2008 Woodie Awards
WRCU Review
Henoch Derbew & Bill Gabler
Issue date: 4/22/05 Section: Arts & Features
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Weather Report - Heavy Weather Jazz
Formed in 1970, Weather Report was a pioneer group in Jazz-Fusion/Rock-Jazz and included some of the greatest musicians in the genre. Over the course of their 15-year career, the group went through a number of members, many of whom already had gained fame from previous experiences in "traditional" jazz groups. Some of the ensemble's more notable artists, including saxophonist Wayne Shorter and pianist Joe Zawinul, appeared on the 1977 masterpiece, Heavy Weather - an album that was made at the twilight of rock-jazz's/jazz-fusion's popularity, yet eventually became the group's greatest seller.
This record is characterized by a soundscape that feels like a soundtrack to a futuristic movie. "Birdland," arguably the most popular Weather Report song, is a good way to hear a bit of all their work because it incorporates many of the musical elements found on their other tracks. "Heavy Weather" is not simply a hard fusion album - the smooth and relaxing, "A Remark You Made," is highlighted by a notably mellow sound, spearheaded by Shorter's saxophone. Check this record out. Weather Report is without a doubt the greatest jazz-fusion group of all time and this record is the best place to start if you want to learn what jazz-fusion was all about.
-Henoch Derbew
Gatsbys American Dream - Volcano Indie-Rock
Poor punctuation aside, Gatsbys [sic] American Dream (GAD) has proven themselves to be four of Indie rock's most intelligent young men. Their career began with a chugging, metal-influenced punk rock record that even they would rather ignore. Slower tempos and unwieldy time changes prevailed on their acclaimed second album, Ribbons & Sugar. As the title suggests, these bookworms aren't afraid to let their penchant for literature show - Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm are only a few of the works alluded to throughout their discography.
Admittedly grandiose, Volcano is told from the viewpoint of, well, a volcano and contains more than a few references to the tragedy of Pompeii (the album's inspiration). The music contains the riff-heavy guitar work and mind-bending drumming (from Rudy Gajadhar, brother of Blood Brothers' drummer Mark) that has become a trademark of GAD. Singer Nic Newsham's voice - a boyish melding of a contemporary emo crooner persona with an undeniably soulful style reminiscent of your parents' Motown vinyls - remains as chill-inducing as ever. And the bass lines are simply too thick to ignore (see: "A Mind of Metal and Wheels").
But what really keeps this disc fresh is the sheer amount of planning that it required. While the style of each song is quite different, the common themes give Volcano the cohesion of an honest to goodness concept album. In an age when poorly constructed theme albums are all the rage, Gatsbys actually succeeds.
Perhaps I didn't save the best for last, but Volcano deserves recognition as my last review for the semester. So overlook the band's grammatical oversight and see what you've been missing. And longtime fans can rest assured: there still aren't any choruses.
-Bill Gabler
Formed in 1970, Weather Report was a pioneer group in Jazz-Fusion/Rock-Jazz and included some of the greatest musicians in the genre. Over the course of their 15-year career, the group went through a number of members, many of whom already had gained fame from previous experiences in "traditional" jazz groups. Some of the ensemble's more notable artists, including saxophonist Wayne Shorter and pianist Joe Zawinul, appeared on the 1977 masterpiece, Heavy Weather - an album that was made at the twilight of rock-jazz's/jazz-fusion's popularity, yet eventually became the group's greatest seller.
This record is characterized by a soundscape that feels like a soundtrack to a futuristic movie. "Birdland," arguably the most popular Weather Report song, is a good way to hear a bit of all their work because it incorporates many of the musical elements found on their other tracks. "Heavy Weather" is not simply a hard fusion album - the smooth and relaxing, "A Remark You Made," is highlighted by a notably mellow sound, spearheaded by Shorter's saxophone. Check this record out. Weather Report is without a doubt the greatest jazz-fusion group of all time and this record is the best place to start if you want to learn what jazz-fusion was all about.
-Henoch Derbew
Gatsbys American Dream - Volcano Indie-Rock
Poor punctuation aside, Gatsbys [sic] American Dream (GAD) has proven themselves to be four of Indie rock's most intelligent young men. Their career began with a chugging, metal-influenced punk rock record that even they would rather ignore. Slower tempos and unwieldy time changes prevailed on their acclaimed second album, Ribbons & Sugar. As the title suggests, these bookworms aren't afraid to let their penchant for literature show - Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm are only a few of the works alluded to throughout their discography.
Admittedly grandiose, Volcano is told from the viewpoint of, well, a volcano and contains more than a few references to the tragedy of Pompeii (the album's inspiration). The music contains the riff-heavy guitar work and mind-bending drumming (from Rudy Gajadhar, brother of Blood Brothers' drummer Mark) that has become a trademark of GAD. Singer Nic Newsham's voice - a boyish melding of a contemporary emo crooner persona with an undeniably soulful style reminiscent of your parents' Motown vinyls - remains as chill-inducing as ever. And the bass lines are simply too thick to ignore (see: "A Mind of Metal and Wheels").
But what really keeps this disc fresh is the sheer amount of planning that it required. While the style of each song is quite different, the common themes give Volcano the cohesion of an honest to goodness concept album. In an age when poorly constructed theme albums are all the rage, Gatsbys actually succeeds.
Perhaps I didn't save the best for last, but Volcano deserves recognition as my last review for the semester. So overlook the band's grammatical oversight and see what you've been missing. And longtime fans can rest assured: there still aren't any choruses.
-Bill Gabler