Morrissey's Years of Refusal

What more can really be said about Morrissey at this point in his career? He's a legendary pop phenomenon that's been everywhere and back in his 20 plus years in the music industry. Whether it be the Smiths or his solo albums, the guy has been part of some of the greatest songs the alternative/indie music world has ever heard and he's still going strong. That's all you really need to know about Morrissey. Well that and the fact that he's just released his latest album Years of Refusal.

Years of Refusal almost seems an appropriate title for his ninth solo studio record. For a guy who turns 50 this year, he's clearly someone who refuses to throw in the towel and rest on his laurels. Oh no, this is an album that in a sense completes the "comeback," he started back two albums ago and sees Morrissey still being the rambunctious rabble rouser of a singer he has always been. It's the sound of a man comfortable in his skin and his place in the world (Paris this time around) but also the sound of an artist who still has oodles of songs to share with his audience.

Years of Refusal is a full, thick, and well rounded record that's sweeping and at times almost mean sounding. In fact, there are moments on this album, where Morrissey almost doesn't sound like the old Morrissey we've known and loved forever. "Something Squeezing My Skull," for example is an aggressive rocker that has this different feel with Morrissey's voice sounding deeper and more upfront than ever before. As the album moves on though, that legendary set of pipes makes it's presence known and the songs begin to sound majestic and proper in the only they could be with a guy like Morrissey. "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris," is a huge heartbreaker of a song that's orchestral, sweeping, and emotional in all the best ways.

In listening to Years of Refusal it's really hard to believe that Morrissey is going to be 50. His sound and voice has only become more self assured and brilliant as the years have gone on and it's nice to know that he can still make important music that needs to be heard. While there's nothing massively surprising here, Years of Refusal is a brilliant British Pop album that only furthers the legend of its creator and shows that he's still got it. Highly recommended.

The Real Tuesday Weld Has Read The London Book of the Dead

When you think of theatrical themed pop, The Real Tuesday Weld should be the first name you think of. Throughout the illustrious career of Stephen Coates, he's quietly perfected his crooning style of pop that while electronically based, harks back to the days when people could actually sing and there were bands to back the big voices up. He's a fascinating talent and writes some of the classiest indie pop you are likely to hear and when you add to that the fact you can dance to his tunes it's even more impressive.

While The Real Tuesday Weld released an album last year entitled, The End Of The World, for some strange reason 2007's The London Book Of The Dead has recently come across my desk. Is this a reissue?  Or am I safe in assuming that we here in the US are about two albums behind and that The London Book Of The Dead was previously only available on import. Regardless of the reason, at least we get to hear this record in some form instead of having to hunt it down online.

Anyway, The London Book Of The Dead is probably the most theatrical of all RTW's work to date. In fact, the album sounds as if it were part cabaret and part Klezmer; it's loungey, swinging, orchestrated, and frivolous in it's nature. It's fun stuff that will make you reach for you top hat and cane. Songs like "Kix," illustrate this point perfectly as RTW borrows from the classic, "I Get My Out of You," and loops it into a folksy waltzy big band tune. It's an alluring and fetching moment that hints at why The London Book Of The Dead is such an enjoyable listen.

To be honest, much of The London Book Of The Dead is superbly enjoyable. It's combination of kitsch and theatrics make the album a real treat to listen to. This is a campy, orchestral, lush record that's like a waltz back in time. From the piano ballad, "Into the Trees," and the lazy horns of, "Bringing the Body Back Home," to the orchestrated under water sounds of, "Blood Sugar Love," The London Book Of The Dead is like going to see the strangest but coolest musical you've ever seen.  It's one show you don't want to miss.

Belle and Sebastian At The Beeb

Let me just state for the record right off the bat, that it's about time. 12 years in the making, Belle and Sebastian's latest release, The BBC Sessions collects their radio sessions on the famed British radio network from the years 1996-2001. For anyone who lives outside of the UK and never got to hear these sessions when they were originally broadcast, the release of this record is so long overdue that it's actual release is a joyous occasion.

Often considered one of the most important (if not most important) indie pop bands of the last 15-20 years, Belle and Sebastian have had a long illustrious career filled with seminal albums and singles and an eccentric attitude to match. It's made them fun to follow and to listen to and listening to the tracks that make up BBC Sessions only reaffirms the band's importance, attitude, and just how great of a band they are. Consisting of their singles, tracks from their albums, and a few surprises, BBC Sessions is recorded in an unadorned style that while not quite as orchestrated as the original versions show B&S to be an amazingly tight band that are so much more then the twee image that they are often given.

Within the singles, tracks, and surprises lies B&S's very first session on the Mark Radcliffe show and the inclusion of three tracks from their legendary album If You're Feeling Sinister. "Like Dylan In the Movies," "Judy and the Dream of Horses," "Stars of Track and Field," all make appearances before the album actually came out and subtly hinted at just how good this record actually would be. Perhaps of even more importance is the super duper rare John Peel session in 2001 which not only marked one of the last appearances of twee goddess Isobel Campbell but several songs that have never been released in studio form. This session is worth the price of the disc alone because a) Isobel is on it 2) it's John Peel doing what he does bell and 3) it's B&S at their intimate best. The super-sunny, "The Magic of a Kind Word," and the sort of Sarah records-like tune that is, "(My Girl's Got) Miraculous Technique," are so brilliant that they sum up everything B&S are about in the span of seven minutes. It's truly magical stuff that will tug at your heart strings and win you over with a giant pat on the back.

It may have taken seven or so years to actually see The BBC Sessions released but it was worth it. The album is available as a standard single disc set and a deluxe double disc set for the super obsessed Belle and Sebastian fans. The deluxe set includes a live concert from Belfast in 2001 that sums the first disc up but throws it into a live setting and brings a rowdy crowd along for the ride. While the second disc isn't essential for anyone except B&S geeks, the first disc (or standard version) is incredibly essential and stands a supplement to how important Belle and Sebastian have become in the world of indie pop.

I Was A Cub Scout Have Hope

I Was A Cub Scout began in 2006, when Todd Mariott began writing songs on his own with a drum machine. He was only sixteen. Will joined later that year and I Was A Cub Scout, as they are now, were born. The year and a half that followed was a whirlwind. They've played over two hundred shows, toured Europe and the UK, played shows with Panic! At The Disco, Babyshambles, Editors, forward Russia, mewithoutYou and Minus The Bear. And somewhere In the middle of all this, Todd even turned eighteen and the band released their latest album I Want You To Know There Is Always Hope.

I Want You To Know There Is Always Hope seems almost an appropriate title for their record considering what the global community is going through. The music that accompanies the title is just as hopeful as well. Bright, crisp, and catchy I Was A Cub Scout sounds something like a better, more melodic Death Cab for Cutie. Todd Mariott's voice is like a less whiny version of Ben Gibbard's and sounds almost happy at times. His voice lends the songs on I Want You To Know There Is Always Hope a pop sheen that makes the songs heartwarming and cheerful.

What's truly amazing about I Want You To Know There Is Always Hope is the fact that its made by a couple of kids fresh out of school. When you consider that they're so fresh faced and have been on a whirlwind of non-stop experiences that are new and different, they've handled themselves incredibly well by doing what they apparently do best, creating a brilliant piece of pop. And I Want You To Know There Is Always Hope is rather brilliant. It's far reaching and nearly epic in it's aspirations. It's an upbeat album that takes it's title to heart and shines like a light through the sea of emotional cliches.

"We Were Made To Love," is a perfect example of just how radiant and polished this record is. Sounding like a Postal Service outtake, the bubbling synths and drum machines lead this song into the pop heavens with soaring vocals and a chorus that rings true. Add in other sparkly tunes like, "Save Your Wishes," and "Our Smallest Adventures," and you have an album that is bursting at the seams with chiming guitars, sugary sweet synths, and melodies that will haunt you for days. I Was A Cub Scout might be a group of teens, but after listening to I Want You To Know There Is Always Hope you'll swear these guys have been doing this for over a decade. The songs of youth have never sounded so good.