I was fortunate enough to go and review the Van Halen show last week in Chicago and my review is now running over at antiMUSIC. I must say, I'm receiving a significant amount of written feedback on the show. If you feel inclined, check the full 1700+ word review HERE.
Here's a sample...
The 2012 edition of Van Halen is a surprisingly vital and relevant entity. The album and tour are unexpectedly great showcasing a band that is at the top of their game. I can’t say there’s an insatiable hunger which infused their days of youth, but there is an unbridled desire to prove to everyone wrong. After their performance in Chicago I can say without question they are not washed up and wholly worthy of their induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Their performance in Chicago, even with a few obstacles in their course, is evidence to their drive to leave an impression that will not soon be forgotten. Not only have Van Halen delivered an old school classic album worthy of comparison to their classics, but they’re taking the stage every night ready to leave a pint of blood on it. They’ve left the theatrics home and instead are delivering a thunderous take on garage rock highlighted by Eddie Van Halen’ piercing guitar strengths which are at the peak of their powers.
Read the 50 Great Music Moments in Cameron Crowe Films HERE
"Come and dream with me"
-Georges Méliès from 'Hugo'
The circle of life is driven by the credence in a system where the universe corrects wrong turns, mistakes and ill-fated circumstances. To this very day I am amazed by the creeds people define their lives with. They have no reason to believe in a higher power or karma and yet they find a way to live each and every day with unbridled buoyancy. However there are two sides to every story. The flipside includes individuals who have accepted defeat. They run from their past, try to disregard it but it’s always there. They’re dejected and often are so broken they view their lives as unsalvageable. The only thing that keeps them is the moving heartbeat within; they have stopped believing, fighting and for all intent purposes are dead to the world. Never have I encountered more dispirited, lost and bewildered people than at this moment in time. The events of the world over the last half decade have made us all resident of the island of misfit toys. Many of us have been displaced by circumstances beyond our control and as a result we’re more fearful and uneasy than we’ve ever been. In many ways, art is more vital to our survival than it’s ever been before. We need to be reminded of the good in the world and maybe more significantly that there are saints out there and they’re sent to us at our darkest hour.
2011 was a great year for movies. As always, there were many disenchanting films but the high points of the year are marvelously high and there seemed to be an underlying theme of redemption in all of them. In studying most of the films that made my year-end list, I noticed all contained characters that have been rescued from despair from an unlikely source. Whether it was the broken baseball players recruited by Billy Beane in Moneyball, the film pioneer Georges Méliès in Hugo who is reminded that joy infuses life, the driver from Drive who is more than a stone cold machine, but someone who puts himself in harms way to help his neighbor and her son, Caesar from Rise of the Planet of the Apes who rises to the occasion when a caregiver riddled by Alzheimer’s is berated by someone and then there’s the silent film star who is left in financial and emotional ruins after the invention of talking motion pictures who is saved by an angel in The Artist.
Below you will find fifty-two (52) films I hope you seek out. Why fifty-two? I deem each film below has the power to renew your devotion to the medium of film. For the next year, you can be reminded that it’s our most important art form by having one film a week to be moved by. Even more astonishing is there are several films I never was able to see before my Oscar cut-off including Shame and A Separation so I urge you to seek those out as well. I can’t think of a time in recent history where there hasn’t been a greater need for these films than right now. This is one of the strongest slates of films to ever represent the human condition from the studio stages of Hollywood to the train stations where cinema masters appear to be forgotten to the baseball diamond where beaten men are given another chance to earn a livelihood and prove their worth; the films of 2011 embody the human need for faith in one another.
There is no greater sensation than watching a film and being sucked into its vortex. It’s rare air where your mind ascends to a higher mental consciousness. As I watched Drive I was pulled into its world like no other film in 2011. Nothing distracted me and I was altogether engrossed in the characters onscreen. Drive is a neo-noir mystery romance with Ryan Gosling in the starring role as a stunt car driver who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. His steely cool demeanor grips you. We see him go through his life without ever winking an eye, until he lets his heart go to his neighbor. This choice leads to a series of cataclysmic events that leave you both shocked and awed. Characters like “The Driver” (who is nameless and is played to absolute perfection by Gosling) are rarely seen on screen anymore. Gosling’s performance is the type that makes careers. You simply can’t teach someone to act this cool, threatening and vulnerable in the course of two-hours but he does it with ease. Much has been made of Gosling’s performance in Drive but equal credit must be given to director Nicolas Winding Refn and screenwriter Hossein Amini for not just creating the character and the story, but the style with which it was delivered. The opening title sequence is in hot pink font tipping its hat to a decade often ridiculed for its over-the-top nature. However, as Drive unfolds, you see specifically what they were attempting to accomplish. There is an 80’s inspired synth-pop soundtrack that should sound dated but isn’t. Drive is simultaneously a nightmare and a dream evoking the feeling of undying love while throwing the sick and violent nature off the real world in your face. Studios would normally demand more action, more over-the-top dialogue and a story that would be sacrificed in favor of special effects. Drive took the alternate self-sufficient route where it was created on a shoe string budget but it has as many thrills as any action film I’ve seen in the last several years. Drive has never left my consciousness since seeing it; it didn’t just mesmerize me, but haunted me as well.
Number Two: Moneyball
Moneyball is more than a film about inventive baseball maneuvering; it’s about finding your place in the world. What happens when your life doesn’t turn out the way you had hoped? Can you trek down a divergent path? It’s these detours that define us and often that lead us to the road we were always meant for. The baseball players general manager Billy Beane (played magnificently by Brad Pitt) recruits are viewed as damaged goods and no one sees any value in them. Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) devises a new way to build a ball team and spins the sport on its head. However, Beane renews their faith in themselves and shows the world that we all have something to offer, we sometimes just need someone to remind us of what we hold inside.
Number Three: Hugo
Martin Scorsese still gets my vote for the best filmmaker working today. Hugo is an entrancing family narrative with great tips-of-the-hat to the innovative silent filmmakers from the early 20th Century, notably Georges Méliès who is played with tight-rope intensity by Ben Kingsley. Kingsley brings humanity to the auteur. He was a man who achieved great things, an inventor and someone who felt so discarded by life; he surrendered to it vowing to never discuss his past until one boy unexpectedly walks into his life. This is Scorsese’s love letter to the art form that gave him not just a career, but provided his life with meaning. Most people have been awed by the 3D, inventive sets and sprawling story, but I find the fact that Scorsese weaved a tale that both children and adults can wrap their arms around to be its greatest achievement.
Number Four: The Tree of Life
This is a film that has confused as many as it awed. I don’t have the answers or meanings outlined here for you, but I was taken back to when I was a child and playing in the summer sun with parents. It evoked that feeling of a perfect summer day and also the terror of adulthood. Brad Pitt once again delivers a sterling performance where his face does most of the acting. There’s the scene of him holding his newborn son and the look of wonder and then there’s the look of terror as he tries to find his way in life after his job does not provide what he thought it would. Was the film a dream or a nightmare? I still don’t know and maybe that’s the point. Maybe it is a metaphor for our times how death, destruction and ultimately renewal come and go and we need to make our way through it. What I do know is that you allow yourself to surrender the conventions of storytelling you are used to and let the emotions hit you like a giant wave from the ocean; you will find a story to cherish for all time.
Number Five: The Artist
Having a soft spot for silent films, I couldn’t help but be enchanted by this film; in a method of film making I believed to be dead. The film traces a silent film star at his peak and as the talking pictures become a reality, he falls upon hard times. But there’s an angel who is keeping an eye on him from afar. We witness the highs and lows life can give us and just when we think it’s all over, someone is sent to us to pull us from the debris of our life, to instill faith and above all to love us. I could go on and on how the actors reflect vast emotions without the use of language, or the fertile black and white cinematography or the terrific direction, but this more than a film about the past but how troubles and heartache have always existed, it follows us decade-to-decade and how we will survive it.
Number Six: Midnight In Paris
Woody Allen has created an extraordinary and magical film, not unlike The Purple Rose of Cairo. Every generation believes the one that preceded theirs was better. Owen Wilson plays a writer looking for inspiration when a late night walk takes him back to the 1920’s where he interacts with his favorite writer’s including Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Marion Cotillard plays the woman of his dreams during this setting. Midnight In Paris is a rare film where you will smile continually from the first to last frame of the film. This isn’t just one of Woody Allen’s best films of the last decade, but one of his best ever.
Number Seven: Beginners
A small film many missed with such heartfelt performances by Christopher Plummer, Ewan McGregor and the endearing Mélanie Laurent (from Inglorious Basterds). It follows a man coming to terms with the death of his mother, his father’s coming out (after his mother’s death) and his search for happiness. Plummer delivers a gem of a performance but so does McGregor, who always tends to be overshadowed by his co-stars. The film houses a brilliant mechanism covering love and life over several generations and how their lives look and felt. This ingenious device elevates the film and draws us closer to the relationship at the center of the film.
Number Eight: The Guard
One of the year’s wryest and most uproarious films with Brendan Gleeson playing a corrupt cop who is a good man at heart. Some may be put off by the thick accents, but this is what the subtitle option on your DVD player is for. I promise you, The Guard induces more warm smiles than anything else you will see this year. Don Cheadle plays a straight laced FBI agent who is paired with Gleeson to help uncover a giant drug deal about to go down on the Ireland shore. The two compliment each other in one of the great modern film pairings.
Number Nine: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
This is a reboot I could not have imagined. It’s bristling with human emotion, second chances and profound sense of love throughout. It may have been sold as an action flick but this film had more humanity in it since the original Apes film more than four decades back. The performance of Caesar by Andy Serkis was Oscar worthy and full of incredible emotion.
Number Ten: We Bought A Zoo
This was a highly personal choice I will explain in greater detail once it’s out on DVD. It includes a powerhouse performance by Matt Damon not to be missed. It’s a tale of finding yourself through an implausible dream. It was created out of the old Hollywood model that Frank Capra made famous. While it has all the elements of crowd pleasing holiday fare, the film’s heart goes deep. Damon plays a widower with two children who buys a Zoo. On paper it may appear to be clichéd but on film, it’s full of wonder and optimism. The final scene of this film pushes it over-the-top and is specifically why it snuck into the top-ten.
Number Eleven: Bridesmaids
The year’s raunchiest film but also delivered more gut wrenching laughs than any other film. A dynamite cast and tip-top script. It proved to the world that comedy is not a male dominated genre.
Number Twelve: The Muppets
Jason Segal brought the Muppets back to life. He captured the spirit of the early films and their television show and injected that spirit into this film while even introducing a new character in the process, Walter. You couldn’t help but root for Kermit and his friends. Many of the innovators of the Muppets spoke out against the film, but I found their journey more aligned with what our lives truly reflect. We are tight-knitted but life gets in the way, we drift apart and often forget what came before. However, there will be a time where we regroup, collaborate and remind one another how much we missed each other when we were apart.
Number Thirteen: The Adventures of Tintin
Despite being computer animated The Adventures of Tintin is a full-on action adventure flick that finds Steven Spielberg at home evoking 20th Century adventures he’s best known for with the Indiana Jones series. In fact, top-to-bottom TINTIN is a better overall film that the The Crystal Skull. Despite American audience’s lack of familiarity with Tintin, this is first rate entertainment I can’t see anyone not being impressed with.
Number Fourteen: War Horse
Spielberg’s non-animated contribution to 2011 is another throwback to the past about a horse who defies odds, lives through great horrors and how one boy’s life (all everyone who encounters it) is defined by this horse. This is a film that could have been a calamity as it simply could have veered towards manipulating emotions, but Spielberg does the film justice with a tight story and vast and sprawling war scenes filmed magnificently by Janusz Kaminski.
Number Fifteen: The Beaver
The film no one wanted to see. I found Mel Gibson’s performance fearless. You utterly believe every scene he’s in even when he is expressing himself through a beaver puppet on his hand. This seems implausible but Gibson’s performance teeters on comedy and drama and never ventures into ludicrous waters. Gibson’s performance and Jodie Foster’s austere direction gives the character an emphatic value. Every bit of this film should be preposterous but it ultimately proves to be redeeming and rewarding.
Number Sixteen: Captain America: The First Avenger
2011 found numerous comic adaptations but this one was the finest. Once again taking us back to a time and place when heroes were desperately needed, it spends more time on the human element of the story rather than the stalwart action sequences. The film finds the perfect balance between battle field action and the hero’s journey. At its core, above all else, we care about the characters and this is something lacking in other recent super hero films.
Number Seventeen: 50/50
This is a truly authentic and heartfelt comedy-drama with convincing performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogan. There are numerous laughs but the way they handle the lead character’s cancer story is filled with so much life, it makes you view the road in front of you with hope rather than dread. Despite the drama and despair we encounter, we are often fortunate enough to be anchored by those who love and care for us and that is what has stayed with me long after my viewing of this film.
Number Eighteen: Super 8
J.J. Abrams taps into the youthful spirit of Steven Spielberg the same way Jack White taps into the defining musical artists of the 50’s and 60’s. It’s not necessarily revolutionary but their love and admiration for what has come before is so pure you can’t help but be swept up in it all. Abrams direction of the children in this film, which takes place in the early 1980’s, is spot-on and the film works not because of the adults, but because of the kids with whom we relate.
Number Nineteen: Young Adult
This was a tough film to watch because it speaks to many truths. Charlize Theron is wickedly oblivious in a film where her thirty-something character is trapped in a teen existence where she dares to take part in childish games in an adult world. The results are not what she expects. The final twenty minutes of the film are as uncomfortable as any in 2011. Most films find characters in extreme situations we may or may not encounter in our lifetimes, but everyone has spent time with these characters and this is what makes the film all that much more disheartening.
Number Twenty: We Need To Talk About Kevin
Tilda Swinton’s performance is for the ages in a film that is downright disturbing, demented and a one you will never forget. I can assure you that this is a film that you will never want to view more than once. Swinton’s journey as a parent who senses something awry with her teen son ends in tragedy but by no means did the filmmakers exploit the situation. They dive in deep to the emotions beneath, the trauma caused and the aftermath of a tragedy that affects not just those in the hurricane middle of the tragedy but those that circle it as well. This is an important film that should encourage dialogue.
Number Twenty-One: Terri
John C. Reilly plays a principal who befriends an overweight kid in his high school who comes to school in his pajamas. Another film few saw but one that is full of real people and real situations. However, the entire film from the screenplay to the performances hit all the right notes. Terri isn’t so much sympathetic as he is intriguing. You can sense his intellect and his strong sense of morals. It’s a rare film where I wish I could spend more time with these characters.
Number Twenty-Two: My Week With Marilyn
Watching this movie, I truly felt as if I was beside the characters in the film. When an actor embodies other well known actors, they walk an incredibly thin line where their performance can either be a characterization of who they were or as a living breathing entity. Meryl Streep did this with Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady but fortunately for Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh, they’re the benefactors of a well manicured script and direction that never wavers. We don’t see these two actors as playing Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier, but their performances make them indistinguishable within the context of the film. Many films I watch and enjoy and yet mere weeks later I have a hard time remembering even the most basic of details. My Week With Marilyn has remained fresh in my mind. If I had seen this film more than once, I believe it would rank higher on this list.
Number Twenty-Three: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
A rich dialogue-heavy film that you can’t take your eyes off of, literally or you may be lost. Much has been said about the film’s complex plot and while it’s not laid out for the viewer, it makes for a mind twisting game of whodunit. Despite what some may have heard the richness of the film lies in these minute details and how minor nuances can derail a whole mission. Gary Oldman is subtle and superb in the lead role and he’s supported by an all-star British cast including John Hurt and Colin Firth. I highly suggest you take the time and watch with a keen eye for one of the year’s greatest mysteries.
Number Twenty-Four: Tabloid
Errol Morris may be the most intriguing documentary filmmaker ever. His subjects are quirky, serious-as-a-heart-attack and in Tabloid, downright ridiculous. His uncanny ability to peel away layers at these individuals’ lives, without the help from some key people in the story is astonishing. This isn’t fiction which makes its triumph all that more impressive. If you allow yourself to sit through the first five-minutes of any Errol Morris film, you will not take your eyes off the film, this I guarantee you. The tale of a former miss beauty queen, a Mormon, kidnapping, British tabloids, a risqué past and the cloning of a puppy named “Booger” is as absurd as you can imagine and what’s even scarier? Every scene is true.
Number Twenty-Five: Win Win Win Win under-the-radar film that exudes charm in a simple but highly effective story. There should be a rule where every Paul Giamatti film is mandatory viewing for all movie viewers. His choice is scripts are exquisite. Here he plays a lawyer in financial straits who befriends the grandson of a client who he takes in. The kid turns out to be a star wrestler, but there is greater depth to this film including financial trauma, family hardship and a stellar performance by Giamatti.
Number Twenty-Six: Hesher
Joseph Gordon-Levitt solidifies his ranking as one of the best actors working today in a role that makes you feel dirty…in a good way. His character (who eerily looks like Metallica’s late bass player, Cliff Burton) is electrifying every second he’s on screen. A burn-out and terror one moment and a source of strength the next, it’s a film few will seek out but should. Natalie Portman plays against type as a pretty-but-she-doesn’t-know-it cashier at a grocery store whose friendship with the pre-teen at the center of the story is downright charming.
Number Twenty-Seven: X-Men: First Class
This is an infinitely better reboot than the Wolverine flick from 2009 with really wonderful performance by Michael Sheen as Magneto and James McAvoy as Charles Xavier. A great genesis story with immense potential for future films in this series.
Number Twenty-Eight: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
A dazzling modern day noir directed with great care by David Fincher. Its main fault is that it was done masterfully in Sweden previously. It’s a startling film where the bigger production is skillfully showcased on snowy white landscapes and small European locales, but what makes the film a worthy remake is the acting. Daniel Craig is every bit as suave as he’s ever been while Stellan Skarsgard is reserved yet devilish, Christopher Plummer’s face is devastating as a man who is haunted and Rooney Mara offers a praiseworthy performance of Lisbeth Sandler that differs from Noomi Rapace’s in the Swedish films.
Number Twenty-Nine: Source Code
Duncan Jones made the serene yet morally ambivalent Moon a few years back and this time around he’s delivered a off-the-rails mind bending adventure that makes your heart race and your mind work overtime. This could have been a paint-by-numbers action flick here today and gone tomorrow, but there are several layers to the film and Jones meticulously crafts the situations without confusing the audience but challenging them at the same time.
Number Thirty: Hanna
Another under-the-radar film filled with intrigue, action and bristling performances by Cate Blanchett and Saoirse Ronan (from Atonement and The Lovely Bones). If marketed differently, this could have found filled multiplexes in the summer months. Hanna is a skilled and emotionally involving film that is a surprising crowd pleaser.
Number Thirty-One: Pearl Jam Twenty
In celebration of the Pearl Jam’s twentieth anniversary, friend and filmmaker Cameron Crowe has created a festive, invigorating and highly affecting love letter to them entitled Pearl Jam Twenty. Make no mistake, this was done as a partnership between him and the band, however, it also houses several thorny moments in their career that other acts would choose to gloss over or refuse to even acknowledge exist. This is precisely why Pearl Jam Twenty is more than a run of the mill music documentary. It doesn’t merely tell you an A-Z story or even cover the writing and recording of every album, but it explores the band’s soul and how they managed to make it through two decades of inconceivable triumph and equally extreme trauma. READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE
Number Thirty-Two: From the Sky Down
Looking back two decades on their celebrated reinvention, U2 recounts and discusses what makes them tick. The breadth of Davis Guggenheim’s film (best known for the Oscar winning Al Gore documentary on the environment An Inconvenient Truth) is wider than your typical music documentary. The scope of the film is grander, more mysterious and earnest than a straightforward documentary would normally be. U2 achieved more than anyone could have imagined with Achtung Baby. They didn’t just create a weighty record that sold millions of copies and influenced a whole generation of artists but its release allowed the band to reinvent themselves. This film takes us inside the nightmare of reinventing themselves, the creation of “One” and how more than two decades later the same four individuals are still trying to push the envelope.
Number Thirty-Three: Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol
I never imagined that the fourth Mission Impossible film would be its best. It serves up a perfect balance of intrigue, sly humor and truly awe-inspiring action sequences.
Number Thirty-Four: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
A worthy conclusion to a film series that if anything was underrated critically. Years from now we'll look back on the films with awe and wonder at just how high of a quality these films were made and with break-neck speed over a decade.
Number Thirty-Five: Another Earth
A young girl makes a mistake that derails her life path and that of another man. Years later, she seeks out the man to make amends but she doesn’t know how. However slowly, the two grow closer, but she harbors a secret that could unravel everything. There’s an added dimension to the film where a second Earth appears in the sky. These two parallel stories intertwine and slowly come together in an invigorating final act. This low-budgeted science fiction film houses ideas which are more grand than any Michael Bay action sequence.
Number Thirty-Six: Trust
David Schwimmer of Friends fame tells a twisted tale of dual identifies and manipulation. This is a disturbing film about online friendships that will cause parents to lose sleep. So as to not ruin the plot of the film, I will only tell you that Clive Owen’s performance as the father of a teenage daughter is unhinged in just the right places. Owen’s transformation from a successful ad man to an angry father full of rage to a vulnerable and fragile shadow of his former self is tough to watch. This would make a dour yet devastating double feature with We Need To Talk About Kevin.
Number Thirty-Seven: A Better Life
The guilt within ate at me while watching this film. The little things we take for granted are triumphs for hard working immigrants; buying a car, an unexpected gift for your child and the pride in a job are all on display here. When the Oscar nominations for Best Actor included Demián Bichir people were surprised, but happy. Bichir’s performance is full of strength, terror and above all else, heart. He’s a good man trying to make a better life for his son and we follow his journey over a few gut-wrenching days that derail his current existence.
Number Thirty-Eight: Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Werner Herzog captures one of the world’s great discoveries in mouth-gaping 3D. Even without the 3D it’s still an awe-inspiring view of the treasures uncovered on our own planet.
Number Thirty-Nine: The Help
Viola Davis astounds in this film as does Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain and Emma Stone. It’s a powerhouse of a story elevated by the gut wrenching performances by these four women. I would have nominated all four if possible.
Number Forty: The Descendants
George Clooney will probably win the Best Actor Oscar and it’s well deserved as he balances the emotion of dealing with a wife in a coma, a rebellious daughter, impossible in-laws and the news that his now coma stricken wife was cheating on him. I adore Alexander Payne’s previous films (Election, About Schmidt and Sideways) and The Descendents is a very good film, but I rank it lower on this list simply because I love the aforementioned ones more.
Number Forty-One: The Music Never Stopped
This was an incredibly touching story about the healing power of music that slipped through the cracks. A father and an estranged son come together through music -specifically the Grateful Dead. The son has a condition that does not allow him to make new memories and despite their differences in the past, the father does everything he can for his son and somewhere along the line, despite the fact that new memories can’t be produced, they create a bond that is unbreakable. The song “Touch of Grey” appears several times throughout the film and its last appearance is the most freeing.
Number Forty-Two: Attack the Block
Why is it alien invasions always seem to take place in America? The team behind Attack the Block changed this viewpoint as London is invaded and their street gangs face the alien invaders head-on. There is a cultural difference in the film that may not translate to everyone, but it’s thrilling, highly comedic and spins the sci-fi genre on it’s head in a absolutely inventive film.
Number Forty-Three: A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas
This is highly hysterical film where they truly utilize the 3D medium and poke fun of it as well. You may be inclined to roll your eyes, but each Harold and Kumar film delivers big laughs and this one could become a cult classic any time of the year.
Number Forty-Four: Thor
While it didn't ascend to the heights I had hoped, the film has too much for me to like. The script is lacking but Kenneth Branagh steers the story well enough to make you impressed with the special effects and become emotionally involved with Thor, his family and those he spends time with on Earth.
Number Forty-Five: Crazy, Stupid, Love
A surprising romantic comedy that wasn’t what I expected. Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Marissa Tomei and Ryan Gosling are all top-notch. I came to care for these characters and each actor, despite the lighter material, really shines in a film that easily could have been undistinguished but is eminent by their ability to make the audience believe their romantic struggles.
Number Forty-Six: Contagion
Stephen Soderbergh can create tension like few others in film. Every time I go to open a door in public it makes me want to wash my hands immediately after seeing Contagion. A horror drama with an A-grade cast directed and edited with great gusto.
Number Forty-Seven: The Debt
Oscar winner John Madden tells a tale taking place over a thirty year period where a trio of agents attempts to capture a former war criminal but when it goes awry, they plan a cover-up. The films best scenes involve Helen Mirren, Ciarán Hinds and Tom Wilkinson as adults coming to terms with their past.
Number Forty-Eight: Warrior
If you loved The Fighter then I’d suggest Warrior. I don’t want to ruin the plot for those who have not seen it, but this is much more than standard action fare, but a fighter story with heart that I guarantee you
Number Forty-Nine: Paul
Take the male leads from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz and throw in an alien voiced by Seth Rogen and you have a highly entertaining film. It may reach the heights of the two aforementioned films, but Paul is still highly enjoyable and not your standard sci-fi fare.
Number Fifty: Rango
Johnny Depp voices a wholly unique computer-animated film about a chameleon that is misplaced and winds up in a western town where he’s made sheriff. This is the film most deserving to win the animated Oscar.
Number Fifty-One: Everything Must Go
Will Ferrell plays a man who loses his job, has his wife leave him and finds out he must sell all of his belongings within a twenty-four hour period. Based on a Raymond Carver short-story this film gives new meaning to having a bad day. However, Ferrell in a more restrained performance anchors the film with both humility and heart. Films like these remind us that even though we may be in dire straits it is momentary and we can strive forward.
Number Fifty-Two: Limitless Limitless may be cinematic fluff for many, but I was rather enthralled with the execution of the story. It kept me guessing, took me places I did not expect and ended in a way I had not foreseen. Bradley Cooper flexes his acting chops here and is more than a pretty face. He leads the pulsating beat of the story.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter
Peter Gabriel is an artist whom I turn to in my darkest hours. He reminds me of those dark times which fuel me during my better days. He's a prophet of the human heart for both the lovelorn and the scorned. He has an inherent ability to whisper a secret in your ear that's prophetic and simultaneously create a song so captivating you can't help but smile when you hear it. Since the release of Us in 1992, he has released one proper solo album, Up ten years later in 2002. The years in-between there were scores for films, dozens of songs for individual soundtracks (which should be released in a box set), numerous recording sessions, collaborations (notably OVO and Big Blue Ball), a brilliant live album (Secret World Live), a handful state-of-the-art DVD's and concert tours. To me there are two Peter Gabriel's, the patient perfectionist who will not let go of a creation until it suits his vision and the stage performer who brings these tales of wonderment, heartache and longing to the forefront of our minds. As painstakingly produced as his records are, the songs burst to life on the stage complimenting their studio counterparts. It's as if one single live performance can send you back scurrying to the album to see what other songs passed you by when you weren't paying attention.
For an artist who is so sacred about his proper albums (he technically has released a mere seven solo albums in thirty-four years), it came as a surprise to me when he released Scratch My Back in 2010. Intended as a partnership where he covered certain artists' songs and they in turn would do one of his. While a handful of acts took Gabriel up on his offer and challenge, many did not due to schedules. I adore Peter Gabriel and he's one of the few acts I've ever met who I felt it was a necessity to tell him what his music meant to me and how it pulled me through the bottomless morass of gloom. I never ask for a picture or an autograph when I happen to be in the right place at the right time, but there was something inside of me that had to tell him the positive impact his body of work has had on my life and how I am a better person because of it. Fortunately I was clear eyed and sober and (hopefully) put my point across without venturing down the path of fandom. I tell you this because I found Scratch My Back a difficult album to digest. Nearly two years later I still don't enjoy listening to many of the songs and arrangements. Even more befuddling was that Gabriel reunited with producer Bob Ezrin who manned the boards for Gabriel's self-titled debut in 1977. When Gabriel has covered someone in the past, I often find the song definitive. His cover of Joseph Arthur's "In the Sun" is striking. So is Arthur's, but there's something hypnotic about the rhythm Gabriel brought to his adaptation that makes you feel dangerously alive, which leads to my main issues with Scratch My Back; the arrangements. In a daring and bold move Gabriel decided to record these songs with an orchestra and leave out all drums and guitars. Gabriel helped bring world music to the northern hemisphere's attention. He didn't just infuse his own work with it, but he opened Real World Records as a label so these distinctive and gifted groups could be heard. The rhythm and nuanced guitars that color by best work are absent on Scratch My Back and as breathtaking as his vocals are, I can't help but feel something is misplaced. Scratch My Back became the first Peter Gabriel album I admired more than loved.
As I mentioned earlier, there's the perfectionist in the studio and then the artist who takes the songs to the people on the road. Without long-time bassist/stick player Tony Levin and guitarist David Rhodes beside him, I wasn't sure what to expect or whether or not the show would be as spiritual as the one's I have previously seen before and yet the show was a high point of my concert going in 2011. The concert had an accomplished series of musicians (dubbed the New Blood Orchestra) bring his covers and many of his well known hits to the stage. It was the introduction of his originals that brought the shows to life. The emotive "Father, Son" was accentuated beautifully by the orchestra and several other deep album cuts proved to be an unexpected treat for many long time fans. I didn't expect to be moved by these renditions, but I was taken as deep into his music with the New Blood Orchestra. They embellished the songs with more beauty and horror than I could ever imagine. As I left the United Center in Chicago, there was a bit of pain within as I knew that this show deserved a far wider audience than turned up to see it. Fortunately now, they will have their chance with two stunning new releases that are more than mere stop gap releases and they magnificently showcase the patient perfectionist and the stage performer.
A live DVD and a CD of reinterpreted songs (done in the studio) share the title of New Blood. The DVD was shot over two nights at London's Hammersmith Apollo in March of 2011 with the New Blood Orchestra. There is a 3D version of the DVD that once again puts Gabriel ahead of his contemporaries in the home video market. Forever the innovator, Gabriel is always embracing new technologies to present his art. I unfortunately did not see the 3D presentation, but if the DVD release is any indicator, it probably stands alone from all other music video releases. Even on the standard DVD release the orchestra jumps out at you with Gabriel digging deep into his catalog for this special occasion. The sound is extraordinary; the pacing of the set exhilarating and the overall execution of the show carries an emotional resonance not found on a simple covers album. Surprisingly, only three songs from Scratch My Back make appearances here. When he came through the US, "'Heroes'" was riveting opener and is missed on the DVD/Blu-ray. That being said, the rest of the performance is near perfect with Gabriel weaving his way through three decades of cult hits. "Intruder" and "The Rhythm of the Heat" roar with the orchestra taking on a Godzilla like presence whereas "Mercy Street" and "Wallflower" perfectly compliment their studio cousins. Of the covers from Scratch the most wondrous was "The Book of Love" originally used in the US remake of Shall We Dance. Here the lovely orchestra embroiders the naked voices of Gabriel and his daughter Melanie. "Downside/Up" also features Melanie and Gabriel playing off one another in a arrangement that I would say surpasses the original found on the Millennium Dome project/album OVO from 2000. There was the unexpected performance of "The Drop" from 2002's Up. The solemn piano piece closed the record leaving a devastating atmosphere more shattered than before. Here the orchestra provides dimensions to the song that may be more appropriate.
The presentation of these songs often reminds me of avenues Bruce Springsteen has ventured down where he dramatically reinterprets his songs for certain tours. Many acts do this usually at least once in their career, but few truly succeed in creating something as gripping as the original. Gabriel has achieved a rare feat as he has managed to create alternate universes for these compositions. His meticulous presentation of these songs within the album context is undeniable, but he found the right arrangements and presentation for several of these songs and thirteen of them made it to the album, New Blood, not to be confused with the DVD/Blu-ray release of the same name. After shifting through much of his catalog over the last year where he reinterpreted his songs for the orchestra, Gabriel and conductor John Metcalfe went into the studio and re-cut fourteen songs. Thirteen appear on the standard version of the album and the deluxe edition has a disc full of instrumentals with a bonus track of the unfurling ache of "Blood of Eden", which I really wish had found its way onto the standard album. "Digging in the Dirt" was one of the toughest songs for the New Blood Orchestra but they found a way to reinterpret it and the sting of "to find the places where I got hurt" is as burly as ever. "San Jacinto" begins with a grave piano flourish and around the three-minute mark, he begins to hoist his voice in a performance where the strings compliment the rippling emotions he stirs up. The orchestral and vocal arrangement of "Intruder" calls to mind paranoia. When I saw the concert in Chicago, "Wallflower" was the song that made me realize this was more than a simple ego trip but an artist painting in different hues. The New Blood rendition of "Wallflower" is definitive. It originally appeared on his 1982 record Security (Peter Gabriel 4 around the world except for the US). The computerized drum track on Security dates the track a bit where as on New Blood the orchestra compliments the song but never overpowers it. The inner poignancy with two backing voices finds the heart of the song. With his inventive concerts, flashy state-of-the-art videos and adventurous studio creations his gift as a lyricist is often overlooked. "Wallflower" reminds us of this hidden and often unappreciated talent. One track isn't exactly a song, "A Quiet Moment" features the sound of nature, birds and what feels like a breeze off an ocean before "Solsbury Hill" comes on. Gabriel didn't want to include this song here but did so for the long-time fans that would most likely scream bloody murder if he didn't, so he separated from the other twelve cuts so it appears at the end like a true encore.
In a weird twist of fate, there's once again oddly nothing from Peter Gabriel II his sophomore disc which often goes unrepresented in when it comes to live performance and compilations. However every other album is represented with four songs represented by his best selling record, So. "In Your Eyes" is the album's most jovial arrangement with the strings hailing the sun to reveal itself even on what could be the cloudiest of days. "Mercy Street" features an arrangement of great relaxation while "Red Rain" is feverish with piano and violins scurrying across the speakers like a storm in the sky. "Darkness" from 2002's Up is ominous in its arrangement but this time around, Gabriel's lyrics (arguably one of his five best as a lyricist) can be discerned. On Up they're disguised by frenzied distortion. "Darkness" is a prime example of where both renditions are integral and offer the listener two different but equally riveting glimpses of his heart and mind. There are two songs from OVO, the soundtrack to the Millennium Dome Show in London released in 2000. Despite being under the radar to virtually everyone except Peter Gabriel fans, he has continued to perform many of the songs in concert. This release of "Downside-Up" is actually the song's third as it was on OVO and then a live version was on 2003's Hit. I'll go on record that the New Blood version is warranted and definitive. "The Nest That Sailed the Sky" was the only instrumental orchestral song performed on the tour, often as the evening's final version with Gabriel behind a piano. It's inclusion on New Blood makes complete sense as he was striving to give New Blood a album feel however there is little difference between the OVO cut and this one.If I had one minor reservation about the studio release of New Blood it would be its length. With so many of the arrangements previously worked out on stage, I long for more. "The Drop", "Biko" and "Washing of the Water" all are stunning eye-openers on the DVD/Blu-ray. Reinvention is rare these days but Peter Gabriel makes it look easy on New Blood.
Peter Gabriel may take his time with his studio records but New Blood is every bit as invigorating as his best solo work. It's a cue to the incredible vastness his small body of work possesses. There's no time frame on when he will next tour or release new material and New Blood is more than a stop gap release or footnote in his career but a bold and critical reinterpretation of one of music's greatest songbooks. Throughout both the live DVD and studio album, Gabriel's naked voice shines through on these cuts reminding us that his ghostly voice is one of rock's greatest instruments. The voice alone is enough to make you stand up and take notice. To Gabriel's credit, he didn't go for a streamlined greatest hits approach. Instead, he took the songs that benefitted the most from the New Blood Orchestra arrangements and cut them in the studio. As a result, the New Blood album is an extraordinary reintroduction for much of his audience and a celestial detour for his most staunch and devout followers.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter
For some off reasons, this one hit me today. Cliff died at 24 and he's officially been dead longer than he was alive. But his legacy and his music continue to thrive. You would be hard pressed to find an active rock band whose legacy touches as many continents as Metallica and much of it has to do with their first three records.
Despite barely being aware of music when he tragically passed, rarely has a day gone by in recent decades where I don't think about him or the music he contributed to. Master of Puppets is without question one of my most essential albums and my deep appreciation of Rise the Lightning grows every year. It's devastating to think of what he would have continued to bring to not just the world of music, but to the world at large.
I can't suspect what may or may not have happened, but all I can say is I am happy to live in a world where we've been fortunate enough to be graced with his presence and more importantly, where we can still revel in his music. God bless you Cliff wherever you are.
Read my review of Joel McIver's superb bio on Cliff HERE
Read my 25th anniversary review of Ride the Lightning HERE
Read my review of Mick Wall's bio on Metallica, Enter Night, HERE
Read my review of Bill Hale's photography book on Metallica's early days HERE
The world as we knew it changed. Everything changed. Everyone likes to think they changed the world but the Beatles are the only act I honest to God believe truly did this.
I wrote about these Ed Sullivan shows in 2010 at THIS LINK.
The Screen Door's Favorite Album’s of 2011 By Anthony Kuzminski
Music for the last several decades is more than an art form to me, but an essential limb. Besides being the soundtrack to my life it’s also a crucial entity as imperative as a liver or heart to the body because of the simultaneously blissful and calming effect it provides, I’m passionate about music and at the end of a day, I like what I like and I write about it in the hopes someone will possibly look at an artist, song or album in a framing they had not imagined before. We come to the end of another year and I give you yet another list. As you can glance from my list below, it’s anything but cool, but it lists the music that meant the most to me in the last twelve months. These albums serenaded me when the going got tough and they also liberated me when it was most needed. With each passing year, the album continues to lose its grip on the music buying public and artists have often allowed it to slip further from their grasp often completing inconsistent works at best. Make no mistake, as you can see from my runners-up list at the bottom, there was a lot of good to very good music in 2011, however fewer LP’s contain top-to-bottom greatness. What I have listed below are my ten favorite records of the year with an honorable mention. Only one album was christened with four-stars (see #1) but the rest are all equally enlightening,
I know I have a few choices which will send them into a state of shock. I’d like to tell you that I think the new Florence + the Machine and Feist albums are among my ten favorite records of the year, but they’re not. For the record, both are exquisitely beautiful in their own way, but the truth is I listened to Britney Spears and Natasha Bedingfield’s albums much more and song-for-song found greater pleasure in them than the two aforementioned critics favorites. Does this mean I have bad taste in music? Possibly, it might also mean I’m willing to let my freak fly in public and simply state what didn’t just move me emotionally but physically as well. One of the most intrinsic beauties about music is how often we embrace it. If I go over my Top-Ten films on any given year, there are a few I saw only once and may see less than five times in the next decade. But an album is more portable; in the car, on a plane, running, commuting to and from work, etc. It allows for a deeper introspection and these songs seep their way into your head and heart in ways you never could have imagined. A song may appear on the radio, in a film or simply on shuffle and on that particular day, it opens windows that transcend our existence. Songs like “Shake It Up” by Florence and the Machine and “Till the World Ends” by Britney Spears can mean different things on different days and despite the hollowness of a lyric, it may strike you in a way that doesn’t make just your day but your life. What I have below is a non-conventional list of the music I adored in 2011. Some of it is cool, some of it’s not but at the end of the day, my advice is to not let the taste makers define your music experience, but rather your heart. So without further adieu, my ten favorite records of 2011;
Number One: Patrick Stump – ‘Soul Punk’
Patrick Stump’s Soul Punk is an extension of his very soul. Besides writing and producing the entire album, he performed every single instrument on it. If that isn't enough for you, he footed the bill for the entire project signifying how much he believes in these songs. This isn't an ego trip but a reflection of an artist in the truest sense of the word. Stump is a virtuoso who wanted to do more than simply step outside of familiar terrain but was hell bent on reinventing himself in the process. Despite winding tales of quiet menace and despair, the album's finest tracks ignite your inner spirit. "Coast (It's Gonna Get Better") culminates the ten song journey on an affirmative note with a repeating chorus that invades your mind while "Spotlight (New Regrets)" is a hymn of empowerment. Soul Punk is a triumph in pop production where Stump's forthrightness turns an agnostic into an advocate; he expands the pop spectrum in a way few of his contemporaries would even dare. No record released in 2011 better exemplifies the world we live in. Despite numerous warning shots to the soul, its melodic throb infects the listener. From self-empowerment to infidelity to despondency to addiction to hope this record is bursting with life lessons. Patrick Stump's Soul Punk isn't just a daring and revelatory detour but the bravest and most remarkable album released in 2011. Patrick Stump has crafted ten exquisite songs which illustrate an artist who has and continued to experience ache and uncertainty, yet his unrelenting belief in himself ignites not just his soul but his music as well. There is an acute awareness of reality here and it lifts the album to another plane where pop music rarely resides. Read the full review HERE
Number Two: Robyn – ‘Body Talk’
I’m cheating here, but for good reason. I mentioned Robyn’s EP’s in last year’s “Best of” list and yet I never fully embraced Body Talk until this past year. The actual album (which houses exclusive songs and mixes) was released in December of 2010 and I spent all of 2011 listening to the record (and the aforementioned EP’s). Robyn invades your body, mind and soul with pensive lyrics and euphorically charged dance grooves that are engrossing. Body Talk spins around your mind and your feet. She does for the dance floor misfits what Springsteen does for the blue collar steel worker; she encapsulates their existence perfectly with songs about dreams amidst a lingering atmosphere that could lead down to either the road of redemption of the hell of heartbreak. Body Talk is a personal triumph; a rare synth-pop record where it’s equally danceable and emotionally devastating.
Number Three: Adele –‘21’
Nothing needs to be said about 21. The voice, the pining, the heartache and the exuberant arrangements have made one of the most enduring albums of the decade. It’s funny how record executives complain about how the internet ruined music, and yet 21 was released in the UK one month before it was in the US and yet piracy is a non-issue here. There was only one music video for the first eight months. The tour was limited to smaller venues. Her interviews and award show appearances were minimal. Every rule that big music management has laid before its clients to ensure monstrous record sales she turned down. So how did this record sell over ten-million albums (and counting)? Its simple-the music. It’s raw, real and incredibly well crafted. Let this be a lesson to the music industry everywhere, it you create a record that is top-to-bottom great and feed not just your imagination but your soul as well, people will want to not just steal or stream it, they’ll want to own it so they can feel closer to the music.
Number Four: Jo Wymer – ‘Living With Scars’
Listening to Jo Wymer's debut CD Living with Scars is akin to having a cold bucket of water thrown upon you as you are in a hibernating sleep but also is as warm as a fire on a winter night. She doesn't just take us inside her world, but lays out the mental secrets and personal distress which we try and often fail running from. Most of life's greatest tragedies come out of never letting go of the past however Wymer embraces her life and uses it as a stepping stone which she has risen above. Jo Wymer comes off as one who has lived life, breathed it in, learned many dear lessons and is sharing them here. The record, which covers the spectrums of rock, pop and blues, is full of contemporary clarity whereas so much music is drenched in nostalgia making us yearn for something long gone. Instead of questions and ache, there's a deep resolve in the lyrics that's sexy as hell. Most artists are fragile souls who still haven't found their groove, their inner peace or who even fully understand who they are. What makes Living with Scars such a revelatory listen is her brazen confidence with which she delivers the songs. Her voice is husky, yet sweet. It could easily overpower the arrangements but it doesn't. However she is able to remind one of such stinging emotions you can't help but be daunted. The album is a study of light and darkness as she takes us down her harrowing hallways of heartache, desire and ultimately redemption. Jo Wymer is New Jersey’s answer to Adele with a deeper well of experience and stories to draw on. Read the full review HERE
Number Five: Lindsey Buckingham –‘Seeds We Sow’
Most people probably don’t have a desire to listen to Buckingham outside of the constraints of Fleetwood Mac and that’s a shame, because on Seeds We Sow his songwriting has reached new heights. Delivered in a dreamy foyer where pictures come alive, his lyrics find a way to steep themselves within. The devilish musical arrangements are unyielding yet memorable and above all else Buckingham proves that he may very well be at his best when he holds the dial back. “That’s the Way Love Goes” is as gut wrenching as anything he’s ever done with Fleetwood Mac and his cover of the Rolling Stones “She Smiled Sweetly” is lilting and as pure as a first kiss. Seeds We Sow is a truly top-to-bottom gorgeous record that should be the soundtrack to our dreams and desires.
Number Six: Butch Walker & the Black Widows – ‘The Spade’
The Spade is an operatic look back at Butch Walker’s life with stories and sonics that are equally abounding. Textured guitars, proverbial melodies and a monolithic rhythm section make us feel like these are songs buried in the back of our brains from another time and place. "Summer of '89" is a joyous romp you can't help but love wholly upon your first listen. The upbeat "Drunk Day", written for his father, is harrowingly endearing musically but it cuts through you when you sit back and really listen to the lyrics ("Push through the dark like that underground train") and the slide guitar reminds me of "Sleepwalking" from the 1950's even though it sounds nothing like it. It breaks hearts in two just by the guitar’s echo in its breathtaking finish. Walker’s well of inspiration is boundless as he finds a way to blend, country, rock, pop, blues and rhythm and blues into his own intoxicating concoction. Like a master of cinema who grips different styles and genres of film making with ease, Walker is an artist who is always evolving.
Number Seven: Ryan Adams – ‘Ashes and Fire’
This is Adams most straight forward record and it’s a truly alluring one at that. Comparing it to other works in his catalog is a fruitless exercise, because what we have here is an engaging record you can wholly immerse yourself in. His knack for lush lyrics is on display but the spare arrangements make the listener feel as if they are hearing his heartbeat race. The electric guitar is mostly absent in place of entrancing atmosphere of striking minimalism. If you open yourself to the spare arrangements, you discover that Ashes & Fire is a slow burning record, where the songs slowly evolve from acquaintances to friends. I proclaimed Ryan Adams the “Artist of the Decade” over at antiMUSIC a few years back because song for song no one else was as consistent or as fertile. I’m not sure if he’s ever sounded more confident or assured than he does on Ashes and Fire so for your next road trip or late night listening, dive deep with this record and discover a new friend.
Number Eight: ‘Drive’ (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
There is an 80's inspired synth-pop soundtrack that should sound dated but isn't. Drive is simultaneously a nightmare and a dream evoking the feeling of undying love while throwing the sick and violent nature off the real world in your face. Composer Cliff Martinez created soundscapes that echo the underlying and bristling emotions within the film. Chosen for his work on the indie break-thru sex, lies, and videotape from more than two decades back, Martinez once again delivers a score full of restraint that's icy as it is alienating. We've come to associate scores that are ostentatious, exacerbated and manipulating but Martinez has crafted a series of mood pieces that tie-in directly with the story and its characters. If you don't pay attention close enough, you may not even notice his musical touches which is truly the highest compliment I can give. Instead of a walloping crescendo of strings, Martinez compliments a hypnotizing universe in constant motion with subtlety.
The score is complimented by five songs. The opening title sequence features "Nightcall" by Kavinsky, an electronic musician from France. The marriage of music and film on these opening titles is esoteric. We're not sure where we are being taken or what roads will be traveled, but the early distorted vocals add an element of darkness before Lovefoxxx acts in contrast to the monstrous machine-like vocals at the beginning. It foreshadows what is to come. Chosen by the editor of Drive, Matt Newman, it sets the perfect tone for what is to come. "Under Your Spell" by Desire, a synth-pop group from Montreal calls to mind wistful fantasy. The music moves beyond words thus taking you into a dreamlike state. Watching the song onscreen induces a feeling of déjà vu. It feels wholly familiar but isn't. It could have been from an 80's film but instead it appears here for the first time in nearly three decades later. It houses an air of innocence and within the confines of Drive, its genre busting. The film's climax is "A Real Hero" by College which repeats itself throughout the film, notably at key transitional moments for Gosling's character. David Grellier is the driving force behind College and he roped in Electric Youth for "A Real Hero". The song is gentle yet distinctively 80's. Greillier is someone who was influenced by 1980's pop culture and created a song that is wholly original and yet has an affectionate and distinctive feel to it. From the second it penetrates your ears, it sounds like the greatest song you've never heard that could have been a long lost club cut or even a song you heard in a previous life. It's perfect in every way imaginable. The songs within Drive are not ones I would have initially paid attention to outside of the context of the film but within it they come across as soulful hymns as they root out thee character's agony and elation. \ You may not know it but Drive is more than 2011's best film; it is also the most transfixing and arousing soundtrack of 2011 as well.
Number Nine: Natasha Bedingfield – ‘Strip Me’
This record came at me from the least expected of places. Due to some clever uses of the songs within film trailers and during movie credits, I sought it out. The album didn’t even crack Billboard’s Top-100 and yet, I find it to be an elating ride down the corridors of reflection and self-awareness. This is a more defiant album than Lady Gaga’s Born This Way. It may be front loaded with greatness and even though its consistency dips towards the back half, her vocal delivery is primordial for a pop record. It’s not a showcase for her to show you her instrument but a tool she utilizes to mesmerizing effect. I didn’t feel as if I was listening to songs but someone who was expressing something. Polish and multi-layered production can’t diminish her Spartan voice. “A Little Too Much”, “Strip Me” and “Neon Lights” find the narrator bursting back to life with a sense of empowerment. It may be cliché and paint-by-numbers, but she sells it better than anyone. We view pop stars as Shakespearean tragedies. Their talent is sacrificed for the masses and dollar signs. But what if someone can articulate themselves through the sheen of the glistening pop? Natasha Bedingfield pulled it together, did it her way and through it all you hear her tenacity. At the core of Strip Me are self-empowering lyrics broken down to the most essential elements. I feel alive, indomitable and believe I can accomplish anything listening to this record. On the track “A Little Too Much” she ends the song with a poignant yet gut wrenching lyric that you hear loud and clear, “I’d rather love just a little too much”. Bedingfield casts a spell on her listeners on Strip Me where she aims squarely at the heart. I don’t just hear someone coming into their own as an artist, but someone who has grasped their inner soul.
Number Ten: Britney Spears – ‘Femme Fatale’
Femme Fatale is a collection of twelve full-bodied dance songs that clock in at a mere 44-minutes. Max Martin and Dr. Luke have created a sweat filled anthology of infinitely infectious songs dripped in bigger-than-life beats and paired with melodies so sweet they can place the listener into a pop music coma. The tempos are so heated and booming they can even make the whitest of white men hit the dance floor even if the world is not ending. It’s easy to view the first arc of Spears career as slight but since her well manicured comeback beginning in 2007, she’s surrounded herself with the best of the best in terms or writers, arrangers and producers. It’s the quintessential album for stone faced clubbing souls who really just want a little bit of human touch. These are records music purists like me should be appalled by, but the songs had the reverse effect on me; I was spellbound. The pounding “Big Fat Bass” is absorbing and further escalates the tension between her and the listener. “How I Roll” with its unremitting clapping beat and its magnetizing chorus should have found itself worthy of an A-side single and video. Ultimately Femme Fatale is both a triumph and a tragedy. Its construction is so unyielding it warrants a placement on this list, but it’s also simultaneously heartbreaking because for the music purists, it’s merely a glimpse of the potentially great records Spears could be making only if she would divulge a bit of what’s in her head and her heart.
Honorable Mention: Peter Gabriel – ‘New Blood’
Peter Gabriel may take his time with his studio records but New Blood is every bit as invigorating as his best solo work. It's a cue to the incredible vastness his small body of work possesses. There's no time frame on when he will next tour or release new material and New Blood is more than a stop gap release or footnote in his career but a bold and critical reinterpretation of one of music's greatest songbooks. Throughout both the live DVD and studio album, Gabriel's naked voice shines through on these cuts reminding us that his ghostly voice is one of rock's greatest instruments. The voice alone is enough to make you stand up and take notice. To Gabriel's credit, he didn't go for a streamlined greatest hits approach. Instead, he took the songs that benefited the most from the New Blood Orchestra arrangements and cut them in the studio. As a result, the New Blood album is an extraordinary reintroduction for much of his audience and a celestial detour for his most staunch and devout followers.
Runner’s Up (In Order):
Airborne Toxic Event – ‘All At Once’; Matt Nathanson – ‘Modern Love’; Noel Gallagher- ‘Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds’; The Joy Formidable-‘The Big Roar’; Danger Mouse-‘Rome’; Lady Gaga – ‘Born This Way’; Tennis-‘Cape Dory’; Beastie Boys-‘ Hot Sauce Committee Part Two’; Shelby Lynne – ‘Revolution Road’; SuperHeavy-‘SuperHeavy’; Michael Monroe- ‘Sensory Overdrive’; The Black Keys- ‘El Camino’; Whitesnake-'Forevermore'; My Morning Jacket-‘Circuital’; The Horrible Crowes- ‘Elsie’; Fleet Foxes-‘Helplessness Blues’; Wilco-‘The Whole Love’; Ellie Goulding-‘Lights’; Motörhead-'The Wörld Is Yours’; Anthrax- ‘Worship Music’; St. Vincent-‘Strange Mercy’; Florence & The Machine-‘Ceremonials’; Noah and the Whale -'Last Night on Earth'; Raphael Saadiq-'Stone Rollin''; Indigo Girls -'Beauty Queen Sister'; Foo Fighters-‘Wasting Light’; Foster the People-‘Torches’; Avril Lavigne-‘Goodbye Lullaby’; Miranda Lambert-‘Four the Record’; Pistol Annies –‘Hell on Heels’; Alice Cooper-‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’; Feist-‘Metals’
