December 14, 2005

The Also Rans featuring:

Calla – Collisions

Released - September 27, 2005

Franz Ferdinand – You Could Have It So Much Better

Released - October 4, 2005

The Electric Six – Senor Smoke

Released – February 15, 2005

The Raveonettes – Pretty in Black

Released - May 3, 2005

Smog – A River Ain’t Too Much to Love

Released – May 31, 2005

For the last few years there have been a handful of bands I have taken upon myself to champion. Some are now all grown up and can be heard in video game commercials, pop radio, and in the bathroom at the train station (I’m talking about you, Franz Ferdinand). Others I think only exist in my head and no one seems to know who they are (Hello, Smog!). Still some seem to pop up now and again in the least likely of places (The Raveonettes and Electric Six come to mind here). And finally, there are those that come around now and then with an almost completely different sound each time and I can’t figure out where they’re headed (Calla fits nicely into this category). The result is that all these bands and their most recent albums find their way together, once and for all, on my same list. This year, they are “The Also Rans” of The 12 CDs of Christmas.

As a five for one commodity, I’ll give a little attention to each while hopefully encouraging you to do the same. In my opinion, they all have better albums, but as the saying goes with pizza, even when it’s bad it’s still pretty damn good.

Callas - Collisions – These Brooklyn chameleons get some cool sounds out of their guitars and are a real treat to hear in person. This, their fourth full-length album, is the most pop oriented of their career. The first single off Collisions, Swagger, made its way onto Salon.com a few months ago so you know their direction must have significantly changed from their second effort Scavengers, my favorite, which at times sounded as if the whole thing was recorded underwater in some rusty, steal encased basement. The rest of the album is mixed between straight ahead rock with some metallic sounding quirks and straight ahead metallic sounding quirks with some rock and roll. Falling into the first category, the single is definitely the place to begin your Collisions journey and is a pretty good introduction to the band in general. If you’re into varied indie rock without the pretension and overdone effort, Calla will most likely hit the spot.

Franz Ferdinand – You Could Have It So Much Better – Franz Ferdinand’s self-titled debut effort was an unequivocal gem. It is the kind of album where every time you listen you find a new favorite track, always the most apparent sign of an amazing effort. You Could Have It So Much Better certainly isn’t coal, and it is undoubtedly cut from the very same cloth as its predecessor, but what it is missing is that added pizzazz that made the tunes from their first stick with you even after only one listen and caused them to morph into a completely astounding whole. If you’ve heard Take Me Out, Jacqueline, Michael, or Darts of Pleasure from their first then you know what I’m referring to: big, catchy choruses, danceable beats, and exciting, chugging guitar lines. And let it be said, those aren’t even the best songs on the disc, or so I say now! Nothing from You Could Have It… is even close to as catchy, but this is all still pretty good, especially the Beatles inspired Eleanor Put Your Boots On, which is just as good as its comparative song on the first disc, Tell Her Tonight, and the opener The Fallen. The truth is, with this album you really could have it so much better. So if you’ve been living in Siberia or hiding under a rock, just do yourself a favor and pick up their debut. It’s really just that damn good!

The Electric Six – Senor Smoke – OK. We all knew it wasn’t going to get any better than Danger! and Synthesizer, the standouts on their first full-length Fire!, and that’s perfectly fine. Not much could out-do those superstar tracks from 2003. Still funny, still danceable, and still filled with bouncy guitar and synthesizer, Senor Smoke doesn’t try, but it does feature the Electric Six continuing to unleash their nuclear war on the dance floor on the unknowing world. Jimmy Carter and Dance Epidemic are the top tier this time for being nothing like their first effort (at first blush) and exactly like their first effort, respectively. And let’s be honest, there really can’t be enough covers of Radio-Ga-Ga, now can there? Sure, Freddy Mercury is probably rolling in his grave, but lead singer Dickie Valentine is as deserving as anyone to give it a shot. And shoot he does; from the hip, around the back, and from any and every direction imaginable. Stop… continue!

The Raveonettes – Pretty in Black –The Raveonettes have finally abandoned their self-imposed constraints of their previous albums, namely performing all songs in the same key, but that doesn’t mean their third release is any better than its predecessors. On the contrary, it falls significantly short. Where Whip It On and my favorite, Chain Gang of Love, made every song sound and feel cinematic as it poured over early ‘60s nostalgia in the form of drive-ins, leather coats, and motorcycles, Pretty in Black gets lost in its multi-pronged presentation. This time out, The Raveonettes try to do too much with, sadly, too little. The guy/girl harmonizing is back but seems a little out of place especially on songs that drift away from the nostalgia and into the 21^st century. Further, the Jesus and Mary Chain fascination seems to have disappeared a bit here as feedback is less up front in favor of typical pop. Feedback, nostalgia, and the guy/girl harmonies were the backbone of their first two releases, and at times the music on Pretty in Black does feel as though it is missing its spine. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the lifeless cover of My Boyfriend’s Back. Still, there are some really great moments on Pretty in Black with standouts Ode to L.A., Uncertain Times, and Love in a Trashcan taking their fair share of kudos. This is still a fun album, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t hold a candle to getting lost on the Chain Gang of Love.

Smog – A River Ain’t Too Much To Love – Smog, which is really just Bill Callahan, his guitar, and an assortment of sounds that have ranged from anything from fireworks to the kitchen sink (literally), has continued to be the most prolific yet unheard of musical artist on the planet. Other than a fluke appearance on the High Fidelity soundtrack, and with one of his most uncharacteristic songs, Cold Blooded Old Times, he has basically lived in a vacuum far removed from the pulse of popular culture. This, his twelfth, yes twelfth album, again shows Smog as the epitome of do-it-yourself, lo-fi, genius. Oh, Hell, just go out and listen for yourself! Or on the other hand just forget I even brought him up in the first place. Twelve albums. Geez, the guy has to be doing something right!