The Wheel's Still In Spin

Best Of Albums Of August 2007

This month I ended up reformatting my computer. That took a lot of time away from keeping the short story reviews updated. Perhaps that was part of the reason I didn't hear as many great CDs this month. Usually the month's list of best albums is longer. In truth, there were a lot of albums that came out this month that seemed to fall short of expectations or just weren't good. Here's the keepers:

1. Okkervil River - The Stage Names | buy it at insound!

   This album has some of the best lyrics of the year. The images are descriptive, intelligent, and realistic. The tracks are laden with piano, organ, and guitar lines. Every song on this album is well crafted. The Stage Names isn't just the best album of the month, it's one of the best albums of the year.



2. Simple Kid - SK2

   This album starts out like the upbeat, road album that Beck never made. Put on your sunglasses, roll down the windows, and turn this album up. You think you'll make it to the state line with a steady dose of head nodding. The songs are driven by acoustic guitar and hypnotic beats. Then the album starts to mellow out. The energy is still intact, but the in a more reflective way.



3. Project Jenny Project Jan - xoxoxoxoxo

   A mellow dance album or a catchy hip hop album - ultimately it's somewhere in between. And it’s pretty good. There are two standout songs - “Dia De Los Ninos” and “Summertime.”



4. New Pornographers - Challengers | buy it at insound!

   Every time I listen to this album it sounds better. On this album the band stretches no new boundaries. If you have heard the previous New Pronographers' albums, you know what to expect: catchy melodies, layers of harmonies and hook laden indie pop.

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John Vanderslice - Emerald City

Release Date: 24 July 2007 (Barsuk)

Emerald City is named for the Green Zone in Baghdad. Like Vanderslice’s previous albums, the songs on this release are character driven. However, each portrait refers back to images of the attack on the Twin Towers, the War On Terrorism, and Iraq conflict. Vanderslice does not attempt to give an editorialized expose into the Iraq War. Instead he emphasizes how this political issue haunts the psyche of America. His song writing is well crafted and laced with subtle nuances of shrewdness.

White Dove (mp3)

Now Back To You, John

Cynthia Robinson from Channel 11 is driving in her yellow convertible. The windows and roof are down because her on-air event was done for the day and her hair could take the abuse of the wind. She had just completed the footage of the local army reserve unit returning from Iraq. Since this was a planned event, she had driven separately from the rest of the crew. The producer and cameraman are heading back to the station to edit the piece. Cynthia is going to get a late lunch before heading back to work. She is going out of her way to her favorite Italian restaurant. Driving her convertible stereo, she is listening to John Vanderslice’s Emerald City.

The opening track is “Kookaburra.” This track sums up the major themes of the album. It juxtaposes opposing ideas of the same event. It begins with an acoustic guitar and the optimistic opinion that “Lightning shot from the sky/ It breathed life into every living thing.” Then the mood of the song shifts and the darker electric guitar chords tap out the rhythm. The lyrics change to say, “It can’t be stopped,” “We can’t be saved,” and “Lightning shot from the sky/ It gives it takes away from/ Every living thing.” The song shifts back and forth, much like the album does. It does not tell the listener what impression to create. It notates the different views. It chronicles the varying opinions.