I Saw Her from Here / I Saw Here from Her **1/2

Christian Kjellvander
2007 Startracks
Recorded at Mission Hall Studios in Sebbarp Sweden

Performers:
Christian Kjellvander - Vocals, Guitars, piano, banjo
organs, percussion and mellotron.
Andreas Ejnarsson - Bass, backing vocals, piano synths
Per Nordmark - Drums and Percussion
Goran Kajfes - Trumpets
Tias Carlson - Guitar, banjo, backing vocals
Karla - Therese Kjellvander - Vocals, piano, mandolin
Daniel Frank - Guitars and backing vocals
Dan England - pedal steel

Mr. Kjellvander is the artist who made one of my all time favorite CDs, Songs from a Two Room Chapel. It had a slight Americana sound with some great and emotional vocals and an instinct for putting together a great pop hook. It is a near master piece if not a total master piece. So I have been waiting for more of his work to come from Sweden (his home). His next CD was called Faya and while pretty, it is a little too slow. It's more of a folk album. So finally in 2007 comes this one. I was a little reluctant to buy it because I was disappointed by Faya. My first impression was a relief. Some of his characteristic pop sound had come back as well as continuing the mellower folkier stuff. I thought that this was a step in the right direction. But after a few more listen (I try to preview casually a CD at least three times before sitting down seriously to review it) I realized that there were moments that sounded like an out right attempt to get commercial notoriety. He is better known in Sweden than here in the States, so there may be some pressure on him over there to do so.


Poppies and Peonies ***1/2 - This is typical of what I was expecting from him. It's a nice catchy song. It does start with some electronics similar to some of David Kitt's work. There's a nice guitar solo in the center of the piece. It's about love that can not be. At the end he finds a girl that needs him as well as she needs him and they are together like poppies and peonies (Do those two flowers usually go together?)




When the Mourning Comes *** - This starts with a banjo and is more countryish. So there is just the banjo and his voice. Then a little bass and a female backing vocal comes in. And it continues to build with some acoustic guitar. Overall, nicely put together. The lyrics are just another love song, saying that he'll be there. There is a feeling of travel, perhaps to meet his gal or perhaps they are drifting together. "Empathy and sympathy are sisters, are drifters like we." Also, "We can drive until daylight than I'll rest." This traveling might be some kind of metaphor for their relationship, even though he gets tired, "We can drive until daybreak, than I'll rest". He determined to be with her. It's more imagery than a story. A little horn comes in the latter part of the song which is nice.


Somewhere Else *** - It starts with a little acoustic guitar and his voice. It has a somber feeling to it. There is some sonic distortion that gently floats over the voice and the guitar. It's a very pretty and haunting song. The lyrics are darker too. "Too afraid to make mistakes and bleed". The song ends with a statement about death. "And I'm not afraid to die, the misconception swells, / but when I die won't be the first time I wish that I was somewhere else." Hence the title.


Two Souls **1/2 - This is a much more upbeat song. It's all very nice, but it sounds like an attempt at commercialism. But it's also hard to argue with his great voice and his songwriting. It only really annoys me in one short section at the end of the chorus. There are also some nice horns. In the middle there is a short flurry of guitar flash. They seem to be driving in this song - perhaps I smell a motif? His two souls are opposites. On will love her and the other one will cause her hurt. Perhaps the metaphor is too facile.



Bird Black Sky *** - It has a menacing name and it starts off with a menacing droning sound. The vocal is added and stays slow and steady. Then it picks up a little. A promising start.The chorus is much more upbeat with a some choppy piano playing. The drone continues to float across the whole song. This also mentions love but there is a kind of foreboding. "do you hear the bells ring? / Do you feel the sky blackening?"

Sons of the Coast **1/2 - This also has a slow start. It starts with a guitar and a keyboard. As the song progresses nothing much really happens. It picks up again and then gets softer. I think I like the softer part, which has a real subtle trumpet playing. The chorus is not very interesting, but has some nice female backing vocals. It's a pretty song with some nice touches but a tad ephemeral. The ending has a nice guitar / trumpet interplay, but doesn't last long enough. The song starts talking about evil men. He or they (there appears to be a brother) are not evil but ghosts.

While the Birches Weep ***1/2 - I like the title of the song. A muted tribal drumming starts the song. The voice sings along with the drumming along with some other songs. Some nice strings come in. I'm always a sucker for strings. The lyrics are difficult as usual. There seems to be a death as there are angels "trying to grab a hold of you" and that he buries her in the yard. The song builds up to a nice ending.

The Road ** - This is a more rocking song, and definitely less subtle that other songs. While his vocal stylings are nice to listen to, this is one of those songs that seem to be trying to get commercial interest. It has a more conventional structure. Not a bad song, but nothing special. The song is about being out on the road. Of course that's probably a metaphor. It might have more to do with escaping and living one's life. "It's easy living for today".

No Heaven **1/2 - This starts out slow. It starts out with a keyboard drone and then a struming guitar and vocals. Though slow, its a fairly haunting song. There's some melancholic imagary here: "Keep crying, it cleanses the soul"."'There's no heaven, only new highways and lonely men'".

Need Not Worry **1/2 - It starts with some bird songs and a minimal acoustic guitar and some static. I haven't really mentioned this much, but this is an example of the light electronics being used on the CD. This is another slow one. It's pretty but there in not enough movement for my taste, at least at first. Whoa! The last third of the song has a lambaste of piano and drum that slams through the song. It's a nice touch. Would have liked to see it last longer. The lyrics are quite difficult this time. There's a bird in the Russian winter. "A pocket knife beat in her chest / hearts may race and out pours sadness / As words spilled warm from her breast." So the bird's heart is a pocket knife and and the spilling warm words might be her song or perhaps her blood. Is she dying? The second half seems to be longing for days of youth and innocence. "Back before we became some body's mistress, / back when we were our father's princess."

Closer listenings always make me enjoy the a musical piece more, though I will not change my initial rating of two and a half stars. If I averaged the rankings, the CD would be closer to three stars. But there are moments that are too slow and there are moments when the artist seems to be "selling out", and the songs, while being pretty good for commercial music, are still too weak.

And now for some videos off his best CD - Songs from a Two Room Chapel. Compare them and see if you don't agree to the superiority of the music.

For Emma, Forever Ago ***1/2

Bon Iver

2008 Aprilbase Publishing
Recorded by Justin Vernon in the hunting cabin, Northwest Wisconsin
Label - Jagjaguwar

Justin Vernon - Most sounds on CD except:
John Dehaven - Trumpet on "Forever"
Rudy Pingrey - Trombone on "Forever"
Christy Smith - Drums and sang on "Flume"

This CD has been getting lots of critical acclaim. I listened to it at a listening station before buying it and I said to myself, "Maybe". I wasn't sure because it is a pretty mellow CD. At least the snippets I heard were pretty mellow. The problem with listening to snippets of music is that it is hard to get a good feeling for the music that you would get when listening to the entire piece. I imagine I might have passed up on some great music just because I couldn't engage suffieciently enough in the 30 seconds allotted time per song.

Normally I stay away from the real slow stuff. I kind of like my music to be mid tempo. Not too mellow, but not too rocking. I like a fuller sound with a variety of instruments. I'm not a big fan of a guy and his guitar and I have outgrown the real rocking stuff. But even though this was mellow, it sounded "catchy" enough to not disregard it immediately, and I put it back in the rack for further consideration. The great reviews kept coming in and with coupon in hand, I told myself, "Why Not?" It would make good music to go to sleep by.

Here is the story. Apparently, Justin Vernon, a musician with another group which I can't recall, had broken up with his girlfriend and retreated to his family cabin in Wisconsin. This CD is the result of his pain. While it's mellow, the songs are still catchy enough and there is enough instrumentation, though minimal, to keep my interest. It reminds me of Micah P. Hinson with a higher voice or even of Bonnie "Prince" Billy with his ability to write engaging songs. I am definitely satisfied to have bought it.

I finally figured out how to add music. The videos are nothing - just lisen to the music.

The Songs:

Flume **** - It typically starts out with an acoustic guitar. There are some sounds scattered through out the song that are background and add to the music without being distracting. A little bass drum kicks in. One of the best cuts on the CD. There is an interlude of some noisy sound effects. Not sure why that was put in there, but it is short lived. The lyrics are fairly oblique. There is no story here, but the imagery and language is beautiful. It's about love, it's about his mother, "I am my mother on the wall, with us all". There is a nice alliteration too, "lapping lakes like leery loons". What ever that means.



Lump Sum **1/2 - This starts out wit a little choral piece, almost medieval. Then the the guitar and bass drum kicks in. It has a kind of repetitive, shuffling sound. It is faster paced than the previous song. The lyrics are almost impossible to decipher here also. It starts out with the narrator "selling" some things.



Skinny Love **** - This starts with more acoustic guitar. He sings the lyrics in a interesting catchy way. Then the drum (bass) kicks in. A very catchy start to the song. The chorus is kind of a departure from his other singing. Most of it is sung in his high voice, but the chorus where he sings, "I told you..." is sung with more emotion. It's effective. Skinny love is a love that is not strong. While this one's a little easier to figure out what he's saying, it's still not easy. Seems to be an angry, bitter song - "staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer". Most probably, it's a song about his breakup.



Wolves (Act I and II)*** - This one starts out slower. Just a slow, acoustic guitar. The vocals are sung in harmony or at least it seems that way. With his high voice it I could be hearing wrong. According to the credits, there is no one else singing on this song. Of course it could be studio magic. The first half of the song stays pretty mellow, but pretty (probably act I). As I write this the pace does start to pick up (probably act II). Lyrically the song is about his pain and blame (I assume his old lover) and the wolves are around her perhaps protecting her, or perhaps she is unaware of how bad the new people around her are. Or at least that what he thinks.



Blindsided ***1/2- Starts with some electronic noises then a rhythmic guitar comes in. The song slows down for a chorus? (not really sure if it is a chorus, but it definitely changes tempo and and has chorus like catchiness. The lyrics seem to refer to his being blindsided (duh) but he also seems to be trying to see what is happening, yet unsuccessfully, so he is blind to what is happening."I crouch like a crow / contrasting the snow / for the agony, I'd rather know / cause blinded I am blindsided". Apparently the evil he knows is better than the evil he does not know as the saying goes. Again a very nice song. Mellow yet one can still tap their toes to it. For all my eclectic tastes in music, basically, I still need something to which I can tap my toes.



Creature Fear *** - This starts with vocals, a kind of 50's "oooh, ooh, ooh" though prettied up and with elongated oohs. Then the song changes to guitar and voice with a little snare drum. Suddenly, the most rocking part comes, briefly. So it looks if this is going to be one of those slow / fast cycle songs. The fast part is probably the catchier part ( I know, I am over using that word). The creature fear seems to be about their relationship.



Team **1/2 - This song is a little harder. I swear I hear some bass, though there are no credits for it. It could be his computer. I even hear an electric guitar. The bass carries the rhythm, and the drums have a kind of marching sound. This is an instrumental except for some whistles. Nice over all.



For Emma**** - This is also a more up beat song, with some horns and apparently a complete drum kit. This song is written as a play with characters.. There's the narrator, him and her. Though it's a very short play - no more than 12 lines. Her seems to be complaining. "Go find another lover...". The instrumental has the horns taking some nice solo parts.



Re:Stacks**** - This is the longest song coming in at about 6:30. It starts with guitar. This is one of those pretty ones. The chorus is quite nice with some rhyming language that he sings quite nicely, "On your back with your racks as you stack your load" He kind of sings it quickly and the 'ck' sounds have a percussive sound.



I had to change my original rating from 3 to 3 1/2 stars. As I listened to it, I realized how beautiful it was. It's not party music. It's music to chill out to, to spend a lazy day with your favorite girl. I think it's earned all the hype it's gotten.

The Hungry Saw ***

Tinderticks
2008 - Beggar's Banquet Records
Recorded 2007 at Le Chien Chanceux, Eastcote and Olympic Studios
Produced by Stuart A. Staples
All Songs by Bug Music

Performers:
Thomas Belhorn - Drums and Percussion
David Boulter - Piano, Organ, percussion and guitar
Terry Edwards - Trumpet, Saxophones and Brass arrangements
Jeanne Fraser - Flute
Caroline Hall - Trombone
Sally Hibbert - Violin
Calina de la Mare - Violin and string arrangements (track 6)
Dan McKinna - Bass guitars and Singing
Andy Nice - Cello and solo cello
Suzannae Osborne - Singing
Louise Peacock - Violin
Julian Siegel - Bass clarinet
Stuart A. Staples - Singing, acoustic guitar and percussion
Lucy Wilkins - Lead violin and string arrangements (track 6,7,9, &13)
Sarah Wilson - Cello

CDs are difficult to write about. I tried once before and I was not able to keep up. First of all, I tried to write about every song and it was time consuming. Secondly, It is really difficult to describe music with words. So, I'll try to be less wordy (and consequently repetitive) when I describe the songs but I will at least try to "rate" each song. For those of you who care, you can go to I-Tunes or whatever and download, what I think are the best songs.

My plan is this. I want to listen to each new CD I buy casually at least 3 times to get a general impression of the CD. Then when I actually write about the CD I will listen to each song as I write it. I may have to change my initial rating which comes from my initial impressions, but I plan to do that before publishing the actual piece. Another thing to keep in mind is that, quite often, the parts don't add up to the whole. For instance, If I rate a CD four stars, that would mean that the large majority of the songs would have to be four stars, which would be very difficult to do. So I am also looking at cohesiveness and that certain je ne sais quoi. (I don't know).
The Hungry Saw seems to have no low spots. All the songs are at least good if not great. On the other hand, I haven't as of yet recognized any great or "masterpiece" songs. There are a handful of cuts that are typical "Tindersticks" songs and there are also some rockier songs, that seem a little more conventional relatively to other work of the band. The drums come in stronger and seem to follow a mostly 4/4 rhythm. I know that there has been some major personnel changes. The only people I recognize (I admit, I haven't paid too much attention to names in the past) are of course Stuart A. Staples and David Boulter. I don't recognize the drummer's name so I assume he is new, hence the rockier sound.

The Songs:

Intro ***1/2 - Usually intros are kind of throw away pieces, but I really like this. It starts off with a very simple and choppy piano and some background noise or static. Then some more piano comes in at a more regular rhythm and the two lines are playing at the same time. Then there is a little bass and other instruments chime in. A spatter of a little xylophone or other similar instrument. It is very beautiful and spooky.



Yesterday's Tomorrows **1/2 - This is kind of a rockier song. The guitar is choppy playing a single chord every half beat. Which is simple, but the texture of the song is complex. It is a complete wall of sound. Some other instruments I can hear are horns, maybe a flute. The drums are keeping time with a 4/4 beat. Not a stand out song, but well done. The ending kinds of builds into a repetitive trancy thing, but still being rocky at the same time. Sheesh - it's hard to write about this stuff. Lyrics are not entirely inspiring. Something to do with the passing of time and getting older.



The Flicker of a Little Girl *** - This has more of a "typical" Tindersticks sound. Not quite as rocky, with a nice strummy acoustic guitar, some horns of course and it sounds like some flute. It almost has a hippyish sixties sound. It's nice and melodic, but the hooks don't hit you over the head. I'm not so sure about those "woo hooo ooo" harmonies I hear, but I can live with it. The lyrics are a little hard to decipher, but the little girl seems to be the narrator's lost youth. "It's so easy to be beautiful when you are young", and it seems to be lost.

Come feel the Sun ***1/2- Starts out with some very beautiful piano and then Staples voice joins in. Then some beautiful violin. Portions of the violin are standout. The lyrics are requesting some one to "come out" and to not wallow in their misery from all the hurt but to "exact revenge". This is a typical Tindersticks song and belongs in the oeuvre of great songs. My only compliant is that it's 2 minutes and 25 seconds. Not long enough!



E-Type **- This does not start out slow, but it is noisier piece. I think I even hear a little distortion (or is my Ipod at the wrong levels?) There are some nice horns ( I think I hear a little saxophone too!) and a little bit of background singing. I want this go somewhere interesting, but except for the horns (which I am always a sucker for) it doesn't go anywhere I want.

The Other Side of the World *** - This song starts out calmly with a soft electric guitar, and then a drum rumble/ roll and the strings kick in. I would say a fairly typical song for this group. The song is mid paced, not too mellow, but not too rocking. The lyrics are again fairly oblique, but basically it's a love song. His woman is an island. And there is some sort of reference about escaping this island, though it's not clear if that is what he wants or if he has or not.

The Organist Entertains *** - The first audible instrument is of course the organ. It has a low rumble bass while the clef portion of the organ is lilting and European sounding, like at a bohemian night club. The strings come in to complement the organ.

The Hungry Saw **1/2 - This is the title track. It starts with an electric guitar and a shuffling drum track. It's interesting drumming, but the song is fairly conventional in that there are not many changes in tempo. There is more choral singing, and like the previous song, I'm not sure I like it that much, but I can live with it. The hungry saw is the tool of the devil, and the narrator of the songs blames it for his drug use and promiscuous behavior. The saw gets to you by way of your heart, perhaps implying that the heartbreak you have is caused by the Devil's hungry saw.

Mother Dear **1/2 - Some more organ starts out this song accompanied by a bass drum. It's one of those haunting organs that play long, sad notes. The song stays pretty mellow. but a discordant electric guitar slashes though the layer of sound every once in a while. Midway through the song the electric guitar becomes more prominent for a short solo.The last minute changes tempo a little and we get some strings. The lyrics are almost indecipherable. Something about love and cradles and protection, "...and reached out and pulled you near and would catch you from any fall". Though it's not clear if the mother is doing the protecting or needs the protecting. After all there is a "wolf that escaped from your dreams". The "you" in this case is the mother since this song is addressed to the mother.

Boobar Come Back to Me **1/2 - This starts with an acoustic guitar and some tambourine playing. The song is fairly consistent with not great changes of pace. It is a song that does builds. I can't really figure out who Boobar is. I have the feeling that it is his muse. He wants it to come back to him, and the lack of muse makes it painful, though he acknowledges that maybe the muse is feeling pain and that's why the muse won't come back. Perhaps it was that time that they "sold themselves out".

All the Love **** - An acoustic guitar and a triangle starts this song out pretty softly. When the vocals start, it's clear that this song fits into the Tinderstick's profile. Staples has his usual mumbly singing style. The background singer I like better than previous attempts. Most likely because it's a woman and it's very pretty. The lyrics are pretty much a statement of love - a love song. There is really no story here. It is very poetic. the metaphors are not cliche. A little cello is played about midway through the song. A beautiful song. One of the highlights of the CD.

The Turns We Took **** This starts with electric guitar and strings. Fairly conventional drumming/rhythm but I like how it starts. This is the last song and the song is about the long hard journey that has taken us to where we are now. Musically, the song starts to build a little (it didn't start out slow so there is not much room to build). Another highlight of the CD

While typing this up, I noticed some patterns. The first is that the lyrics are fairly oblique and difficult to understand. As far as I know, this is the only CD in which the band actually published the lyrics. On other CDs/albums, fans have notoriously played the game of "What did he say?" The lyrics are not stories so much as images and tend to be more poetic. I have never been to good at deciphering poetry. Perhaps I am too impatient. But I did kind of enjoy figuring out what they meant in the 2 or 3 minutes I had while listening to the song.

I also tended to start out describing each song with the instruments I heard at first. Obviously I would not be able to continue that through the whole song and that would be boring. I'm just trying to get a sense of what the music might sound like. Knowing what instruments are involved might help.

Last words: I really like this CD. But I like all of their CDs, so that's not a surprise. Will I change my initial rating? No - I think I will stick with my original rating. The ratings of the individual songs more or less average out to the rating i put at top. I know earlier I said that there were some immeasurable factors that go into deciding what is a great piece of art, and this CD has some of those factors, but those factors are not strong enough to raise the total rating of the piece.