About The Islander. (St. Simons Island, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 2009)
Friedman's Ear Food By Ben Friedman The Yeah Yeah Yeahs It's Blitz! (Interscope - 2009) The new release, It’s Blitz!, by New York punk rock band The Yeah Yeah Yeahs brings the band in a new direc tion as it is a more electronic and dance oriented album. It’s Blitz has a higher production value than the band's previous works and consequently it is not as raw as their earlier recordings. The production work makes the album less punk sounding, but also makes the album catchier. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs appear to have embraced a dance-punk character and It’s Blitz! sounds like Death From Above 1979 with female vocals. “Zero”, the lead single on the album, best encapsulates what The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are dong. The guitar parts are definitely a punk rock base, but the addition of electronic elements on top produce the dance sound. Lead singer Karen O in the music video even looks like a combination of Joan Jett, with her black leather jacket, and Michael Jackson, with the rhinestones on her jacket. Most of the songs on the album are pretty similar. The basic formula is to take a gui tar riff, layer some electronic studio magic, and have Karen O sing on top of it. A few songs like “Runaway” and “Little Shadow” break this mold by being slower paced and featuring more prominent vocals with and orchestral music additions. Because of the album’s similarities, “Zero” is the basic litmus test for lik ing It’s Blitz!. If you like “Zero”, then congrats, you will probably like the rest of It’s Blitz! If “Zero” doesn’t cut it for you, then you can take the shortcut, dis miss the rest of it, and get something else at the record store. The production by TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek and studio veteran Nick Launay is really where It’s Blitz! shines. The slick fabrication adds a new layer to The Yeah Yeah Yeahs that is much more dance friendly and not as unrefined as previous releases like Fever to Tell and Show Your Bones. It’s Blitz! very well may be a turn ing point for the band to a more radio and club friendly sound. Elvis Costello Secret, Profane & Sugarcane (Hear Music - 2009) Elvis Costello is best remembered for being a skinny British youth with glasses that would make Buddy Holly blush and for playing aggressive and poetic rock songs. Elvis hasn’t been like that for the past twenty or twenty-five years, but the memory remains. The glasses are still there, but the music has changed. Secret, Profane & Sugarcane con tinues in the vein of many of his recent albums such as North and II Songo. North is the singer’s foray into jazz ballads while II Songo is Costello’s most recent number one album (on the Billboard Top Classical chart). Both are good records, but they are not what one expects from Elvis Costello. Secret continues this trend by being a country album. It is easy to see people being skepti cal or dismissive of this venture, but Costello deftly handles the task. For such an unfamiliar leap, Costello has recruited great help for the record. T-Bone Burnett, producer for Counting Crows, Robert Plant & Allison Kraus, and The Wallflow ers, lends his talent by producing Secret and co-writing numerous songs with Costello. Impressively, Loretta Lynn reunites with Costello, co-writ- ing, “I Felt the Chill Before the Winter Came”. Secret has a traditional country sound with twang on the guitar, but Living on St. Simons, Ed Kellis has become a neighbor and professional that you can trust. With more than 25 years floor covering experience, Ed Kellis is Brunswick Floors expert for the islands. Call Ed today at 638-9119 or 223-3127 for a free in-home estimate. * f: TLOOHS.la/'. Brunswick • St. Simons • Kingsland Air Team Free Second Opinion on Equipment Replacement Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency: 30% of the cost, up to $1,500, for Equipment Upgrades. Call us for details. Brunswick 265-3503 ame Day Service Islands 634-5317 GA State Lie. #5514 Since 1984 THE ISLANDER, AUGUST 3, 2009, PAGE 11 with Costello’s distinctive voice instead of a Southern drawl. Some songs are a little unpolished and this is most likely a consequence of the recording schedule. Costello and the rest of the band made the album over three days at Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studio. Some of the highlights on the album are “Sulphur to Sugarcane” (the album is still British enough to use their spelling) and “Down Among the Wines and Spirits”. “Sulphur to Sugarcane” is vocally most reminiscent of Costello’s work back with The Attractions, but musi cally is more honky-tonk. The fusion of the different elements with steel guitars and fiddles in the background while Elvis croons cre ates a great across-the-pond mixture. “Down Among the Wines and Spir its” has a bar room atmosphere that reinforces Costello’s roots in British pub-rock, but gives an impression of what the singer could have sounded like if only he had been born a few thousand miles away. The duet with Emmylou Harris on “The Crooked Line” is another high spot on the record. Harris sticks in the background on the song, but her vocals supplement rather nicely. Loretta Lynn’s contribution to the album, “I Felt the Chill Before the Winter Came”, is a great lamenting time on the album. It is a heartfelt song of a lover scorned and the bluer sound makes it reminiscent of Costel lo’s work on North. Elvis Costello, like many other aging rock legends, is at the point in his career where he no longer has to worry about making a Top 40 album and listening to the record company executives. Consequently, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane is the type of album that is lacks all of the pressures and is really the artist’s personal project. Secret may not be the next Armed Forces or This Year’s Model, but it is still a good country album. “I Crabbin' on SSI Continued from Page 1 his dad said. "But he persisted so we began to organize a marathon for charity." It just so happens that John works for Don King Productions (yes, that Don King). Through work he met Michele Knott, the woman who heads up a charity called Queen of Hearts Foundation for Disabled Children, Inc. The charity helps children with disabilities caused by complications arising from premature birth and brain trauma lead a better and more independent life. Queen of Hearts has no paid per sonnel. "All our staff time is donated," Michele said. "We do have an office so there are expenses for that. Most of the money is targeted for pediatric therapy and to purchase equipment for the children." In organizing the crabbing mara thon J.J. and John sent out 1,000 emails and searched the web for available domains. Incredibly www. crabbinforkids.com was available. The website features a video of J.J. telling his story, Michele Knott talk ing about the Queen of Hearts foun dation, information about the upcom ing crabbing marathon, donation information, and a link to Queen of Hearts website (www.qofh.com). If you can't make it to the SSI pier, watch J.J. all day and night while he fishes live on www.justin.tv/DONK- INGBOX as dad, John, will video stream the entire marathon. J.J. already has his first corporate sonsor. Stepping up to the plate early is J. Smith Lanier and Company, an insurance company headquartered in West Point, Georgia. Consider donating by the crab or by the hour. Meet J.J., his parents, brother, grandparents, aunts and uncles on the SSI pier next week. They will all be there supporting his efforts. "This (crabbing for kids) is good for me to do," said J.J.. "I read up on the Queen of Hearts foundation and learned a lot about cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus. I learned that a lot of equipment and physical therapy for these kids isn't covered by medi care or regular insurance. The money raised will help the kids a lot." □ Prime Retail Space for Lease in Redfern Village Variety of Rental Options Available Call Gerry Peck for details at 912-634-2880 or email rfv@comcast.net
