…. Just SO wonderful and as ridiculous as the original lyrics, perfectly rapid-fire delivered!  “Zip up your boobs, they’re distracting me!”

Hero – Enrique Iglesias

This one is just…. Gah!  I hate Enrique, so to watch this video shredded mercilessly is heavenly.  “How do the keys to Chopsticks go?” poor Enrique whines, as he informs us of his chin fetish.  The pinnacle though is the final stretch, “I just bitch-slapped Mickey Rourke, but it only pissed him off.  I guess I could have planned that better.  Please don’t beat me with that lead pipe…”

Love Is A Battlefield – Pat Benatar

“Point and yell!  Walk backwards as I rebel!”  Another of dascottjr’s genius creations.  The sequence in the club with the choreographer is why you MUST see this one…  That and the references to “skank ho”.

Head Over Heels – Tears For Fears

This video was MADE for this meme, and Dusto takes it to task.  He somehow manages to keep the awkward love confession vibe of the original song between references to flying, monkeys and rabbis.  “Do you like my mullet?  Business in front, party in back!”

I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That) – Meatloaf

This one is special; it has little in-jokes to others who’ve created literal videos and also, this video is just so terrible and nonsensical, it’s full of cannon fodder.  “My mattress is made of gypsy sluts!  Craftmatic charged me extra for that!”  And it just keeps getting better….

Safety Dance – Men Without Hats

I waver, since I love so many videos, but this one is probably my favourite, which is remarkable as it’s by neither Dusto nor dascottjr.  This video, like the previous one, is just rich with absurd visuals that have no connection to the original song.  The lyrics jab at the director, and the singer’s dancing, among other things.  My former coworkers embraced this one so completely, we sang it while walking around after work on more than one occasion.

Hungry Like The Wolf – Duran Duran

This one is not only funny, it’s delivered live in front of an audience, which means it deserves extra kudos.  I can’t imagine singing these lyrics with a straight face in front of anyone, even my cats.  “That’s just how we white men roll!”  The “bars of panting” is a brilliant touch.

Never Gonna Give You Up – Rick Astley

“Karaoke all alone!  Frank Sinatra’s microphone!”  Confession:  I loved Rick Astley when he came out, still own several of his albums, and am not ashamed.  The Rick Roll phenomenon is well-known, but this is even better because let’s face it: it’s such a bad video!  Ninja bartender awaits you!

With Arms Wide Open – Creed
http://www.videohippy.com/player.swf

Had to leave YouTube for this one.  Is Scott Stapp mad that someone pwned his song and made it better?  In any case, I fucking love this one.  It references The Lion King, Armageddon, and mocks random set objects, never mind Scott’s posturing and Jesus complex.  Worth the click over, I promise!

We Didn’t Start The Fire – Billy Joel

Watch on Funny or Die

Serious props for this one:  the rapid-fire lyrical delivery really doesn’t help when trying to capture a strange plethora of visuals, but it’s pulled off in genius fashion.  One of my favourite songs, and fast becoming one of my favourite literal videos.

Loser – Beck

Watch on Funny or Die

Legendary, in that the original artist enjoyed it and shared it on his website!  Thank you, Beck, for being so fucking cool.  The delivery is so bang-on, it’s no surprise that the infamous Dusto McNeato gave us this one.  One of my newest finds, and truly immortal.

Enjoy!  And if you have other favourites, feel free to pass them my way.

Listen for the hilarious and accurate criticisms of The Tragically Hip and Our Lady Peace, as well; I like those bands, but Matt is right.

Had this been the only instance of one of her albums not grabbing me the way her work usually does, it would be easily dismissed; however, there was The Beekeeper in 2005, complete with the ‘feels like I’m on valium’ solo tour.  While tracks from it grew on me over time and have become staples in my listening, most have done quite the opposite, becoming joke fodder.  With Amos flopping with me on two of three albums, I was nervous.

And then Midwinter Graces happened, an album so god-awful for the most part I didn’t even bother to listen again to review it; I posted my live tweeted version and called it a day.  Granted, I hate Christmas, but I still find next to nothing redeemable about it, never even bought it (and I’m a completist), and never listen to it at all.

Establishing this backstory, one understands why I warily approach Amos’ latest release, Night of Hunters.  Tori Amos’ music has been a staple for me, a powerful force in my life and reflection.  To be disappointed by three of four albums is disheartening and a little frightening; no fan wants to realize that she has grown apart from a beloved and respected artist’s vision.  The concept this time:  a song cycle inspired by classical music pieces.  NOH tells the tale of a woman whose love has left her alone in the Irish night.  Through an ensuing journey through past events and present emotions, facilitated by a shapeshifting creature and Fire Muse (played respectively by Tori’s daughter, Natashya, and her niece, Kelsey), Tori comes to understand what has happened to the relationship and love, and carries those lessons into the new day.

I’m going to approach this work as intended, but a few caveats:  first, I do enjoy classical music to a degree, even if I am not versed enough to speak of it in technical terms or readily name composers by ear; and second, I have heard a significant portion of this album previously out of order, and I’m thus far unimpressed and unengaged.  I’m hoping that the whole will be greater than the sum of its parts, but I am nervous.  Without further ado, a first listen track-by-track review, strictly from the lay-fan perspective.

Shattering Sea:  I’ve heard this one previously and love it, thus continuing Tori’s “first track is a good track” history (I don’t include Midwinter Graces in this).  The opening is reminiscent of the opening notes of Pandora’s Aquarium:  eerie, dark, foreboding.  This is a good thing.  The jarring introduction of the full quartet and piano feels very ‘ballet’ to me:  evocative, emotive, setting a scene.  “That is not my blood on the bathroom floor,” Amos declares firmly, and we’re in Pele territory, lyrically.  Shattering Sea could be a lost b-side lodged firmly between Boys For Pele and From The Choirgirl Hotel, in my estimation, and live rather comfortably there.  In hearing the echoing vocals of the “every line…” bridge, I fear a horrid live Jackie’s Strength moment on tour with this one – the dreadfully artificial echo-repeater effects in lieu of backing loop.  It will sully the song for me, without a doubt.

Snowblind:  Shuddering…. I’m sorry, Tori, but why is Natashya here?  She sounds like she’s trying too hard to be Emiliana Torrini meets Bjork… This is the first of the dialogue songs, wherein Tori and Annabelle converse, and I’m already cringing at the Broadway feel.  In mentally stripping out the dialogue, there was sufficient narrative without the back and forth to tell the tale and move us forward.  Tori’s vocals sound clean and not overly produced; Tash sounds inexperienced, which she is and that’s fine – except I’m not buying a Tori Amos album to hear the Amos family musical.  Musically, the piece is nice enough, but not very naturally flowing out of Shattering Sea for my ears.

Battle of Trees:  The ‘plucking’ sound is pretty awesome in its creepiness.  I almost feel like this track would have been a more natural follow upon Shattering Sea. The lyrics blend well into the piece she’s adapting (Satie, I think, but don’t quote me on it), which gives this track strong cohesion.  This song is very metaphorical and weird in the Tori way; long-time fans will likely enjoy this one more than many other tracks on the album.  It feels like a grower for me, personally; it’s almost too ‘think-y’ for me on first go.  It has strong potential.  I’m already noticing the ‘same-y’ vocals that others have noticed from Tori, which is disappointing.  I think Battle could have done with a verse being delivered in Tori’s lower register to add a more ominous feel.  The strings drive this one.  It’s a little too long and repetitive, though…

Fearlessness:  The intro feels like a slowed version of Shattering Sea’s intro; this isn’t a good thing.  We’re four songs in and I already feel like I’ve heard something before?  Lyrically, you may feel you’ve heard this one before, too:  Your Cloud’s theme of love being a merger such that each cannot separate emerges in “that was when the blame began/what were once two forces joined in fearlessness”.  The album is telling a story, undoubtedly; the trouble is, it is so metaphor-rich that it does not make for random track enjoyment.  I can’t imagine listening to this track often on its own, which, considering I seldom play whole albums start to finish, is an issue.  It’s dark and forlorn, but the metaphor-heavy story of the verses takes away from the simple and relatable chorus of “listen to your heart – you can hear me”.

Cactus Practice:  This call and response piece is tedious… Yes, Natashya is back.  She is still trying to sound older than her age.  I’ve heard this one prior, and within the context of the entire body, it’s no better.  We get it: there’s cactus and a practice.  And Tori can barely get a word in edge-wise with this Annabelle.  This could have been a 90-second interlude a la Way Down and been far more effective and successful (and less grating).  The woodwinds are beautiful on this, at least.  Ugh, just induct the bitch already and shut up.  Resisting urge to skip ahead to next track.  This is a horrible musical.  This is Andrew Lloyd Weber writing drunk.

Star Whisperer:  This is another I’ve previously heard. I had high hopes, being as I love stars, but thus far, it’s patchy.  Lyrically, I want to love this one; it’s a powerful metaphor of lost love and feeling trapped in the endless nights where we lie sleepless and wanting.  The strings are gorgeous and well-timed.  But it’s Tori’s vocals that leave me a bit ambivalent.  She’s locked in this small vocal range permeating the album, as if afraid to do the vocal acrobatics of old, and the dragged out delivery of verses reminds me of Crucify live circa 2005.  The sudden shift at the “I hear you scream…” is jarring and unnatural… Like someone half-asleep snapping wide awake.  I’m not certain I like it; the new melody is enjoyable, but the shift is so jarring, it unsettles my experience.  The piano reminds me of the intro to Icicle, with shades of Bells For Her.  This too may be a grower, but for now it’s “pretty good”.  Again, I question the need for the narrative exchanges: the story would have told itself fine without Cactus Practice. Oh, wait!  A lower register.  FINALLY.

Job’s Coffin:  Oh, joy; Natashya’s back. Wanna hear a New Age version of anti-oppression and feminist theory?  You do?  Well, Tori’s got it for you!  Hear Tash sing of grids of disempowerment, chastising Tori as she waits to see “what you’re gonna do”.  Lesigh.  Grating as all hell.  I also can’t take this track seriously with lyrics like, “since time, why do we women give ourselves away…thinking somehow, that will make him want to stay”.  Is Tori’s character a Maury Povich guest-to-be?  If you actually enjoy Tash’s voice, you’ll like this; if you find she’s trying too hard to sound like her mom, well, it’s almost entirely Tash, so…

Nautical Twilight: This one immediately triggers Josephine in my head.  I don’t like Josephine, so you can imagine that this isn’t a positive.  Lyrically…. ugh.  I’m pretty sure Tori realized other tracks were too simplistic, and decided to go to town with this one, making it as obscure as possible while keeping it in English.  The take-away message, echoing the previous Annabelle-Tori exchange, is “Every alchemist knows fusion and fission can unify or drive a force to split”.   This one ties nicely to earlier tracks (“his shattering sea”) and may grow on me, but it’s not stellar.  Shattering Sea is still the strongest track by miles.

Your Ghost:  A delicate piano and string sad song of separation…  Lyrically, think Putting The Damage On, without its moments of anger.  In spite of a few clunky lyrics (“our primroses could survive the frost if a gentle rivulet of flame is sustained tenderly”), it’s a pretty song in its sorrow.  Not sure I would spin it often, but it has strength and merit.  I’m noticing the album is making me impatient; it really feels pretty same-y – and I hate going back to the term, but it works well – and it’s not the classical music elements as much as it’s Tori’s delivery and range.  It’s disappointing.  I’m still not excited about this album.

Edge of the Moon: I’ve heard this one before, and while several people really love it, I’m kinda meh on it.  It’s yet another song about the Tori character missing this guy.  We get it: you’re sad.  Boys For Pele never feels this tedious and repetitive, and it’s a whole album about break-ups and destructive relationships with men.  We again have a transition that doesn’t feel natural to the song structure (which is probably because of the addition of lyrics).  The closing breakdown is the one part I actually love sonically; it’s got edges of Flying Dutchman to it with the strings and layering.

The Chase:  I’m pretty sure Tori was on drugs when she wrote this.  No, really:  it’s yet another dialogue piece with Tash, wherein she and Annabelle have a throwdown on shapeshifting in an animalistic game of Rock, Paper, Scissors.  Tori is going to be a fish, until Tash indicates she will mow down on her as an otter; then, Tori decides to be a grain of corn (sigh!) and Tash is a hen.  Tedious.  I can’t describe these pieces any other way.  They’re melodramatic, talk-y and clunky.  They ruin the seriousness of the album’s story.

Night of Hunters:  This is the track that debuts Tori’s niece, Kelsey Dobyns, who is older and much more polished than her daughter.  Her voice is rich and well-suited to the musical feel of the song; it feels less hokey.  This song will remind fans of the spiritual messages of the Scarlet’s Walk era, with its message of religion distorting the message of what love is, and the spiritual connection with land.  It doesn’t evoke anything in me personally, but it’s a well written song and suits its classical piece.  Effective and strong; this is what the album is trying to achieve in each track (with mixed success).  I really wish Kelsey was the guest star all over this album; her voice is lovely.

Seven Sisters:  An instrumental, Tori’s first on an album, and a rarity that will send fans scampering to remember b-sides All The Girls Hate Her and Over It.  This is a piano and woodwind duet, a dance of the two instruments.  Gorgeous.

Carry:  I take strong issue with repetition, which is likely why I dissent from many fans in not liking this one.  Tori, come the fuck on:  Gold Dust, Toast and Our New Year are all album closers with the exact same message of carrying someone lost with you in your heart.  Stop recycling!  This track even sounds like Gold Dust in places!  I can’t deal with this.  It should be an enjoyable song, because the lyrics are delicate and emotional, but all I can think is, “Been there, done that perfectly, so why try and top it?”  It kills the album and leaves it on a bad note in closing for me.

The Verdict:

This album isn’t restoring my love and faith in Tori Amos’ work.  While there are strong tracks, much of the material is repetitive and generic lyrically – or so obscure as to be pretentious or intentionally confusing for the sake of it.  The album – dialogue songs aside – is cohesive, but almost too cohesive.  This project could have been fifty minutes long and tighter in feel, while still telling the same story.  I’m also irritated at the lack of deep exploration of the lost man (even through Tori’s eyes, she tells us little of him); the story feels shallow without this exploration (and I don’t feel the metaphor of Battle of Trees cuts it in this area).

The songs with Annabelle/Natashya are horrid.  They’re cheesy in feel, and this is coming from a self-proclaimed Broadway slut.  Natashya needs to grow into her voice, instead of trying to force her voice to be older than it is.  It feels as if she is trying to be other artists she’s heard and admires, instead of being unique.  Kelsey Dobyns is gorgeous; I’d be happy to have her perform on future albums.  I don’t feel the device of Annabelle adds anything to the story; it detracts, really, and I foresee an iTunes playlist where I scratch all four tracks and pretend they don’t exist.

Highlights of the album:  Shattering Sea (still my favourite of the album); Seven Sisters; Star Whisperer; Night of Hunters.
Lowlights:  Cactus Practice; The Chase; Job’s Coffin; Snowblind; Carry (sorry, but it’s true)

Overall Album Grade:  B-