ListenUp : Spoons full of sugar
Posted on Sunday, September 24, 2006
Heypenny Use These Spoons Self-released AThe orchestral chamber rock that made Sufjan Stevens king of the indie world is brought to mind with Heypenny, the way-under-the-radar band that’s the creative outlet for Ben Elkins, a Fayetteville native now living in Nashville, Tenn. Interestingly, Elkins, who sang and wrote all of the songs on Use These Spoons, has a voice that will remind you of Stevens — only it’s sweeter and easier on the ears. Heypenny’s sound is indie pop, but not in any narrow sense. This is expansive music with lots of keyboard flourishes and eccentric touches, like when a ceiling fan is turned into a drum. You can hear The Beatles in “Dooly,” the marvelously cracked story about a love-sick boy who tries to escape a meeting with a crush on a moped. You can hear funk seep through the smartly constructed “Brave” and “Secreterror.” The gorgeous “Walnut Street Bridge” feels beamed in from a better, brighter planet. Just a warning, you will not find Use These Spoons on iTunes, so go to www. heypenny. com and thank me later.
— WERNER TRIESCHMANN Beyonce B-Day Columbia / Sony Urban C +
After more than a decade of impeccable work it looks like the incomparable Beyonce may have finally missed a note with her latest work, B-Day.
Fresh off an intense role in the feature film version of the Tony Award-winning play Dreamgirls, Beyonce, rather than taking a much deserved vacation, went right into the studio without most of the support team she’s surrounded herself with for most of her professional career. Three weeks later she was finished with this album.
Unfortunately, the finished product sounds exactly like it took about three weeks to complete. Rushed and lacking direction, Beyonce continues to step outside the box, most evidently in the fierce and somewhat disjointed “Ring the Alarm.” And while her courage should be applauded, the song becomes a bit annoying after the initial surprise of hearing Beyonce’s beautiful voice distorted on the hook and the cluttered beat. “Dangerously in Love” part two, i. e. “Deja Vu,” features her Boo-Boo Jay-Z and fizzles despite the high-energy track. Hova reappears on the cut “Upgrade U” and sounds a bit disinterested as this single falls short as well. Beyonce has been on a magnificent tear for about a decade. She was bound to hit the proverbial wall at some point. The key now will be how she bounces back.
— SHON MCPEACE The Contingencies Viva Ole Max BThe Little Rock quartet makes a huge investment in the tone of its dual guitar attack — clean and buzzy with dark overtones — and it pays off. You’ll keep your ear attached to the band’s debut waiting for a hook to bloom as it does with “Proud as Punch.” But lead singer Daniel Johnson has listened to too many goth records and the use of the word “morpheus” even once is one time too many. So The Contingencies come on like an art project instead of a rock band. Give us a bit more red meat, chorus-verse-chorus songs and we’re ready to follow where ever those guitars want to go.
— WERNER TRIESCHMANN The Mountain Goats Get Lonely 4 AD
BIf one moniker were to be applied to The Mountain Goats, “lit rock” would fit. John Darnielle, singer and songwriter for The Mountain Goats, has long been known for lyrics that are part William Faulkner and part Raymond Carver.
From the opener “Wild Sage,” Get Lonely is a soft-spoken record and one where Darnielle ventures into heartbreak territory. His gentle voice provides the songs with a sense of sincerity.
The title track is a dark portrait of loss and isolation. “Woke Up New” is the album’s turning point, being the first mildly upbeat song.
Get Lonely is a much more somber album than the Goats ’ previous works, such as the bitter Southern saga Tallahassee. Who knows ? Maybe one day college freshmen will be studying The Mountain Goats.
— KODY FORD
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