Yesterday I wrote about the nostalgia for 90’s acts that contributed to a new release by The Wallflowers. No doubt many people will look at the reunion of Ben Folds Five in the same light.
The band put out three studio albums between 1995 and 1999 then broke up unexpectedly. Their output generated one medium-sized hit (‘Brick’) and a small but devoted legion of fans like myself who couldn’t believe something so great ended so quickly.
Riding a wave of nostalgia for 90s acts, The Wallflowers returned this month with their first album since 2005’s Rebel, Sweetheart.
The Wallflowers made a big splash with 1996’s Bringing Down the Horse. Hit singles ‘One Headlight’ and ‘6th Avenue Heartache’ were radio staples that sound as fresh today as they did 16 years ago. But their brand of earnest roots rock felt out of place as grunge gave way to hip-hop, dance and electronica.
In a recent Rolling Stone interview, Bob Dylan was told about a critic who said that Justin Bieber couldn’t sing any of the songs on Tempest, Dylan’s new album. Dylan replied, “I couldn’t sing any of his songs either.”
That exchange captures what’s great about Dylan’s output over the past two decades.
The man’s voice is shot, no question. He has never had much range, but he sounds like Bono on his early albums when compared to his recent work.
It’s been a very good year for new music releases, particularly if you’re me.
New albums from Ben Folds Five, Fiona Apple, Rufus Wainwright, Bob Dylan, The Shins, Tift Merritt, The Wallflowers, Garbage, Lyle Lovett and Bruce Springsteen, all in one year? Talk about a dream lineup.
I’ve hardly had any time to discover new artists because I’m so busy listening to new music by my favorites.
I discovered My Morning Jacket after the release of 2008’s Evil Urges, a masterful collection of southern-fried funk and psychedelia that simply blew me away.
A lot of fans were apparently turned off by Evil Urges, expecting something closer to what the band delivered on 2005’s Z, their critical and commercial breakthrough.
I bought Z, figuring if I loved their new “disappointing” release I’d certainly love what fans considered their best work.
