The Scene reviews pop, punk, funk

Photo courtesy of Susan Blond, Inc.

Outkast: 2 for 1
By Evan Green
The Scene Assistant Editor

Outkast divides and conquers on its follow-up to 2000’s critically acclaimed “Stankonia.”

Outkast’s Big Boi and Andre 3000 each recorded solo albums that will be packaged together under the name “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.” Finding collaboration too easy, Outkast saw the solo ventures as a way to challenge its abilities.

The duo’s styles differ greatly on their respective albums. Big Boi’s “Speakerboxxx” showcases his distinctively laidback and skillful rhymes. Dre’s “The Love Below” finds him trading rhymes for crooning on many songs and channeling everybody from Sammy Davis, Jr. to George Clinton.

Big Boi’s “Speakerboxxx” opens the wickedly fast and varied “GhettoMusick.” The two minutes it takes to get to the verse is filled with polar opposites of music. The song swings from a hook that verges on being too frantic to organ laced interludes, but once the Big Boi unleashes his tongue twisting flow, the song pulls together.
Andre 3000’s “The Love Below” is a contrast to “Speakerboxxx.”

Dre’s opening songs “The Love Below” and “Love Hater” are a piano based, ratpack-esque ballad and an upbeat jazz number, respectively.

“ The Love Below’s” first single, “Hey Ya!” is an eclectic, rap/sung journey through relationships. The collection of acoustic riffs and synth bass make a sound that can lead listeners to “Shake it like a Polaroid picture.”

The most interesting song is “Take Off Your Cool,” in which Andre performs a passionate duet with the sultry voiced Norah Jones on a track with just an acoustic guitar and no bass line.

My only complaint about the albums is that they lacked a single that blew me away like “Stankonia’s” frantic romp, “B.O.B.” No song rose above the others to capture the full sonic assault and punk rock mentality of “B.O.B.”

Some may see this as a knock against Outkast, but others may find this applauds the new album’s solidity.

Fans of “Stankonia” will immediately appreciate “Speakerboxxx’s” recognizable Outkast vibe, but “The Love Below” represents the innovation they are known for.

Photo courtesy of hiphop.com

Japanese punks
By Evan Green
The Scene Assistant Editor

From the land of the rising sun comes a dark force in punk rock.

Balzac is the premier horror punk band in Japan, but the new CD “Beyond the Darkness” is its first full length release stateside.

This release is essentially a greatest hits record, a collection of songs from their past Japan-only releases. Some previously recorded songs were redone and produced by Misfits bassist Jerry Only for “Beyond the Darkness.”

These Far East punks can be seen as contemporaries of the Misfits, from the music to their appearance, complete with devil lock haircuts to the skeleton gloves, but they are able to come across as their own band.
Balzac takes a very classic horror punk approach: loud, fast, and macabre. Yet, their music extends beyond the campy B-movie horror themes that are synonymous with the Misfits. “Beyond the Darkness” dwells deep on themes of hopelessness and death.

“ There was life here once/ The tension, the harshness of life/ Lost in the flow of time,” sings Hirosuke on “Day the Earth Caught Fire.”

Amid a fury of drums and guitars, Balzac’s music comes across very melodically. Front man Hirosuke receives backing vocals help from guitarist Atsushi, bassist Akio and drummer Takayuki on most songs.

Balzac’s songs are well balanced, like the powerful shouts and chants which turn into harmonized “whoas” in the chorus of “The Bleeding Light.” Hirosuke’s gritty, just-gargled-battery-acid vocals provide a contrast to the much smoother and euphonic backing signers.

Atsushi’s guitar work seamlessly slides between brutally fast and heavy palm muting to the wailing solos that help further separate Balzac musically from the Misfits.

Songs are split with both English and Japanese lyrics. This represents the only drawback to “Beyond the Darkness.” Listeners may be turned away by Hirosuke’s unclear vocals.

The Japanese adds a certain appeal to the music. The staccato cadence of the multi-syllable Japanese words push up the intensity on songs like “Tomorrow”.

For Misfit’s fans looking for a group to carry on the band’s legacy or are looking to avoid the tired sound of rock radio, Balzac’s “Beyond the Darkness” is a ghoulishly worthy purchase.

Photo courtesy of rollingstone.com

Dave goes solo
By Bonnie Jacobsen
The Scene Assistant Editor

If you are as loyal as the most loyal Dave Matthews fan, you have already bought his new solo album and you have already memorized it.

If you are a big fan of the Dave Matthews Band and you love “Some Devil” it is probably because you love everything that is DMB. If you’re not a big Dave Matthews Band fan, you may still like this record because it is different from the Band’s other albums.

Quieter, more relaxed, less spontaneous, “Some Devil” features Matthews’ skills as a guitarist. As a solo artist, Matthews holds his own. As a songwriter, Matthews proves he will be remembered as one of the best of this era.

First of all, this is not jam music. No extended bridges, no huge ups and downs, but a steady pace of strumming acoustic guitar upon electric guitar upon acoustic guitar.
Matthews’ vocals are his typical style of talking in notes, singing in twisted off-pitches, but always matching the music perfectly, inviting the listener to participate in his mood.

The radio single from the album, “Gravedigger,” is one of the best songs on the album. Matthews questions his own life and death, begging to a gravedigger, “When you dig my grave/ could you make it shallow/ so that I can feel the rain.” The electric guitar exults in the background at breaks in his lyrics giving an eerie energy to the song, creating the mood that is captured in the name of the song.

Throughout the album there is melancholic pain in Matthews’ voice, evident also in his subject matter. The song “Some Devil” addresses the loss of another; whether by death, distance or estrangement does not matter.

He sings that “Some devil is stuck inside of me/ Why can’t I set it free/ I wish I was dead and you were breathing/ just so that you could know that some angel is stuck inside of me/ Why can’t I set you free.”

It is appropriate that Matthews named the album after the best written song on the album. “Some Devil” seems to let out his artistic frustrations; the album is an exhalation of his inner devils. The mood improves after the devil is released.

Trey Anastasio, of Phish fame, lends his electric guitar to “Grey Blue Eyes,” and other songs. This song is simple, really only a cacophony of Anastasio’s chords and synthetic sounds. The chords echo, almost overpowering Matthews’ voice.

But all is not lost. “Some Devil” is worth the money, even if you’re not a hardcore DMB fan. Dave Matthews puts his emotions on the surface of his songs, and composes music to complement those emotions.

Photo courtesy of J Records

DeGraw grooves
By Amanda Shaw
The Scene Editor

Gavin DeGraw’s chariot has arrived.

DeGraw’s first CD, “Chariot,” was released July 22 and debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard Heatseeker chart.

Its meaningful lyrics and unique melodies make this first timer’s CD seem like he really knows what he’s doing.

The actual CD is presented in a plain, unimposing format, with sketches that he drew. I was a little surprised with the insert, but eventually understood that it served a purpose. The visual impact was minimal, on white paper with no photographs. Because of such little visual influence, the listener must form his or her own ideas of what DeGraw is singing about.

With his situational lyrics, a listener can find it relatively easy for the music to become a part of his or her daily life.

Not only does DeGraw write all of his songs, he also does all vocals, piano and keyboards. His immense talent shines through on most of his songs.

The strongest songs on the CD are “Chariot,” “[Nice to Meet You] Anyway,” “Chemical Party” and “I Don’t Want to Be.”

“ Chariot” is a reflection of DeGraw’s search for something more. Its bluesy melody adds to the feeling of uncertainty.

“ Oh chariot/ I’m singing out loud/To guide me/Give me your strength.”

Perhaps the most entertaining part of “[Nice to Meet You] Anyway” is the mid-song dramatic break. DeGraw attempts to put it all out there for the special someone that he sings about.

“ So before this goes too far/ Let me tell you what you are/ You’re amazing, I’m attracted/But I’m terribly distracted/And I’m trying to be verbal/And I’m back into this circle.”

I really did not like the song “Chemical Party” when I first heard the CD. The more I listened to it, the more I felt that the beat made the song what it is. It adds a sense of urgency and sets the mood of a smoky, late night party. It is easy to put yourself right in the middle of the room and joining in the fun. The “la la la la” riffs at the end of the song help by adding a feeling of euphoria.

In “I Don’t Want to Be,” DeGraw attempts to identify where he came from, and who he is now. He eventually comes to the conclusion that who he is right now is just who he wants to be.

“ I don’t want to be anything other than what I’ve been trying to be lately/All I have to do is think of me and I have peace of mind.”

There really are not any bad songs on this CD. I played it on the drive from Omaha to Minneapolis and it kept me alert, awake and singing along the entire time. His words are well thought out and definitely well packaged.

His Nov. 10 concert at the Music Box with Marron 5 cannot and should not be missed.