4Play

Jan. 10, 2007

Oasis - Stop the Clocks - Sony

Few bands have made such an impression on the world’s perception of Britpop music as Oasis.  Headed up by two constantly warring brothers and purveyors of some of the best modern-day Beatles-influenced songs to ever come down the pike, each of Oasis’ albums are gems, collections of songs that depict long cold days on the dole and late nights in the clubs. But as much as it’s the songs, it’s also how those songs are performed, with Liam Gallagher’s sneering, ubercool vocals and brother Noel’s chiming, dense guitar lines.  Many of the best of those songs are here, from “Cigarettes and Alcohol” to the landmark “Wonderwall,” “Rock N’ Roll Star” and “Live Forever.”  The only complaints are that quite a few of the band’s hits are missing (which is so with nearly every greatest hits effort), and that the band’s Be Here Now album is pretty much ignored (word has it it’s the one Oasis disc that Noel hates) - but other than that, this is a necessary collection for any Oasis, nay, any Britpop fan.


Sloan - Never Hear the End of It - Yep Roc

It’s the band’s eighth album, and perhaps their most prolific, given they’ve somehow managed to cram a whopping 30 songs onto one disc - but it’s six to one, half a dozen to the other whether that many songs at once works... or not.  It’s not the songwriting or performance;  Sloan’s songs remain catchy, ‘70s-influenced numbers that are stuffed with harmonies and veer appealingly from punk beats to pop flourishes.  The off-putting thing here is that the songs vary widely in length, some being a rich five minutes and others dropping off after well under a minute.  The longer songs aren’t really the problem;  it’s the short ones, which come across kind of like having the dessert plate yanked away from you after you’ve only taken one bite of that chocolate cake - it’s simply not enough and it’s a little irritating.  That said, there are highlights here, including the layered “Flying High Again” and the groovy “Another Way I Could Do It,” but it’s up to you to decide if you like this new album approach.
 

Jarvis Cocker - Jarvis - Rough Trade

Sassy and suave Jarvis Cocker, best known for fronting Britpop group (and Oasis/Blur battle partner) Pulp, takes a solo risk with this disc, his first solo album, and much of it succeeds.  More indie sounding than Pulp’s glossy, highly-produced efforts, this set is more raucous than Pulp, yet still showcases Cocker’s writing skills and sometimes abrasive but always interesting personality.  The album begins with an unexpected instrumental (“The Loss Adjuster (Part One)”) and segues right into the real kickoff, the Pulp-esque (to be expected) “Don’t Let Him Waste Your Time.”  It’s not all Pulpy, though, although given how long Cocker’s been in the band, a little infusion can’t be helped;  cool new influences and approaches can be heard in the tubular bell-bedecked lo-fi track “Black Magic,” the straight-ahead drumbeat of “Baby’s Coming Back To Me,” “Heavy Weather,” which is an audio representation of just what the title suggests, and impressive album closer “Quantum Theory.”
 

Brakes - The Beatific Visions - Rough Trade

Various members of bands British Sea Power and Electric Soft Parade have combined their varied and many musical skills to craft this hybrid band, and the whole shebang recently flew to Nashville to record with White Stripes producer Stuart Sikes.  The results are intriguing, as the new group brings in influences from both of their previous projects (plus a tinge of that raw garage sound from Sikes), and also seem to channel a bit of their legendary surroundings, as well.  Jittery guitars and Eamon Hamilton’s distinctive, reedy vocals form a backdrop for quirky lyrics that often as not focus on political or technological issues, this combination of elements showcasing to best effect on tracks like “Mobile Communication” with its obviously Nashville-inflected steel guitar, “If I Should Die Tonight,” with a reckless piano part taking center stage, the catchy “Margarita,” and the zippy “Cease and Desist.”  It’s a bit uneven in spots, but there’s definitely enough here to make this one to grow on.