"Half Smiles" is, happily, a worthy final chapter. Ringing guitars fade in slowly on the opening "Everybody Thinks I'm a Raincloud (When I'm Not Looking)" and the meaty riff that kicks in suggests this farewell party will be an upbeat celebration of what once made Guided by Voices great. Songs like "Girls of Wild Strawberries," "Gonna Never Have to Die," and "The Closets of Henry" are reminders of Pollard's undeniable melodic gift, as he once again channels the best of British invasion pop into songs you'd swear you've heard somewhere before. The skippable filler that's plagued recent albums is noticeably absent.
Words are typically cryptic and opaque, but when the fantastic closer "Huffman Prairie Flying Field" fades out as Pollard repeats the soaring refrain "for far too long," the grand project ends, finally, with a touching self-awareness. ***** Mark Richardson
The Electras "The Electras" (Waterston Communications)
Garage Rock Veterans Against Kerry? Let's hope not, now that John Kerry's one-album stint with a '60s rock band called The Electras has been reissued. Kerry helped form the band as bass player in high school. The master tapes were unearthed recently by former members, all of whom swear the Chinned One earned his finger blisters during jam sessions.
The music is a standard Chuck Berry-Fats Domino combination, one that talented musicians of the time turned into bands like The Beach Boys, The Ventures and The Rolling Stones. You can tell immediately from The Electras' music, however, that its members were destined for stiffer professions.
Kerry's bass is actually one of the least awkward elements. The piano has some soul and the drumming is proficient. They should have ditched the maracas player, though, who is bad enough to sound more like some random person shuffling papers in the background. And the lead guitar player might be the biggest flip-flopper of the election year, slipping uncontrollably as he does between surf rock and plunky banjo tones.
After languishing for decades in obscurity, The Electras are now an official sidenote in music history. Let's just hope a sordid list of Electras groupies doesn't follow. ** (For curiosity value) Wayne Melton
Brand Nubian "Fire in the Hole" (Babygrande)
Persisting in the attention-deficient hip-hop genre for 15 years is a feat, but staying vibrant and creative proves harder still for Brand Nubian on its hit-and-miss fifth album. Formed near New York in 1989, the pointedly outspoken foursome was propelled to fame in 1990 with the debut disc "All for One," and not reunited until 1998 for the critically acclaimed commercial flop "Foundation."
Individual solo careers have put the four in such various roles as acting in HBO's "Oz" series and guest rapping for the likes of Talib Kweli and Dan the Automator. "Fire" brings them all together again as Brand Nubian. Its opening salvo "Who Wanna Be a Star?" highlights the rappers' staying power and street background atop a club-worthy track that pairs a Greek bouzouki with a loping bass line. Still advancing their Afrocentric outlook, Brand Nubian pepper lyrics with social and political critiques that target both systemic racism and black-on-black violence.
Though rarely novel, the production of DJ Alamo is crisp, pushing lyrics to the fore. Some recycled phrases fall flat yes, lots of words rhyme with "flow" but clever samples often make up for any lyrical deficiency. Check "Still Livin' in the Ghetto," which opens with a Spanish acoustic guitar that morphs into a scorching electric. On "Where Are You Now?" a simple piano loop and soulful chorus augment the tale of an estranged, imprisoned and embittered lover.
The group falters when playing it too militant (the shamelessly corny "Soldier's Story" reworks a tired allegory complete with marching cadence) or too sentimental ("Momma," an ode to maternity, was cliché at conception). But "Fire" shines whenever it strikes a balance. **1/2 Nathan Lott
Local Bin
Words are typically cryptic and opaque, but when the fantastic closer "Huffman Prairie Flying Field" fades out as Pollard repeats the soaring refrain "for far too long," the grand project ends, finally, with a touching self-awareness. ***** Mark Richardson
The Electras "The Electras" (Waterston Communications)
Garage Rock Veterans Against Kerry? Let's hope not, now that John Kerry's one-album stint with a '60s rock band called The Electras has been reissued. Kerry helped form the band as bass player in high school. The master tapes were unearthed recently by former members, all of whom swear the Chinned One earned his finger blisters during jam sessions.
The music is a standard Chuck Berry-Fats Domino combination, one that talented musicians of the time turned into bands like The Beach Boys, The Ventures and The Rolling Stones. You can tell immediately from The Electras' music, however, that its members were destined for stiffer professions.
Kerry's bass is actually one of the least awkward elements. The piano has some soul and the drumming is proficient. They should have ditched the maracas player, though, who is bad enough to sound more like some random person shuffling papers in the background. And the lead guitar player might be the biggest flip-flopper of the election year, slipping uncontrollably as he does between surf rock and plunky banjo tones.
After languishing for decades in obscurity, The Electras are now an official sidenote in music history. Let's just hope a sordid list of Electras groupies doesn't follow. ** (For curiosity value) Wayne Melton
Brand Nubian "Fire in the Hole" (Babygrande)
Persisting in the attention-deficient hip-hop genre for 15 years is a feat, but staying vibrant and creative proves harder still for Brand Nubian on its hit-and-miss fifth album. Formed near New York in 1989, the pointedly outspoken foursome was propelled to fame in 1990 with the debut disc "All for One," and not reunited until 1998 for the critically acclaimed commercial flop "Foundation."
Individual solo careers have put the four in such various roles as acting in HBO's "Oz" series and guest rapping for the likes of Talib Kweli and Dan the Automator. "Fire" brings them all together again as Brand Nubian. Its opening salvo "Who Wanna Be a Star?" highlights the rappers' staying power and street background atop a club-worthy track that pairs a Greek bouzouki with a loping bass line. Still advancing their Afrocentric outlook, Brand Nubian pepper lyrics with social and political critiques that target both systemic racism and black-on-black violence.
Though rarely novel, the production of DJ Alamo is crisp, pushing lyrics to the fore. Some recycled phrases fall flat yes, lots of words rhyme with "flow" but clever samples often make up for any lyrical deficiency. Check "Still Livin' in the Ghetto," which opens with a Spanish acoustic guitar that morphs into a scorching electric. On "Where Are You Now?" a simple piano loop and soulful chorus augment the tale of an estranged, imprisoned and embittered lover.
The group falters when playing it too militant (the shamelessly corny "Soldier's Story" reworks a tired allegory complete with marching cadence) or too sentimental ("Momma," an ode to maternity, was cliché at conception). But "Fire" shines whenever it strikes a balance. **1/2 Nathan Lott
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