Doves: "The Sulphur Man" Buried at the back of The Last Broadcast, "The Sulphur Man" ranks with the finest orchestral and psychedelic pop. Like the best tracks on their breakthrough sophomore LP, it showcases former High Llama and Stereolab/Turn On collaborator Sean O'Hagan, who handles "arrangements"; I'd call him the Fourth Dove if there weren't dozens of contributors credited. Combining the maudlin resignation of late-era Smiths with hints of The Dream Academy's debut-- an affected survey of uniquely British doldrums-- this heavily adorned, half-step anthem toys with stereo space and layered melody in the same breathtaking, immersive fashion as The Flaming Lips' The Soft Bulletin. It can remind you of England if you've never even been there. posted by Chris Ott, 2/6/2003 10:49:19 AM Pulp: "I Spy" Sleaze! Jarvis Cocker takes it up a notch on this one, from 1995’s Different Class. The song swaggers back and forth between danceable, sung verses and ominously whispered passages. An orchestra hovers in the background like an eavesdropper as Cocker intones, "Oh, you should take me seriously/ Very seriously indeed/ 'Cos I’ve been sleeping with your wife for the past 16 weeks/ Smoking your cigarettes, drinking your brandy, messing up the bed that you chose together/ And in all that time I just wanted you to come home unexpectedly one afternoon and catch us at it in the front room." From there, Jarvis spins his adulterous pursuits into a manifestation of class conflict with utter deftness, occasionally addressing the hapless husband again with lines like, "Take your year in Provence and shove it up your ass." He then proceeds to a chorus of "la la's" like it’s no big thing. It’s the ultimate sleazeball anthem, from the nerdiest batch of sleazeballs ever to come out of Sheffield. posted by Joe Tangari, 2/5/2003 05:34:13 AM A Tribe Called Quest: "Youthful Expression" Everything that is tight and laid-back about the Tribe is laid out plain here: Keyboard fills straight from a Vegas swinger's club, the self-described "boom kacka boom" of the stripped kit, all liquored-up snares and lizard-skin hi-hats. The bassline is a mutated, drunken jazz uncle of the Beasties' "Skills to Pay the Bills" humming a slurred monologue while Q-Tip serves up rhymes with an off-hand confidence ("Ain't no soul glo/ Just an afro/The head is bred to let the thoughts grow) and a just-got-up-and-it's-2PM-and-where's-the-blunt-and-fried-fish delivery that puts this track over like pick-up lines on a casino waitress. That is to say, smoothly. posted by mark martelli, 2/4/2003 08:16:52 AM Palace Music: "New Partner" Will Oldham has a way of making songs so complex and nuanced that they can take on whole new levels of meaning after repeated listens. At first, the simple and elegant melody of "New Partner" registered like a lullaby. Most songs as warm and comforting as this make me want to curl up in a snug little corner -- "New Partner" made me feel like I was already there. But after a few weeks of obsessive listening, something about "New Partner" left me feeling strangely unsettled. As I paid closer attention to Oldham's lyrics and delivery, something vaguely sinister began to creep through the song's deceptively simple facade. Throughout "New Partner," Oldham's voice is almost too resigned and subdued -- when he intones "you'll haunt me, you'll haunt me, till I've paid for what I've done," he sounds less like a haunted man than like a ghost himself -- a recently deceased figure who has been followed to his death by an ambiguous deed from his past. Once I began to focus on the almost uncomfortable calm of Oldham's voice, it occurred to me that the "new partner" of which he speaks may very well be death itself. Of course, this is all just speculation. But therein lies Oldham's genius -- his songs are ambiguous enough to be interpreted several ways, and direct and powerful enough that every interpretation carries with it substantial emotional depth. This is the three-chord song that every other three-chord song wishes it could be; sonically rich, masterfully constructed, and anything but simple. posted by Matt LeMay, 2/3/2003 10:40:53 PM Nels Cline & Thurston Moore: "I Inhale You" This glimmering, fifteen-minute drone masterpiece is from Pillow Wand, a recording Nels Cline and Thurston Moore made on December 30th, 1996. It was made available by tiny, utterly DIY label Little Brother, best known for their flawless Minutemen tribute compilation Our Band Could Be Your Life, which featured Thurston Moore and just about every other big name in indie rock. Pillow Wand is a more thorough, layered summary of Moore's previous ambient work for the James Mangold film Heavy, starring Liv Tyler, Debbie Harry and yes, Evan Dando. Cline and Moore had been plotting what they called a "dream guitars" project for quite a while; no liner notes exist to explain how much or little advance planning went into this project, but given its strict, stereo-panned two-guitar arrangement and both artists' experimental joie de vivre, I comfortably assume none. "I Inhale You" dances with memory, light, sky and shadows, a startling display of how much depth can be created without reliance on effects pedals or studio padding. posted by Chris Ott, 2/3/2003 05:37:24 PM Elton John: “Where to Now, St. Peter?” Continuing on my The Band tip… England’s fascination with American roots music is well-noted, from the Yardbirds-Stones embrace of Chicago blues to the UK press fawning over all things Ryan Adams. Less-known is the effect The Band had on artists over there, from Fairport Convention to John Cale, as well as songwriter Bernie Taupin and his pianistic buddy, Elton John. On his second effort (with nary an overblown single from childhood in sight to blight the entire record), the pair conceive a loose concept album that shows their love of the Old West, the Civil War, and that weird, continental railroad funk from “Up on Cripple Creek.” Over a River Styx-like wah guitar rippling by Caleb Quaye (Billy Nicholls’ secret weapon), Reg reflects and wails on a battlefield near-death that conjures up beguiling sensations of blue canoes, arms as paddles, and Merlin sleep. It’s a powerful agnosticism suddenly face to face with the divine gatekeeper, and Elton’s got a few questions about the nature of this world for him. Listen for the backing vocals here, reverberating across like Starsailor come down from the heavens. posted by andy beta, 2/3/2003 08:26:41 AM