As another Grammy Awards show has come and gone with nary a rock band anywhere to be found (although, hey, A Hero’s Death, by Fontaines D.C. highlighted in my first Rn’R in the 2020s post, got nominated for Best Rock Album), here’s a couple more rockin’ albums for you to consider in 2021.
First up, Wolf Parade’s Thin Mind. I had heard of these guys and one of my friends really likes them, but had never really listened to them but for a few songs on the radio. I’ll have to admit that the album cover caught my eye first in the local record store. Comic book artists Simon Roy and Hayleyglyphs designed the album artwork. It’s colorful and cool with peasant warriors, treehouse dwellings, and aliens?
Wolf Parade formed in Montreal in 2003 and also has roots in Vancouver B.C. Thin Mind, on the Sub Pop label, is the band’s fifth album coming after 2017’s Cry, Cry, Cry. They’re a trio now (former guitarist Dante De Caro does not play on the current effort) – Spencer Krug (vocals, keyboards), Dan Boeckner (vocals, guitar), and Arlen Thompson (drums). Current and former band members have been in other groups, notably Handsome Furs and Hot Hot Heat.
The album starts with the rocker “Under Glass.” “Julia Take Your Man Home” shows that this guitar band can slow it down a little and incorporate some synths that add to the sound texture. “Forest Green” is another driving force with energetic guitar and keyboards. “Out of Control” contains my favorite line of the album, “take a rocket to that planet that they changed their minds about”. “Static Age” and the closer “Town Square” both take you to a moving cresendo. Since I’m a sucker for that tubular synth sound, my favorite song is “Against the Day.” Take a listen:
I can’t help compare Thin Mind to the Districts’ You Know I’m Not Going Anywhere (see previous Music post). Wolf Parade’s album is a solid rocker by a guitar band that expands its sound with synths and other instrumentation. The vocals are strong with Krug and Boeckner both contributing equally throughout the album and together on “Against the Day.” The lyrics are thought provoking with a theme represented by the album’s title that the overwhelming amount of information in our society is giving us all a ‘thin mind.” It’s a consistent album with no weak songs, but also no real standout track. The more I listen to it, I discover a new nugget or two, so my feelings toward the album may grow over time.
D² Rating ◼◼◼☐☐
Instead of focusing on newer bands that I was not that familiar with, let’s go to Pearl Jam’s Gigaton. From 1991’s epic debut Ten, Pearl Jam has been at the top of the rock n’ roll world and for 30 years now of consistency still deserves that mantle. I have their complete collection of studio releases and have been fortunate to see them two times in concert. I enjoy most of their entire catalog, never fully embracing No Code or Binaural, although No Code’s “Present Tense” is a beautiful song. Gigaton holds its own against their other records and comes out ahead of recent releases Lightning Bolt and Backspacer.
Gigaton starts off with rockers and ends with the mellower numbers. First up is “Who Ever Said”, a classic Pearl Jam number with the rousing chorus of “whoever said its all been said gave up on satisfaction.” “Superblood Wolfmoon” adds some keys to the Mike McCready’s guitar providing a surprising, fresh, and stompy melody. “Quick Escape” and the blistering “Never Destination” fit right in the Pearl Jam wheelhouse with Eddie Vedder’s vocals keeping pace with the dual guitars storm. Take a listen to “Whoever Said” here:
“Dance of the Clairvoyants” is the song on the album that got people talking. It was the first single released and came with a different, unexpected sound. Lots of comments called it disco. While I can never put disco and Pearl Jam in the same sentence, the song does contain an electronic beat that is unusual for the band. To me, it’s not that wild a departure and the experimentation with keyboards and drum programs is still true to the Pearl Jam sound.
The mellow songs are excellent, from the swirly keys and enchanting vocals of “Seven O’Clock”, to the solo acoustic “Comes then Goes”, to the moving vocals and keys on Retrograde.” The closer “River Cross” is one of those Eddie Vedder moments that gives you chills along the lines of the “I seem to recognize your face” intro of “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town.” (Another one of those moments for me was Sonic Youth opening for Pearl Jam at the Santa Barbara Bowl on July 13, 2006. Eddie came out to introduce Sonic Youth and serenaded us with “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” with its opening line “here I stand head in hand.”)
This time it’s Eddie on the organ and the opening line of “I always thought I’d cross that river.” This song was the highlight for me of Lady Gaga’s Global Citizens One World Together at Home Concert in April, 2020 (although the Zoom quadrant Rolling Stones with Charlie Watts on air drums doing “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” was pretty cool, too). Here’s that video:
Gigaton is a group effort; all band members contribute writing and/or words along with their musicianship. It’s a good mix of rockers and some fine slower numbers. Let’s hope we can get through this damn pandemic and return to large scale concerts. These new songs in Pearl Jam’s dynamic hands calls for a celebratory show. And maybe we’ll get “Black”, “Corduroy”, and “In Hiding”, too.
D² Rating ◼◼◼◩ ☐
Trivia ? – What was the band’s first name before choosing Pearl Jam as their moniker?
Mookie Blaylock, in honor of the NBA player at the time