Le Monde de Aidin Vaziri: March 2008

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Pop Quiz: Moby

Aidin Vaziri | After providing the soundtrack for numerous car commercials for the past decade, Moby gets back to his ecstatic dance-music roots with his stellar new album, "Last Night," which attempts to capture the thrills of an entire night out in just an hour. If nothing else, the disc should permanently detonate the image of the man born Richard Melville Hall as a clean-living, intellectual, dogmatic vegan and devout Christian. Well, for the most part, anyway. He called from his apartment on New York's Lower East Side to fill us in on his latest after-hours adventures.

Moby
Q: There was recently a story going around that you were doing so many drugs that you had to go through therapy.
A: Those were two unrelated things. I had a long clean-and-sober period. I went about nine years without drinking and doing drugs, and in the mid- to late '90s, when I sort of got back off the wagon, I kind of got back off the wagon with a vengeance. I found myself really drinking way too much and taking too many drugs and staying out too late and doing all sorts of bad things. That was also around the time I started going to therapy. I guess maybe they're related, but until you mentioned it I never saw the two things as related.
Q: So what's the lesson here? Everything in moderation?
A: Unfortunately, I don't think I've ever learned that lesson. I understand on an abstract level how that could be the case. I would never advocate excess, but I would say, in my case, there's a lot to be said for excess. Again, for better or worse, a lot of my literary and musical heroes have been people who also pursued things to excess.
Q: Haven't most of them died?
A: Yeah. We all die eventually. Continue reading.

Review: R.E.M.

R.E.M. 'Accelerate': Aidin Vaziri | Masochists, idiots, people born without heads? It's hard to imagine who still cares about R.E.M. these days. After a string of albums so inconsolably mediocre they were starting to make people think they had vastly overestimated the grandeur of the Athens, Ga., band's flawless first decade (they hadn't), there is no way anyone actually expected an about-face from its 14th studio album, "Accelerate." While several optimistic reports have suggested otherwise, the truth is that the new disc is ultimately another disappointment. Is it better than its predecessor, 2004's lifeless "Around the Sun"? Yes, but so is that song that has a bunch of dogs yelping along to "Jingle Bells." With the guitars turned up, arrangements condensed and Michael Stipe (left, performing in Texas on March 12) once again sounding awake, "Accelerate" certainly tries to make up for the quality-control free-fall of the past few years. Produced by Jacknife Lee (co-producer of U2's "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb"), it sounds crisp and features a couple of standout moments, including the midtempo "Hollow Man," which finds the singer actually sounding repentant: "You have placed your trust in me/ I have gone upside down." But in the willfully noisy, lyrically trite tunes that dominate the disc, such as "Living Well Is the Best Revenge" and "I'm Gonna DJ," the band merely sounds as if it's grasping at relevance while delivering what is, in fact, its ninth- or 10th-best release.

Tina Dico Goes West

Dico tours stateside: Aidin Vaziri | Like Sia and Jose Gonzales, Tina Dico first gained international fame as a guest vocalist for the English down-tempo duo Zero 7. But the Danish singer-songwriter, now living in London, has a thriving solo career back home, where she has won Grammys, released four solo albums and racked up multiplatinum sales. With her latest, "Count to Ten," she hopes to convince people in the States that she's not all whispered vocals and slow-motion electronic burbles. "It was a bit of a detour for me to do the Zero 7 thing," said Dico. "It was such an adventure to start my touring career at the very biggest venues, straight into the caviar and Champagne. But musically it was far more electronic than what I do myself." Her new, self-produced record is especially raw, with songs like "On the Run" and "Sacre Coeur" mixing warm acoustic passages with dark-hued beats. "It seems a little more honest and mature and to the point," Dico said. "I've taken the songs from the very first chord to the mastering. It feels very deep."

Pop Quiz: Steve Miller

Aidin Vaziri | Steve Miller wasn't all that crazy about Seal's cover of "Fly Like an Eagle." "I was real disappointed because I thought it was kind of just like my version," he says. "But I wasn't that disappointed because I think he sold a million and a half copies." Not that Miller needs the help. Since penning a string of hits, including "Space Cowboy," "Rock 'n' Me" and "The Joker" in the '70s, the Steve Miller Band's songs have been blasting nonstop out of car stereos, jukeboxes and karaoke bars.

Steve Miller
Q: You kind of stopped making albums in the '80s. Did you think you weren't good-looking enough to get on MTV?
A: Television does make me sweat. You know, during the '80s there was a very hard campaign against groups from the '70s, so I took a break after "Abracadabra." I was off the road for about five or six years, and that's when I found out I wasn't really happy unless I was writing music, playing music, having a band, performing and doing those things. It took a while to figure it all out.
Q: Do you remember any point in the past 40 years when your songs weren't on the radio?
A: No, I don't. I've always lived in little towns where there's really not much radio, but I'm always surprised when at the end of the year I get my ASCAP rewards and the airplay has gone up, like, 20 percent more. It just doesn't make any sense, but some psychologists did the research for the radio station owners, and I must have been lucky because they keep playing me.
Q: The best part is that you're totally unrecognizable to the general public.
A: I can generally go to my own concert, stand in line and buy a ticket, and nobody would know who I am. It really is like that, and that's a good thing. Continue reading.

Review: Gnarls Barkley

Gnarls Barkley 'The Odd Couple': Aidin Vaziri | There are rumors about people flying to Thailand to request full lobotomies in the hope of eradicating "Crazy" from their lives. That hasn't discouraged Gnarls Barkley from returning with a second album of songs built on the same basic formula: futuristic hip-hop beats, Cee-Lo Green's sad-sack Stax vocals and an irresistible retro-soul sheen. There are variations, to be sure. Some of the tracks on the Grammy-nominated duo's new disc are faster ("Run"), slower ("Surprise") or a touch more ominous ("Charity Case") than the prototype, but you have pretty much heard this stuff without actually having heard it. And for all the unbridled creativity on display, it's still hard not to walk away without smelling the vague stench of novelty in your hair.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Pop Quiz: Danity Kane

Aidin Vaziri | The drama goes well beyond the screen for Danity Kane, the platinum-selling girl group born out of the third season of Sean "Diddy" Combs' MTV reality series, "Making the Band." Recently, Aubrey O'Day called to fill us in on all the commotion that led to the group's sophomore album, "Welcome to the Dollhouse," which includes the club-friendly new single "Damaged." The San Francisco native also took on some of the better tabloid stories that have trailed her on her fast rise to fame.

Aubrey O'Day of Danity Kane
Q: Last summer you told TMZ, "I don't really know what's going on with Danity Kane." Did you and your band mates nearly come to blows?
A: We had a lot of internal problems at that point in time, from a manager who quit on a text message to a financial adviser who was on the front cover of the newspaper going to jail for tax evasion. We were out on the road and didn't have any tour support. So when you're not seeing your family for months at a time - and you're starving and everything seems to be falling apart - you start to look inward, and it's Q: There were some stories going around for a while that you were pregnant with Diddy's love child. Are all the rumors about you that good?
A: I've heard a lot, but I don't think I should say them. The pregnancy rumor with Puff was the first big thing, and after that it kind of skyrocketed. To me, it gets to a point where it's just that you have to laugh at it. If you don't, it ends up eating you up inside. At the end of the day, I know the only person I have to answer to is myself. Continue reading.

Reviews: Nine Inch Nails, Now! 27

Nine Inch Nails 'Ghosts I-IV': Aidin Vaziri | Nine Inch Nails stunned its fans by dropping its latest album online two weeks ago. Following Radiohead's pay-what-you-want lead, newly free agent Trent Reznor (left) offered the first nine of the 36 songs from "Ghosts I-IV" as free downloads with a PBS telethon-style opportunity to upgrade to the rest of the set for $5, add a CD for $10 or buy a series of packages with all kinds of extra content starting at $70. Unfortunately, the 2,500 copies of the "ultra-deluxe limited edition" box for $300 sold out before we even had a chance to fire up the computer. Just as well, since "Ghosts" is hardly a conventional Nine Inch Nails album in any sense. It's a two-hour, four-part suite made up of 36 instrumental tracks flitting between melancholy piano passages and bursts of white noise with lots of funky interludes in between. What's missing is Reznor's voice, that primal instrument that over the years has so brilliantly brought together the industrial clatter with wounded proclamations such as, "I will make you hurt." Without the black-clad front man working himself into an absolute lather, this sprawling set seems not only unfocused but also unfinished. There's a good album somewhere amid all this ambient landscape, aching for someone to howl all over it. But without the military rule of an actual record label pushing him, Reznor has failed to find it.

'Now! That's What I Call Music 27': Aidin Vaziri | Everyone thinks pop music is busted because record stores are closing, labels are folding and radio plays only 20-year-old songs by Billy Idol and Tears for Fears. But this latest chart sampler proves that things have never been better. The 20 tracks are nothing less than epic - Britney Spears' "Piece of Me," Timbaland and One Republic's "Apologize," Kanye West's "Flashing Lights," Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music" - even Fergie's "Clumsy." Sorry. All that's missing is Gwen Stefani's stratospheric remix of "Now That You Got It." Even in the glory days of 1998, these compilations were saddled with some filler thrust forward by a third-rate ska band. Here, even the so-called rock tunes, such as Paramore's "Crushcrushcrush" and Boys Like Girls' "Hero/Heroine," are laced with heavy pop sugar. Does anyone have a transformer that can make me a teenage girl again?

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Live Review: The Ting Tings and The Duke Spirit at the Rickshaw Stop, 03/10/08

A taste of what's in store at SXSW: Aidin Vaziri | The Duke Spirit offered up a set of sinister, seasick tunes like "My Sunken Treasure" and "The Step and the Walk," coming across a bit like an old Siouxsie and the Banshees record played at half-speed. "More Brits in the building, can you handle it?" singer Liela Moss asked at one point, somehow making the greeting sound like a threat. "You're lucky you got all the good ones." No doubt, the Ting Tings are one of the most exciting imports of the year. The Salford duo's shouty electro-pop singles, like "Fruit Machine" and "Great DJ," are decent enough but hardly hint at their breathless live show. As singer-guitarist Katie White flailed across the stage and drummer Jules de Martino kept the rhythm behind a pair of mirrored aviator glasses, the group tore through a delirious set that included all their previously released material (there's not that much yet), plus a new song that sounded like the White Stripes covering New Order. Continue reading.

Pop Quiz: Chris Thile of The Punch Brothers

Aidin Vaziri | Why didn't someone think about mixing bluegrass, jazz and classical music together sooner? Chris Thile, former mandolinist and singer for the Grammy-winning band Nickel Creek, is doing it with his new outfit, Punch Brothers, and the result is totally mind-blowing. Maybe part of the lure of the group's first album, "Punch," is the emotional 40- minute, four-part opus called "The Blind Leaving the Blind," which documents Thile's divorce from his fashion-designer wife, Jesse Meighan, after just 18 months of marriage. Or maybe it just has to do with the virtuoso's complete disregard for musical rules. We caught up with Thile backstage at "The Tonight Show" and asked him.

Chris Thile
Q: Have you run into any good celebrities in the green room?
A: I haven't really scoped it out. I know we are on with two striped hyenas, a mountain lion and two baby leopards, one of which I've already petted. Those are a couple of our co-stars.
Q: Are you feeling like you need some cuddly creatures in your life after the past few years?
A: Let's see: There was the dissolution of my ill-fated marriage. There was the riding off into the sunset of Nickel Creek. But I was actually glad that something finally started to happen. My life had gone so well the first 22 years, it was high time something happened that made me feel something aside from the pleasure of getting the metronome up to 180 beats per minute.
Q: Do you think divorce made you a better artist?
A: It made me a more dedicated artist. It made me realize my relationship with music is indestructible. I feel like I'm a growth on the body of music, whether it wants me there or not. That became even more apparent to me during the breakup and afterward. Continue reading.

Live Review: A Fine Frenzy at Cafe Du Nord, 03/04/08

A Fine Frenzy proves she's for real: Aidin Vaziri | A year of hard touring - this was her fourth or fifth Bay Area appearance - has only brought A Fine Frenzy back to one of the smallest venues Alison Sudol's seen since she first hit the road. Despite supporting Rufus Wainwright, doing Letterman and Leno, and getting her songs placed in series like MTV's "The Hills" and ABC's "Big Shots," the porcelain-skinned Seattle native's album has failed to get the kind of traction that typically keeps the major labels happy. Her personality and charm should be more than enough to carry her for now. And if that doesn't work, she's got "Almost Lover," the song that has been her persistent almost hit since the album's release last summer. There's a new radio-friendly remix of the lovely fluttery tune that's currently streaming on A Fine Frenzy's MySpace page that seems primed for an iPod advertisement, so maybe Virgin hasn't given up hope. Continue reading.

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Review: Goldfrapp

Goldfrapp 'Seventh Tree': Aidin Vaziri | Her robotic disco stylings apparently made a big impression on Madonna, who took cues from both her brittle digital music and perverted fashion sense. Now former Tricky collaborator Alison Goldfrapp and studio partner Will Gregory are out to throw the Material Girl and everyone else for a loop, offering an album that replaces sleazy dance grooves with ruminative acoustic guitars. It doesn't sound like a wise career move on paper, but one listen to the sublime "A&E" and it's hard to argue against it. On "Seventh Tree," Goldfrapp goes organic, lending her smoky voice to a selection of atmospheric down-tempo pop tunes, such as "Little Bird" and "Happiness," that are beautiful beyond compare. And if it all proves a bit too tame for those who are used to hearing her songs in bondage clubs, rest assured that in her most recent promo photos the singer is seen hugging a gigantic owl.

Pop Quiz: Tommy Guerrero

Aidin Vaziri | Much to the chagrin of public servants and the administration of the old McAteer High School near West Portal, Tommy Guerrero spent most of his youth shredding the streets of San Francisco with the famous Bones Brigade skateboarding crew. Retiring from the sport in 1995, he helped found Real/Deluxe Skateboards and eventually returned to his first love: making music. This year, the new father celebrates a decade of making bluesy lo-fi instrumental funk with "Return of the Bastard."

Tommy Guerrero
Q: You're a huge Herbie Hancock fan. Were you the only person in the world who was happy to see him win a Grammy?
A: I hope I wasn't the only one. I didn't watch the Grammys but was seriously blown away when he won. It was like subreality. Have you heard the album? It probably has Christina Aguilera on it.
Q: It has Norah Jones and Corinne Bailey Rae. Close enough.
A: See, it's like the Santana thing. That's the only way; it's got to be completely accessible to win something like that. That's my assumption, anyway.
Q: Have you ever won a Grammy?
A: No, I haven't gone triple platinum either. When I first decided to do this, I just hoped the label would make its money back, the $1,500 or whatever. That was my hope.Continue reading.

Review: Jack Peñate

Jack Peñate 'Matinee': Aidin Vaziri | He may be only 23, but on his devilishly melodic premiere album Jack Peñate joyously channels the lush, hyperactive soul of ancient British pop acts such as the Style Council, Housemartins and Aztec Camera. For people with a certain nostalgic bone, "Matinee" is really a work of wonder; a disc piled high with wind-chime rhythm guitars, percolating ska rhythms and unapologetically lush falsettos. On the album's best tunes - "Spit at Stars," "Torn on the Platform" and "Learning Lines" - the hopelessly romantic singer breaks through life's dark clouds with such urgency that you know that, as much as he's enthralled with the sounds of the past, his head and heart belong squarely to the future.