The French electronica duo compose an original modern soundtrack to the classic Georges Méliès film from 1902 to coincide with the recently restored hand-colored version. This two-disc set includes the new soundtrack on the first disc and the restored movie with Air's accompanying score on the second disc. This review is based solely on the first disc as I was not able to obtain a copy of the second disc in time for this posting.
For those who haven't seen Martin Scorsese's Oscar-nominated film Hugo, the subject of Méliès creating this breakthrough movie is brilliantly covered in the flashbacks of that film so go out and see it already! The album lasts over 31-minutes in length which means the disc features expanded versions of their score as the original movie only lasts about fifteen minutes.
The music itself has a strong, organic ambient/downtempo base--even more so than a typical Air album--that creates a very transcendent atmosphere buoyed by their use of traditional instruments like the cello and classical piano. Three of the tracks feature female vocalists (the first of which has Victoria Legrand from the band Beach House) although it's more like subdued spoken word segments than traditionally sung lyrics.
Overall, it's a very entrancing soundtrack that fans of the band should enjoy immensely. As a most wordless soundtrack, the album does a wonderful job in creating a 'spacy' atmosphere that works especially well as background music. This set is limited to 70,000 copies globally so pick yours up while you still can.
Score: 9/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Astronomic Club" [sample it below], "Parade" and "Lava"
Roberta Flack Let It Be Roberta - Roberta Flack Sings The Beatles
The classic R&B chanteuse best known for her 70's hits like "Killing Me Softly (with His Song)," "Feel Like Making Love" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" releases a disc covering twelve songs by the Fab Four.
It's a well rounded mix of songs Flack decides to cover on this disc picking well known singles like "Hey Jude" and "Let It Be" as well as a number lesser known B-side tracks like "If I Fell" and "Isn't It A Pity."
Unfortunately, while the collection of songs exhibits an eclectic taste, Flack does little to make the songs her own especially on the best known songs. The arrangements on these tracks feature simple, stripped down melodies in a vanilla adult contemporary style which is a major disappointment especially since these are classic songs that have already been covered dozens, if not hundreds, of times before.
On the lesser known tracks Flack shows greater imagination by doing more with the arrangements to make the song her own. The sad part is that most of these tracks come at the end of the album such that you have to sit through the more monotonous songs to get to the ones worth listening to.
Flacks vocals are still strong and, as you would expect, the main draw to this album. It's unfortunate that not enough time was spent working on the arrangements to make the song better exhibit Flack's inherent talent. The album I was most looking forward to this week turns out to be one of the bigger let downs of the year.
Score: 4/10
Song(s) to Sample: "I Should Have Known Better" and "The Long & Winding Road"
The Fray Scars and Stories
The alt rocking Colorado quartet release their first album since their sophomore 2009 self-titled disc that went gold. This album has twelve tracks but there is a deluxe edition available on iTunes with five additional songs.
The album opens with their already released single, "Heartbeat," in which frontman Isaac Slade seems to be channeling his inner Chris Martin even more so than on their previous works, especially during the chorus.That song, like the majority of the album, goes down easily but I don't sense this release has as much replay value as either their debut or their second album.
The switch to uber-producer Brendan O'Brien (Bob Dylan, AC/DC, Pearl Jam, Korn) causes the guitars to have a more dominant role in the usually piano-driven songs. It's a slightly updated sound for the band although I'm not quite sure they needed to change.
Score: 6.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "The Fighter" [sample it below] and "Run For Your Life"
Dr. Dog Be The Void
My apologies to F. Scott Fitzgerald, but in my younger and more vulnerable years (i.e. about 8 years ago) I went down to San Diego to see a concert. The opening act was this raucous indie/psy rock band from Pennsylvania that played with so much positive energy and emotion that me and my friend had to buy their album which the band members--after some shocked looks--were kind enough to autograph for us.
That band, if you couldn't guess, was Dr. Dog. Unfortunately, their studio albums have never come close to matching the infectious energy of their live shows--at least, not until now. Be The Void finally captures the fun and excitement that I remember all those years ago. Granted, a studio album cannot recreate the fun of actually going to see a band live but there was magic in that live show which they were never able to capture on their discs.
Their jangly, guitar-driven songs sparkle on this release. Frontmen Scott McMicken (lead guitar), Frank McElroy (rhythm guitar) again share lead vocal responsibilities with the whole band lending a hand during harmonies. The songs are written and produced much more competently with tracks like "These Days" featuring rich layering and slick production work while still maintaining the band's customary lo-fi sound. Finally an album that I can put on that showcases what I remember from the band all those years ago.
Score: 8.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "That Old Black Hole" [sample it below], "These Days" and "Get Away"
Unfortunately, while the collection of songs exhibits an eclectic taste, Flack does little to make the songs her own especially on the best known songs. The arrangements on these tracks feature simple, stripped down melodies in a vanilla adult contemporary style which is a major disappointment especially since these are classic songs that have already been covered dozens, if not hundreds, of times before.
On the lesser known tracks Flack shows greater imagination by doing more with the arrangements to make the song her own. The sad part is that most of these tracks come at the end of the album such that you have to sit through the more monotonous songs to get to the ones worth listening to.
Flacks vocals are still strong and, as you would expect, the main draw to this album. It's unfortunate that not enough time was spent working on the arrangements to make the song better exhibit Flack's inherent talent. The album I was most looking forward to this week turns out to be one of the bigger let downs of the year.
Score: 4/10
Song(s) to Sample: "I Should Have Known Better" and "The Long & Winding Road"
The alt rocking Colorado quartet release their first album since their sophomore 2009 self-titled disc that went gold. This album has twelve tracks but there is a deluxe edition available on iTunes with five additional songs.
The album opens with their already released single, "Heartbeat," in which frontman Isaac Slade seems to be channeling his inner Chris Martin even more so than on their previous works, especially during the chorus.That song, like the majority of the album, goes down easily but I don't sense this release has as much replay value as either their debut or their second album.
The switch to uber-producer Brendan O'Brien (Bob Dylan, AC/DC, Pearl Jam, Korn) causes the guitars to have a more dominant role in the usually piano-driven songs. It's a slightly updated sound for the band although I'm not quite sure they needed to change.
Score: 6.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "The Fighter" [sample it below] and "Run For Your Life"
My apologies to F. Scott Fitzgerald, but in my younger and more vulnerable years (i.e. about 8 years ago) I went down to San Diego to see a concert. The opening act was this raucous indie/psy rock band from Pennsylvania that played with so much positive energy and emotion that me and my friend had to buy their album which the band members--after some shocked looks--were kind enough to autograph for us.
That band, if you couldn't guess, was Dr. Dog. Unfortunately, their studio albums have never come close to matching the infectious energy of their live shows--at least, not until now. Be The Void finally captures the fun and excitement that I remember all those years ago. Granted, a studio album cannot recreate the fun of actually going to see a band live but there was magic in that live show which they were never able to capture on their discs.
Their jangly, guitar-driven songs sparkle on this release. Frontmen Scott McMicken (lead guitar), Frank McElroy (rhythm guitar) again share lead vocal responsibilities with the whole band lending a hand during harmonies. The songs are written and produced much more competently with tracks like "These Days" featuring rich layering and slick production work while still maintaining the band's customary lo-fi sound. Finally an album that I can put on that showcases what I remember from the band all those years ago.
Score: 8.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "That Old Black Hole" [sample it below], "These Days" and "Get Away"
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