New music

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This article was published 14/05/2020 (2245 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

POP / ROCK

Car Seat Headrest

Making a Door Less Open (Matador / Beggars Group)

 

Will Toledo, the Seattle-based singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer who basically is Car Seat Headrest, often speaks in open-ended terms about his music, as if many of his songs and lyrics will remain forever unresolved. He could be dissembling, in the time-honoured tradition of songwriters averse to being pinned down, but Toledo is likely being poetic, aware that meaning and interpretation change according to circumstance, perspective and mood.

This sense of flux has always been a part of Car Seat Headrest’s music, especially as Toledo has surrounded himself with a brilliant band that can play in and around his arrangements, remaking and reworking songs at will. In short, he’s a restless artist, constantly looking to reinvent (and, likely, amuse) himself within his chosen medium. So it wasn’t terribly surprising to learn that CSH’s new album — made and produced mostly by Toledo, guitarist Ethan Ives (who even takes lead vocals on a song snippet called What’s With You Lately) and drummer Andrew Katz — was heavily influenced by electronic beats and synthesizers.

The advance reports sounded ominous, as if CSH had suddenly become Grimes. But fans of Toledo’s indie ethos can rest easy. While there are plenty of squawks and swirls and synth washes and beeps and bleeps on Making a Door Less Open, Car Seat Headrest still sounds very much like Toledo’s band. Yes, there are keyboards and drum machines and pitch-shifted vocals and lots of beat-heavy intros and breaks (even a trumpet, on Martin) but, if anything, the rigour of the rhythms propel this album with a lot more energy than past, more esoteric outings. Toledo’s dreary sing/speak force still paints melancholy pictures and the songs can still build to roaring, soaring singalong choruses (especially on Can’t Cool Me Down). From this perspective, then, it’s all good.

(A note for completists: There are three different versions and track sequences of this album — streaming, CD and LP. The streaming version, with two different versions of Deadlines, was reviewed.) ★★★★ out of five

Stream these: Weightlifting, Can’t Cool Me Down, Martin

— John Kendle

ROOTS / COUNTRY

John Anderson

Years (Easy Eye Sound)

In the album-cover photo, country singer John Anderson looks kind of rough around the edges. The legend of Apopka, Fla., appears weary, wrinkled and all if not more than his 65 years — most of which he has spent as a very popular singer/songwriter.

Years is his 22nd studio album and although his career peaked in the 1980s and ‘90s, these 10 tracks rest comfortably with some of his best. Anderson connected with Easy Eye Sound major domo Dan Auerbach (of the Black Keys); they collaborated on everything here and as usual, Auerbach has done a first-rate job with a seemingly aged-out entertainer.

The themes here will be familiar to most dyed-in-the-wool classic country fans — regret, loss and all things involved with the passage of time as viewed from the far side of former fame. A kind of straightforward sentimentality abounds in tracks such as the aching Slow Down and the delicate I’m Still Hangin’ On. On the title track, Anderson uses his elder statesman role to expound directly about a life’s journey, how easy it is to get lost in the minutiae and completely miss the bigger picture. The music is lovely — and give credit to Auerbach and the band he put together for the simple dollops of steel and acoustic guitar, fiddle and female voices that add a soulful edge to these songs.

Anderson’s voice is in fine shape; anyone who loves his distinctive style of drawing out certain vowels in lyrics won’t be disappointed here. There’s no mention of girls in cut-off shorts, a pickup truck with a six-pack of beer in the bed — or even Jesus, for that matter — so contemporary country music fans will likely steer clear of Years. What the album leaves you with is hopefulness that Anderson will continue on this renewed trajectory… for a few more years, anyway. ★★★1/2 out of five

STREAM THESE: Chasing Down a Dream, Wild and Free

— Jeff Monk

JAZZ

Brian Landrus

For Now (BlueLand Records)

Within the wide range of jazz moods and styles there is a substantial amount of music that simply relaxes the listener, leading to a peaceful or mellow response. Perhaps because of the current COVID-19 crisis, this reality has informed a lot of my listening these days, so this very cool album immediately landed on the “recommended” list.

Brian Landrus mainly plays baritone sax, but is a multi-instrumentalist on other low woodwinds. He has a doctorate in classical composition and, when not leading jazz groups, teaches at Rutgers University. This album features pianist Fred Hersch (always a good sign), bassist Drew Gress and drummer Billy Hart, along with trumpeter Michael Rodriguez and a string quartet led by violinist Sara Caswell. Ten of the compositions are Landrus’s, along with covers of Invitation, ‘Round Midnight (featuring a great Landrus solo) and a duet with Landrus and Hersch on Thelonious Monk’s Ruby, My Dear.

The music here is not in any way universally low key, with tight arrangements of highly rhythmic tunes, but overwhelmingly there is a mood of well-being and relaxation. The Miss is one of the beautiful original ballads, while JJ moves the tempo into a higher gear and gives trumpeter Rodriguez room to stretch. Hersch is simply wonderful throughout, with Gress and master drummer Hart solidly in sync. Landrus can really fly on baritone, often with solo introductions leading to ensemble response. The classic tune Invitation starts with a quiet intro that then develops into an up-tempo track with all hands participating. There are probably still some folks who aren’t sure about adding strings to a jazz quartet, but they should have no problems here.

Without in any way referencing the details of the crisis we are currently enduring, this is a beautiful album that’s a gift for these times. ★★★★1/2 out of five

STREAM THESE: The Miss, The Night of Change

— Keith Black

CLASSICAL

Marcin Fleszar, Piano

Rameau & Schumann (Rubicon Classics)

Polish pianist Marcin Fleszar marks his debut on Rubicon Classics with an album that showcases not only his sensitive pianism but also chameleonic versatility in easily morphing between two polar opposite stylistic periods.

First up is Rameau’s Suite in A minor, extracted from his keyboard anthology Nouvelles Suites de Pièces de Clavecin, in turn composed in 1727 and heavily influenced by the ornate embellishment of baroque lute music.

Purists might rail at hearing this work performed not on its intended harpsichord but the modern day piano. However Fleszar is able to reveal the delicate tonal colours and nuances of each of its respective seven movements that would not be captured by the more brittle period instrument. Highlights include the courtly dance-inspired Allemande, Courante and Sarabande as well as finale, Gavotte et six doubles. The gently textured Fanfarinette unfolds with pastoral charm, contrasted by the exuberant La Triomphante. The pianist maintains clarity throughout, though several sections, including the Gavotte et six doubles, teeter towards overt romanticism.

Also included is Schumann’s Davidsbundlertanze Op.6, No. 1 featuring 18 character pieces inspired by the composer’s two “alter egos,” the impetuous Florestan and more introspective, lyrical Eusebius. Once again, they prove the soloist’s ability to skilfully navigate their constantly shifting moods, from the more rhythmically driven Florestan to jaunty Mit Humor and driving Wild und Lustig, while calmer offerings, such as Einfach and Wie aus der Ferne, are imbued with lyrical grace and thoughtful phrasing. Fleszar brings each colourful portrait — Schumann’s personal musical love letters to his adored future wife, German pianist and composer in her own right, Clara Wieck — to life. ★★★1/2 out of five

STREAM THIS: Fanfarinette from Rameau’s Nouvelles Suites de Pièces de Clavecin, Suite in A minor

— Holly Harris