Now that we’ve passed a third of the way through 2008 taking a look back at albums that I overlooked seems like a reasonable thing to do.  I guess the reason I didn’t pay attention to the February release of Watershed was because it’s been over eight years since she did an album of her own music. Her duets with Tony Bennett were interesting because of the melding of two sets of amazing pipes, but it’s really most interesting when an artist creates their own work versus interpreting others thoughts. Watershed finds lang in a mellow mood, so mellow that it encroaches on somnambulant as the album at times. None the less it’s good to hear her back with her own music.

“Once in a While” and “Close Your Eyes” are outstanding tracks. The former is a simple straightforward love song that may be the best song to come from lang since “Constant Craving”. The latter veers toward hypnotic as her voice takes you into dreamland. The one-take feel of “Jealous Dog” finds lang completely comfortable with her own voice, no need for studio magic to embellish the songs sardonic sentiment.

Lang’s album, Watershed, proved worth waiting for.  She mastered the lesbian love song years ago, and this album is testament to her skill set. The album feels like a natural expression of her innate musical sensibilities. A banjo here and a drum machine there all make perfect sense. What might account for the genuine, picture perfect production is the fact that lang produced the album and that’s the first time she’s done that on a studio album.  After more than 20 years of recording, she has a keen sense of how she wants to sound and lead her excellent backup band. The only bone I have to pick with Watershed is the lack of any really up tempo songs. It may be the perfect accompaniment to a rainy, dreary Sunday afternoon but it’s certainly not party music.  I give k d Lang’s Watershed a B+.

Meijer has caved in to an extremist hunting group in order to punish the Humane Society for being opposed to dove hunting in Michigan. Read Wayne Pacelle's (President & CEO The Humane Society of the United States) letter. 

https://community.hsus.org/humane/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=23703103

The Frightened Rabbits second album The Midnight Organ Fight puts them somewhere between early U2 and REM when they were at their best. It’s lead singer Scott Hutchinson's earnestness, which mixes with his Scottish vulgarity, to surprisingly come across with an engaging kindheartedness. With his emotions on his sleeve and the band providing the soundtrack, The Midnight Organ Fight becomes Scott Hutchinson's chronicle of lost love and meaningless sex. But it's his completely convincing anguish and blunt lyrics that elevate the album from good to great. There’s no sugar coating here and if you are paying attention to the lyrics it may not make for completely comfortable listening, but nothing this straightforwardly candid and stout ever is.

The album's opener, "The Modern Leper," starts out with an ordinary acoustic riff, quickly picking up momentum and building to a climax with Hutchinson begging his love to reveal her true self: "Are you a masochist?/ To love a modern leper on his last leg." “I Feel Better” is a brilliant attempt at closure, set to spastic strumming and drumming. When our storyteller sings “This is the last song I write about you,” he is superficially convinced, but inside it’s clear he’s trying to believe what he’s saying. Frightened Rabbits are another example of a band where the drummer is not in the background, Grant Hutchison’s beefy drumming is a highlight throughout the album.

Although they are an atypical and somewhat cerebral pop band, the best thing about Frightened Rabbit is their complete lack of pretentiousness. In a time when far too many  artists are trying desperately to find something outrageously experimental to differentiate themselves from the crowd, it’s refreshing to hear Frightened Rabbit’s physically powerful, straightforward songwriting. Frightened Rabbit have survived the dreaded sophomore slump and followed their debut with an impressive, interesting album. I give Frightened Rabbit’s The Midnight Organ Fight an A-.

If you like classic rock and yet are tired of hearing the same old stuff THE RACONTEURS have created an album just for you. In Consolers of the Lonely you can hear hints of The Moody Blues, the Status Quo, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, the Stones, the Who, Led Zeppelin, MC5, Badfinger and even the Beatles. Matter of fact a party game would be to listen to the album and shout out the influences you can identify. They manage to include these diverse influences without sounding completely derivative. The album has the feel of a live performance that is a half a step away from a total meltdown. 

Highlights include ‘You Don’t Understand Me’, featuring a great piano hook and Beatlesesque harmonies.  ‘The Switch And The Spur’ is a cowboy story set to music. ‘Pull This Blanket Off’ is shortest song on the album with a vocal over piano and minimalist electric guitar. The cover of Terry Reid’s ‘Rich Kid Blues’is the best track on the album. It starts out like a self-pitying dirge, before it turns into something that wouldn’t sound out of place on Who’s Next. The final track “Carolina Dream” is reminiscent of Bob Dylan in his electric days. It’s not all good stuff though there are several songs could have been left off. ‘Hold Up’ is an example, it’s irritating and sounds like an outtake that should have been left in the studio.

The Raconteurs Consolers of the Lonely is on some levels a trip in the Way Back Machine for those of us who were around when classic rock was new, yet it manages to do it without being “Stairway to Heaven” boring. I give The Raconteurs Consolers of the Lonely a B.

Some music challenges the listener, some music requires getting past your initial reaction, some music requires several listenings before you figure out what the artist is trying to accomplish. Dodos are a duo from San Francisco that requires much from the listener.  It took me multiple plays before Visiter began to click with me. Logan Kroeber's percussion is front and center in every song.  It’s not many bands where the drumming is a lead instrument and that may be some of why their music is an acquired taste.  Dodos music requires the listener to be engaged, it requires thinking and it requires multiple plays before it starts making sense.

Joe’s waltz is the albums high point.  Waltz tempo is not a common meter for rock music. The syncopated rhythms of Dodos show they don’t always choose the easy way out.  The feverish pace on some of the other songs approaches overly demanding, but that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.  ‘It’s That Time Again’ is a New Orleans funeral march and "Ashley," shows off the more delicate side of their music , merging muted  drums with quiet finger picking and female background vocals.  The instrumentation is as creative as the music.  These guys include baritone ukulele, toy piano, banjo and occasional horns and backup vocals, but it's more about how they interlace imaginative changes, great melodies, and interesting rhythms into an album that runs almost an hour in length without becoming tedious.

Sounding reminiscent of a lot of groups but not copying anyone, this is an album worth spending some time with. Not easily accessible but worth the effort once you get your arms around it.  Visiter is an album that will I suspect be one of the more memorable albums of 2008. I give the Dodo’s Visiter an A-.