Thursday, February 10, 2011

Janelle Monae "The Archandroid" vs. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds "Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!"

I've been somewhat aware that Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds were continuing to make good music after The Boatman's Call, but I hadn't paid much attention to it. I think the thing I liked about that album was sort of the exception to much of their music. I like Cave's voice best when he's taming it and being sensitive, like in "Into My Arms." I enjoy the raw violent thing, too, just not as much.


When I bought this album, I think the first song kind of turned me off to it and then I didn't spend much time with it. I'm glad I got a chance to listen more closely. I like this album. Not love, but definitely like. I think the opposite of "Into My Arms" is the kind of monotone chanting Cave sometimes does, but a song like "Albert Goes West" has a nice mix of that and a more melodic chorus. Also, I like the whole isn't-the-brutality-and-weirdness-of-the-bible-interesting? thing. It seems like this album is probably somewhat conceptual, but I haven't spent enough time with it to see how.

I hadn't heard of Janelle Monae until I got this matchup. When I looked up the album and saw the cover, I was excited.


It looks like Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica and disco, but the best disco where the bass is an analog synth making noises that are almost farting noises. My expectations were unreasonably high.

I like the symphonic interludes and how it starts with strings. Too much of this can make an album seem too self-important, but this has about the right amount. The first song has a nice sound and a good beat and Monae has a wonderful voice. Neon Gumbo is a nice backwards sound novelty. The beginning of Come Alive got me excited that this was going to be the really great track on the album, but then it got all swingy like that Joni Mitchell song that is the one stain on Ladies of the Canyon. As the album goes on, though, there's not really that much variation, other than the song Of Montreal join her in, which just sounds like an Of Montreal song.

So The Archandroid is mostly okay and sometimes good, but the cover and title are the best things about it. Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! is good, not great, but that beats mostly okay and sometimes good, even if it has Star Wars disco running against it. Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! advances.

13 comments:

  1. "As the album goes on, though, there's not really that much variation"

    Wha???????????????????????!!!!???

    Oh, and "Tightrope" is one of the best songs I've heard in years.

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  2. I bet that Joni Mitchell reference really set you off, huh Zwartitude?

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  3. Andy W: Hehehehe. Nice.

    Andrew Z: "Tightrope" is sweet. Had I been assigned this match-up, it might have gone another way. She reminds me of some of my favorite stuff about Prince. And Cave's "Dig!!!" is even on my list.

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  4. Nevermind. "Dig!!!" for president.

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  5. Andy, your penetrating knowledge of my psyche is scary.

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  6. I feel like I should like Ms. Monae's music more than I do, at least upon a casual listen. I've gotten more excited by recent soul releases from 1)Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings and 2)Aloe Blacc.

    I think "Dig!!!" is real solid, and evidence that Nick is not losing his edge or his relevance as he ages. In fact, I regard him as one of our finest living songwriters. Seriously.

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  7. Also, I mistakenly said the Joni Mitchell song was on Ladies of the Canyon, but actually it's on Court and Spark. It's called Twisted, if you want to check it out, Andrew. It makes me mad. But it's at the end, so I just turn it off.

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  8. while it is true that i have "penetrating knowledge" of andrew's psyche, at least in regards with his disdain for joni mitchell, i can assure you that any and all penetration stops there...seriously, how can "penetrating knowledge" not be scary...

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  9. Hey Bruce-

    that song twisted is super annoying...here's a little factoid that maybe you know...the lyrics we're written by annie ross in 1952...who is annie ross you say...she played tess trainer in short cuts...you know, the down and out lounge singer...

    also, both dig lazarus dig and archandroid are real good...you couldn't go wrong...

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  10. I did not know that factoid, but it totally makes sense because that song sounds like a down and out lounge singer, though I definitely prefer Tess Trainer's (Robert Altman's, Raymond Carver's) lounge singer to Joni Mitchell's.

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  11. For the record, I own three Joni Mitchell records. Also I like Nick Cave cause on the first track, he sounds like Craig Finn from the Hold Steady with that talky/singy thing goin on.

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  12. what zwartitude said
    "not much variation whaaaaaaaa????!!!!!!!"

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