State College, PA - Central Pennsylvania Links - Home of Penn State
 |
 |
Music Reviews
Coldplay Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends (Capitol): Who says
Coldplay is cold? That may be the critical rap against the British
band. But it's a rap that's dispelled on Coldplay's new chart topping
album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends. In fact, with its
lush and swirling acoustic-electric sound, Coldplay sounds downright
warm. That's due, in part at least, to the sonic landscapes of
producer/electronic musician Brian Eno, who's concocted similar
soundscapes for acts like U2 and Paul Simon. That music with lots of
heart tugging melodic hooks and ripe rhythms seduces you. It also
blurs the sometimes pretentious lyrics about death and all of his
friends, recycled revenge and self pitying characters who say, Just
because I'm losing/Doesn't mean I'm lost. In fact, the music, which
also features wordless vocal harmonies and slicing strings, is so
magnetic and so thoughtful, it manages to blur certain phrases and
accent others. So when Chris Martin and company sing about Strawberry
Swing, the music really does swing. And when they moan that they're
lost, can feel their despair. Giant Sand Provisions (YepRock): If
you're a fan of innovative new alt country music by pioneers like
Lucinda Williams, Wilco or Gillian Welch, this new album by Giant Sand
is a must. Provisions is a dreamy, quirky, moody album that
transports you to an ever shifting musical landscape the kind where
heat seems to shimmer and float above the hot tar of a black road
surrounded by desert. Giant Sand really the project of
singer-songwriter Howie Gelb and a changing cast of musicians that's
included Victoria Williams, PJ Harvey and Neko Case creates lyrical
pictures that are as evocative as the liquid guitars and whispering
vocals: I look in your eyes and I surrender/And such surrender is
justified, is just one example on this album of short but rich songs
about a Stranded Pearl, The Desperate Kingdom of Loveand The New
Romance of Falling. Provisions is so rich; it's like a seemingly
endless landscape.