The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
| Posted: Happy-sad — that's the hallmark of She & Him. On a Tuesday afternoon in the basement studios of Capitol Records, She & Him was recording a volley of live tracks for a few radio station sessions. Singer Zooey Deschanel finished an umpteenth take of the duo's single I Could've Been Your Girl, and she felt that something was sounding a little false. "Do you have any ribbon mikes? We're just not used to sounding digital," she told the session engineer. "Maybe an RCA-77?" That specific taste in microphones showed her technician's ear – and the craftsmanship that goes into the winsome summery music she makes with longtime collaborator M. Ward. With the release of She & Him's fourth album, Volume 3, even once-skeptical audiences are coming around and admitting that they are real artisans of classic pop. She & Him began as a side gig carved out of Deschanel's and Ward's respective acting and solo musical careers in 2008, but the act has since become as big a venture as the duo's day jobs. As might be expected of an actor-fronted band, there was plenty of early groaning (it's hard to read much about the band without Deschanel's New Girl tagline "Simply Adorkable" popping up somewhere). But her voice was undeniable – a bright, resonant instrument with a hint of Patsy Cline – and Ward's pristine, tasteful arrangements conjured the AM of decades gone by. The robust and immaculately written Volume 3 should put any last grumbly holdouts on notice. The album is the duo's most "produced" yet, full of the old Hollywood string arrangements and brass lines and stacked harmonies that make a simple tune take on new shades. But it's also home to some of Deschanel's most acute and acidic songwriting. The first lyrics on the album, from I've Got Your Number, Son, are as self-aware a depiction of dysfunction as a songwriter can ask for: "What's a man without all the attention? Well, he's just a man ... who am I without all your affection? Well, I'm a nobody too." The jaunty, family-band singalong Together quietly implies that, well, love stinks and nobody really understands anybody: "We all go through it together, but we all go at it alone." "We're always talking about that mix of happy-sad, where a dark melody gets an upbeat lyric or vice versa," Deschanel said. "I love that Beatles song And I Love Her for that reason. I find sadness and strife to be so much more interesting with an upbeat melody." Of course, it's hard to hear a song like that or the album's single I Could've Been Your Girl without reading subtext from her recent real-life divorce from Death Cab For Cutie and Postal Service singer Ben Gibbard (a subject she doesn't talk about in interviews). But that very public pain lends some even darker corners to songs that on the surface seem aglow with nostalgia and sweetness. "People who say, 'There's no grit there,' have no use for someone like Sam Cooke or the Beach Boys," Ward said. "The productions are rich because her songs are rich." To listen to the duo tout the emotional virtues of diminished chords and the deep cuts of Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry (whose Baby gets a cover treatment on the album) is to hear two lifelong students of the best American songwriting at work. Yes, they know their arsenal of hipster-cute endearment is deep – watch Deschanel's vamping in her self-directed video for I Could Have Been Your Girl for proof. Few are immune: At Tuesday's session, one radio interviewer took his last seconds with the duo to have Deschanel record a congratulatory message for his daughter's recent track-team accomplishments. But She & Him knows that clean fun and serious skill aren't opposed in pop music. They're both necessary, and committed miserabilists can go jump in a lake. "I remember having this friend in school who said she didn't like the Beach Boys," Deschanel said. "And in that moment I knew we couldn't be friends anymore." – Los Angeles Times/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
| Posted: Detroit's Uncle Kracker, whose breezy pop approach has bred hits such as Drift Away and Smile, is in his hometown in support of his November album Midnight Special – his first for the Nashville indie label Sugar Hill Records after a 12-year run with Atlantic. The 38-year-old father of three is hoping to get a boost from his high-profile summer tour with old pal Kid Rock, which will kick off June 28 in Virginia. On parting ways with Atlantic "Things just weren't going the way both of us wanted it. It was time to do something different. I'd been with Atlantic my whole career, and I'd gone through different sets of people with every album. It was just time for somebody that understood ... "Where I'm at in my career, it was the best musical fit for me at Sugar Hill. They've got a pretty eclectic roster, and nobody there is trying to write your songs for you. It's very relaxed. They've had my back since I got there. I like being able to do what I want to do, whenever I want to do it." On being patient awaiting a single to hit "The good news is that I've been through that enough to know that happens. Some days you're scraping the bottom, sometimes you're on top. I know what it's like to be skunked, and I know what it's like to yank a few out of the water. I've been very lucky – and blessed – in that department. It keeps everything fun." On progressing as a songwriter since he started "Writing songs is a craft, and it's a technique that's more from the heart, not a studied thing. You can look at something and say, 'That's a perfectly written song,' and then there are others where it's like, 'Wow, that's horrible, how'd they do that?' but it still hit you where it counts, and you felt it. "Music's always been a soundtrack in the background of my life, for everything I've done. I can think back and remember a song for a certain time, even as far back as walking into Disneyland when I was a kid, songs that were played here and there." On rekindling his partnership with Kid Rock "We were on different paths for the last seven years. I helped him write a couple of songs on the last record. Lately, we've connected more than we had in a long time. We're gearing up for this next tour with ZZ Top, and I'm sure we'll be writing. "In the past, it always worked out that my record would come out and I had to tour, and when I was done his record would come out. The cycles never worked out. "But (last autumn) his record and my record finally came out pretty close to each other." — Detroit Free Press/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
| Posted: Slowly, but surely, Lab The Rat made its debut album a reality. THEY say, good things come to those who wait. Formed in 2004, indie rock outfit Lab The Rat began when vocalist Syarul Reza met his then-fiance Shahirah Aishah (now his wife and also vocalist in the band) at a recording studio in Shah Alam, Selangor. At that time, Syarul, who also fronts hardcore band Love Me Butch, needed an outlet to showcase his mellow side. Eventually, his brothers Syaril Zizi (guitar and vocals), Syaiful Nazri (drums) and friends multi-instrumentalist Nik Azwaa (keyboard and guitar) and Kech (bass) joined in to complete the band. "We started out as a family band then we added some of our friends to it. Then, it became a weekend thing for our band to get together and cover songs. Eventually, we got too excited about singing our own songs," said Syarul. "We saw the potential in our band and decided to perform for a bigger crowd. It was very cool," he remembered. In 2008, Lab The Rat was RM50,000 richer when it won the Global Battle of the Bands competition at Planet Hollywood in Kuala Lumpur. Since then, fans have been eagerly antipating the band's next career step, with original material and demos cropping up. In 2011, the band signed on to independent music label Laguna Records. An album release seemed eminent. However, the plan had to take a backseat due to the band's other commitments like full-time jobs, marriages and even children. As we found out, the members in the band work in various industries like transport, events, travel and even a coffee chain. While Shahirah sheeplessly raised her hand and said "homemaker". Syarul added the band also took its time in crafting songs to make up the album. "When we signed to Laguna two years ago, we knew we had to start working on our songs. We didn't have enough songs to release an album then. In the meantime, we were also playing shows to build our rapport and get some exposure for our band," he said. Even with the long intervals it took to release the album, the band still found the time to perform. Last year, it opened for American musician William Beckett (vocalist of the now-defunct The Academy Is ...) and pop-rock band Boys Like Girl during their showcases in Kuala Lumpur. Fans just had to wait – but thankfully, the band never lost sight in delivering an album. The band recently launched its debut album Love The Mission at the Venue in Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur. The eight-track album features some of the band's signature tunes like the catchy I Know, Unstoppable, and Send Us To Ukraine. Alongside tracks like the bluesy Airinna, it's evident that the band also found the time to redefine its sound. "We used to say that we're a pop folk-ish band. Over time, we became more of a feel good 1990s kind of band. Like Gin Blossoms! We're your friendly alternative band," said Syarul. Then, Kech quipped, "Fun rock!" Nik Azwaa said each member also had the opportunity to let their individual interest play a big part in forming the band's music shape. "Everyone is a songwriter with their influences," said Nik Azwaa. The ballad Airinna, for example, was written by guitarist Syaril for his young daughter. Syahirah said a family member, who is not part of the band, contributed to the song's inclusion. "It was Papa's (Syarul, Syaril and Syaiful's father) strong request to include a Malay song," she said. Ultimately, Syarul hopes listeners will find their own connection with the songs in Love The Mission. "The mission is about sharing our music. We want to showcase that you can be a family person, have a nine-to-five job and still make music!" said Syarul. The band members also said releasing Love The Mission means they can finally plan ahead with more gigs. "We're relieved! Finally, we can also start working on new songs!" said Shahirah. Lab The Rat's debut album Love The Mission is available online at store.lagunamusic.my. |
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