Archive for the 'Songs of the Week' Category

Album of the Month: Cigarettes and Gasoline by dan

New segment. Back in the day we’d have a “Song of the week.” But sometimes, choosing a single song from an album just isn’t right. Some works are best viewed as a whole. For said occasions we’ve started a new category, “Album of the Month.” - C&V

It’s so easy to be derivative. Especially once you’re successful. You make a million bucks. You stick to the formula. And in rolls a million more. I mean, look at Coldplay. Jesus God, look at Coldplay. Celine Dion woulda been proud of their 3rd album… It’s exceptionally rare nowadays that someone, once established, chooses to take the risk of progressing in their art. So I’ve got to give props to anyone in music willing to take a chance and follow their gut. Led Zeppelin 3, Dylan going electric, And then there’s now… who comes to mind? If it was a rare event for an artist to take risks before, in the commerciality of the now it’s a near impossibility. The only modern example that really comes to mind is something like the shift from “Midnite Vultures” to “Sea Change”…. but, as later albums would prove, that was less an evolution so much as a one off shot at gaining some cred.

So there you have it. The prelude. Now, based off of the above prelude, what artist would you guess I’m about to talk about?… Odds are you’re looking at the title, “Cigarettes and Gasoline” and coming up empty. The album’s “Cigarettes and Gasoline.” The artist is Emerson Hart. You know him as the head singer-songwriter-brainchild of Tonic, the band that gave us “If You Could Only See” and “Open Up Your Eyes.” I realize that a lot of you out there right now are saying, “What the hell, Tonic? I thought I was reading C&V!” Bear with me, it’s worth it. We pride ourselves on being taste makers. And would never waste your time.

“Cigarettes and Gasoline” represents the maturation of an artist who went multi-platinum at age 27. Think of that. Age 27 and multi-platinum. I’ll be happy if I can keep myself a steady girlfriend by 27, but multi-platinum? Jesus. Well, it’s 2007, Emerson’s older. Tonic’s done. And he’s free to make whatever kind of music he wants. Enter “Cigarettes and Gasoline,” at once a progression and a departure from what Hart began with Tonic. On the single, “If You’re Gonna Leave,” you get something that sounds pretty close to some of those Tonic ballads, but the overall feel is of something quite different. I guess that’s the logic in releasing this as the single. It’s just familiar enough. For me, however, The meat of “Cigarettes and Gasoline,” the part that makes me want to post this as the “Album of the month,” is to be found elsewhere on the album’s dozen or so tracks. “Friend to a Stranger,” a song you might have heard on Grey’s Anatomy, is a damn good song. And that’s not just a phrase I throw around. Give it a listen on Emerson’s Myspace. When those drums kick in, or when he takes it to the bridge, I dare you to not like the song. It’s wholly different, yet just familiar enough. It’s an artist moving foward. And the rest of the album is just as good.

“Cigarettes and Gasoline” is not derivative. It’s not the easy path. It’s an artist taking risks in a world where no one does. It’s someone following their gut and being truly creative AND for that reason, it deserves your attention and a spot on your shelf. “Cigarettes and Gasoline” is a damn good album. And we don’t just throw that phrase around. Pick it up in stores this June.

Half in the light. Half in the darkness. The duality of the soul.

Buy the Single at and get a free acoustic “If You Could Only See.”
Emerson on Myspace.

posted on 3:47 pm 04/24/2007
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Songs of the Week: 27 November 2006 by candv

Long overdue…

Eels - “Hey Man (Now You’re Really Living)”
Remember this band? They had a hit with “Novocaine for the Soul” and became the first band to sign with Dreamworks’ record label back in ‘96. Fast forward ten years to 2006 and they’re still at it. Here’s a catchy ditty that leaves out the dental drugs and instead injects wholesome, electrically contagious music.

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posted on 12:36 pm 11/27/2006
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Songs of the Week: 2 October 2006 by amit

The Strokes - “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)”
A bunch a white guys covering Marvin Gaye’s velvety classic may make any fan of the late great cringe, but the sounds of The Strokes and the voice of Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder seem to have it goin’ on.

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Lupe Fiasco - “Kick, Push”
There’s a new sound in hip-hop and he goes by the name of Lupe Fiasco. With a simple beat and a little brass Fiasco’s diluted sound is still potent enough to raise an eyebrow.

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posted on 12:02 am 10/02/2006
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Songs of the Week: 25 September 2006 by candv

Beck - “Nausea”
Prolific singer, songwriter and Scientologist, Beck, is back with a brand new album titled “The Information.” No word on what the single is going to be, but my money’s on “Nausea.” The song’s just suave with it’s organic beat and off kilter lyrics we’ve grown to expect since the days of “Loser.” Get down with it, just don’t get dizzy.

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The Polyphonic Spree - “Lithium”
What happens when a cult-like band known for sun-worshiping songs covers grunge music? It becomes pure cyanide mixed with red Kool-aide magic. The opening piano licks lead you to believe we’re in for yet another happy-go-lucky song about celestial objects. But, oh no. A screaming chorus of voices explodes with iconic Nirvana lyrics like “I’m so happy because today I’ve found my friends/They’re in my head” and “I’m so horny, but that’s okay.” The Spree’s cover of “Lithium” sounds like a church choir starting their Sunday morning not with God, but with a drug that “counteract[s] both mania and depression” (WP). Just imaging a scene like that centers my bipolar nature.

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posted on 12:01 am 09/25/2006
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Songs of the Week: 18 September 2006 by candv

Amit:
The Black Keys - “Goodbye Babylon”
The flames of real nitty-gritty rock have mostly died out from today’s music. Thankfully The Black Keys have a Zippo. The band’s headed by two college drop-outs who started with “a truck, two lawnmowers and a weed-whacker and, like everybody else, a hustle and a dream…” Dreams and lawn equipment? Sounds like the ingredients for a bona fide rock band. The Keys’ vocals reach like Gov’t Mules‘ Warren Haynes, while their guitar notes echo a raw and nostalgic sound. It’s not the drone of grass cutting you hear, it’s the return of rock n’ roll.

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posted on 12:05 am 09/18/2006
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