A Sort Of Homecoming

Well, it's not exactly breaking news now, but Disney has put up 7.4 billion, and brought Pixar back into the fold.

What it gets them is the single most exciting and lucrative studio on the planet, and Steve Jobs on the board of directors.

Hopefully, what it will mean for the rest of us is better quality films from the house of mouse, and an end to these tedious direct-to-dvd sequels they keep insulting us with. Leave your second unit animators doing the television stuff, and put your A-Team (when he's on his meds, Murdoch is quite the skilled cell painter) back on some A-List projects.

There are tons of speculation just how much Apple influence this will all actually bring. I don't think that it would be a bad thing, to a certain extent. As long as they don't try to turn the whole Magic Kingdom park into a sleek G5-like Tomorrowland space bubble, we should be okay. I think that there are some interesting ideas for applications. Wouldn't it be groovy to be able to have your Fast-Pass beamed directly into your iPod, and plot out your whole day of rides at the park in one itinerary, with audio tracks for grooving, and trivia tracks for learning? Sounds kinda cool, no? [author's note - this is my own idea, not something that has been mentioned, and as such I expect to receive the royalties that is deserved of a...hack with a blog, and, umm, nevermind...]

I hope this revitalizes Disney's film studios. Although Disney has plundered the vault of fairy tales, there are more than enough to go around. They're nowhere near the bottom of that well, and there's no need to retread when there's so much territory that's never been explored.

I think that this is a good turn of events. I think that Disney was stupid to let Pixar get ticked off enough to leave in the first place. As in most cases, I blame Eisner, but thankfully he's been excised from being able to cause any further damage.

The vision of Disney is astounding, and I love the things that his company has created. I think that it's still a viable source of wonderment for all time, as long as they remain true to where they started, and the dreams that made them the best of what they are.

Ozomatli - Street Signs

ALBUM REVIEW

I do so enjoy reviewing a band that I can unequivocally recommend to anyone. There aren't too many bands that fall into that category, but Ozomatli is definitely a forerunner.

I first heard their music in an SUV while helping some friends move. The single "Super Bowl Sundae" came on, and I was sold. The song was one great melting pot of wonderfulness. It had Latin rhythms, a funky horn section, Spanish vocals, and then a rap verse in the middle that didn't seem cheesy. It was fantastic!

I ran out and bought that album, and everything else since.

I have been a little behind on things, so the album "Street Signs" actually came out a little while ago. It's still new to me, and more than likely, will be new to most of you that visit here.

I have a few things to say about the band in general before I jump in to the review.

First, I find that although most of the words here are in Spanish, the songs hold a great deal of meaning and emotion to me. I think that although it's almost similar to listening to something that's strictly instrumental, hearing these songs in Spanish conveys a lot more than you might think. I've often found that if you listen closely enough, you can tell what someone's singing about in any language.

Secondly, this band is an amalgamation of goodness. You know those cool local coffee shop musicians that you and about 50 other people know about? That vibe that you get from a band at a festival that's just jamming? Throw all of that into one big pot, and stir in heaping helpings of Latin rhythms that would make Santana proud, and strings and horns, and even guest rappers, and you have one soulful stew.

Let's get on to the album at hand.

"Street Signs" is a lot better than their last album, which focused a little too much on the rap flavors for my tastes. That's not to say that I'm anti-rap. I'm quite the opposite, and have a large and varied collection of just that myself. It's just that this album feels a lot more like they're self-titled debut, and that's all for the best. I'm not going to give you translations of everything that's in Spanish, but I will translate the titles to help a little. You should just experience the rest yourself.

The album swirls into your speakers first with "Believe". With Bollywood strings, and Arabian rhythms twisting throughout, this song is great right from the start. The chorus is in English, but it could be in pig Latin, and still be cool. It's one of my favorite songs of the whole album.

You know those feel-good songs that they play over montages in movies where the characters are rebuilding a youth center, or cleaning up a neighborhood? They're always catchy, and well-crafted. "Love and Hope" is like that, but better quality than most. There are nice touches throughout that a band with this many sounds and members can provide, and make even something straightforward like this full and rich.
The strings alone here make it worth your while, and it is in English, so you can sing along a lot easier.

The title track is up next, and "Street Signs" begins with an intro straight out of Spanish Harlem. Latin jazz then fades into a rap verse. I know that this may sound odd, but the song remains the same, and blends the rap in. It's not just a means to an end with the rap, but combines with it, rejoins the horns for the chorus, and then melds back into another verse of rap. If you're totally not into rap, then this sort of thing may keep you from enjoying it. If you have any inclination, then you'll see that this is actually quite interesting. It's non-offensive rap, and something that you don't need to worry about gangstas busting caps and smacking their bitches.

"(Who Discovered) America?" is a love song to a woman that you know is wrong for you. It's basically a story told from the point of view of our 1492 ancestors coming from Spain. It's about the lure of a dangerous beauty, and what a woman like that can do to enthrall and entrap you. It's again in English, so you can file this one under low-maintenance. It's a laid back tempo number that sort of sounds like something that would be on one of Carlos Santana's recent albums with some hip person singing with him. It's not great, but it's certainly not something to toss aside either.

I mentioned earlier that their last album focused a little too much on the rap aspect. The other thing that I didn't much care for was the fact that they didn't have the guest rapper that they had on their first album, namely Chali2na. He has a very unique, deep voice, and I enjoy hearing it every time. He's actually a member of Jurassic 5, for anyone who's interested. "Who's To Blame" runs at a blistering pace, with the slithering bassline from a steamy market in Morocco. The tablas are thumping, and the rap is just as quick, and clever. Welcome back, Chali.

"Te Estoy Buscando" means "I'm looking for you". It has the pace of a modified tango. I'm sure there's a technical term in Spanish for this type of song. Almost like something that the parents would dance to at the carnival. The ones that actually have all the good moves, and go out and show the youngsters how it's done. It's all about the string section here, and a very nice vocal delivery. Quite enjoyable overall.

We get a bit of a guitar groove on "Saturday Night". The grunt of the sax and the horns run rampant alongside a crunchy guitar, and you have instant party jam. It's just dripping with swagger, which it should be since it's one of those "let's have a good time on the weekend" sort of tunes. It's got rap verses, and a hip-hop vibe throughout. There's a Sylvester Stewart moment, and a James Brown break thrown in for good measure. Good stuff for a good time.

"De'Jame En Paz" translates to "Leave Me In Peace". It's a salsa wonderland, with infectious rhythms, and such a fun song to listen to. This really shows the band's sense of humor, and their joy in what they do. They nail it musically, and still have time to get silly too.

After the blistering, boisterous fun of the last song, Ozomatli kicks out something a little more traditional with "Santiago". Here we find flamenco guitars spun around a song about the capital of Chile. The crisp percussion whisks the song along, and for it's more subdued tone, it's still very lively.

"Ya Viene El Sol" translates loosely to "The Sun Already Comes". It's a churning song with a call-and answer delivery that's hard not to get into. Driving drums, and vocals that show their happiness in any language.

"Dona Isabelle" means "For Isabelle". It's a minute long piano solo. Simple, and clean jazz piano. I wish it went a lot longer, because it's nice work. Nimble and well done.

Which flows directly into the tribal flow of "Nadie Te Tira", which literally means "Nobody Throws To You". I wasn't able to find the lyrics, even in Spanish on this one, so I can't even attempt to tell you what it's supposed to be about. What I will tell you is that it's one of the best examples of salsa/merenge fusion that you'll ever commit to memory, and enjoyable from beginning to end.

"Cuando Canto" means(again, loosely) "when I sing a song". It has great vocals, and I even like the "yeah yeah's" in it. You have to do something right for me to like nonsensical stuff like that. It's a fitting downshift. It's reserved pace and delivery ease you into a relaxed sense of closure for the album as a whole.

I apologize for the translations on the song titles. I had the internet helping me, and not a fluent native. Please feel free to correct me if you feel so inclined.

What I don't apologize for is my unwavering appreciation and enjoyment of Ozomatli. This is real music by craftsman that love what they're doing. There's palpable emotion in their songs, and I soak that up every time I listen. This may be a more "happy" album than their debut, and follow up. They are very politically active, and proactive. A lot of that comes out in their songs, but not so much on this record. I highly recommend their work to anyone. This is a really great album, and I don't even have a track that I don't like on some level.

On a side note, if you're lucky enough to have free time and inclination to go on the Dave Matthews cruise, you'll get treated to these guys too. I wish I had known, because the idea of cruising the tropics with music this good sounds like a dream vacation to me.

Rating = **** 1/2 out of 5 stars

King's X - Ogre Tones

ALBUM REVIEW

Well, here we come to one of my favorite bands. I enjoy sharing this band with people, because they're largely unheard of. That's a real shame, because they've made some incredible music. Is this another brick in that wall? Not a very strong one, I'm afraid.

While there are definitely a few choice morsels on this album, there are more troublesome moments. It does sound a lot more like a "King's X" album should. It's not quite a return to form, but then again, form is really a fluid thing as long as you're an evolving musician.

I don't want to throw out the equivalent of the compliment, "she's got a great personality" to this album, but I really dig the cover art a lot. The boys are sort of hit of miss on this. They have some cover art(and music too) that makes me think they missed their place in time by about two decades. Some of their earlier albums would just look way wicked as an LP.

Enough of that, let's jump into the first track, "Alone". From the primal scream at the start, this song definitely gets your attention. It's so made-for-radio, single-friendly that it's painful. What keeps it from completely shambling off into forgettable crud is the solid harmony in that chorus. If you want to see something really odd, and almost disturbing in it's cheesiness, then head to their site and check out the video for this thing. Tre bizarre, if you ask me.

"Stay" has a lot of the elements of the band's sound, but it sounds to me like another attempt at a single. It's not a very good attempt either. When these guys hit on all cylinders, it's something special, but the lyrics here are weak and predictable, and the song isn't musically much better really.

This album is reviewed one of two ways most places I've checked. Some really dig it, and say it's like the good old days. Some really think it's a bit of contrived crap. I think it's a bit of both. It's certainly a mixed bag at best, and "Hurricane" is a song that I really want to like more than I do. I just can't get over the fact that they're recycling their own songs on this one. This is nothing more than a retread of the title track from "Faith Hope Love". Although I love that album, and song dearly, I just can't bring myself to enjoy this more because of it. I understand that most of music is a type of cannibalism at this point because it's all been done before, but eating your own young is a bit grotesque, even figuratively.

"Fly" is a swing back towards something fine and good. It has all the elements that makes this music wonderful - crunchy riffs, that electric-church vocal, and those soaring harmonies. This is definitely what you can categorize as a return to form. It's the first ray of hope in my mind on the album, although I don't think it really gets going till track seven.

On the other hand, "If" sounds like a song that could have been great if it was arranged a lot better. If you crank up the organ here, and throw the funky into high gear, then the stripped down delivery of this song would transcend what they've recorded and sent it skyward. As it is, it's another pretty okay track, but not what I'm used to.

Oh, wouldn't Little Richard be proud on this one? "Bebop" is a lot better than what's gone before. It's syncopated and almost disjointed rhythm make it unlike it's polished, radio-friendly forebears. The fact that the title eludes to the chorus that chants "whop bop a loo bop a wop bam boom" is fun for me. Maybe you'll think it's stupid, but I enjoyed seeing the fun side of this band on this one.

So, here we are at that seventh track that I said marked the beginning of the album for me. "Honesty" is a wonderful song. It's acoustic, and it's Ty singing, and it's a throwback in all the right ways. This is such a pretty song, and it could be a hit for almost anyone to sing. It's that good. It's a pity that most folks will never get the chance.

"Open My Eyes" is a little thicker and heavier than the earlier tracks, and it brings to mind Thin Lizzy to me. It's a solid song, and one that really makes me have faith for the rest of the album running out in high style. I guess I should just cuddle up with this one, because the ride gets pretty bumpy from here on in.

I'm not exactly sure what made the guys in this band sour to religion. They certainly seem to be a bit apostate at this point in their career. I'm not saying that they can't make good music because of that, but it's sort of sad to see an element of faith removed from their songwriting. "Freedom" is a good song, and it definitely mirrors the feelings that a lot of people have. I can only hope that beneath the veneer of their distaste of being a "christian band", they've kept the faith. This song is anthemic, without being burdensome, and it's a good one.

As a companion to the last song, "Get Away" is a conversation with God about the things that folks tend to have the hardest time understanding - how He could love us, but allow awful things to happen to good people. It's subdued, and drifts along on the course of bongos, and it's really a bittersweet song that I happen to like a lot.

"Sooner or Later" is many things to many people. It's got a smokey, jazz club like swagger to it, and then there are moments that definitely sound like their hometown is showing (Texas). I like them when they strip things down, and do a "slow" song. I also like that this track has some heft, since the rest of the bunch are just three minute blips on the radar. The only problem that I have with the length here is that it's not really filled with anything but a tacked on solo that doesn't really go anywhere.

I think that "Mudd" is the twin of "Hurricane", or the half-brother of "If". It's not a bad tune, but certainly not memorable. By this time on this album, you're actually seeing where they're taking you before you get there, and they've developed certain traits and sounds that are recognizable components, and that's not very interesting for the anxious listener.

I will mention the next track only because I can't just act like it's not here. I'd love to. I want to tell you about the next track instead. However, and for whatever reason, the band decided to remake a classic of theirs here in "Goldilox(reprise)". It isn't improved in the least, and I don't want to say that it stains the memory of the original, but it's going to take some Tarn-X and elbow grease to make it shine again. If you want to hear how this awesome song is supposed to sound, pick up "Out of the Silent Planet" and enjoy.

The final track here is called "Bam". I think it would have been an improvement if it was about the catch phrase of a certain over-exposed creole chef, but it's not. It's little more than a glorified sound clip, which sort of end things on a whimper instead of a bang, or a "bam".

Overall, I'm very disappointed with this album. I felt like when they weren't theoretically robbing their own catalog, they were literally doing it. I suppose that I may be a little harsher on them than I would another band because they're one of my favorites. The problem with that, and not to sound like a dad here, but I know they can do better. I've seen what they can do when they really put their minds and hearts to it, and this sort of leaves me cold. I'm not saying it's just a paycheck record that they made sound like their old stuff to appease some, but I'd rather be singing their praises for going in a new direction (even though I love their old sound) than being forced to play the grumbling ogre.

Rating = ** out of 5 stars.

Reelin' In The Years

Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday. It was one of the best in recent memory, and I'm still replaying fond memories.

Now, we look forward to a new year. I really have a lot of high hopes for this year. Although some things have shifted in my overall plan, I should be able to return to the land of one job sometime this year. I can go back to being "normal" and have time to catch up with friends and family. Most importantly, I'll get to see the missus again, and return to courtship and couplehood.

My focus this year is definitely going to be about priorities. I want to spend as little of my time doing trivial things, and live instead. I don't make new year's resolutions, because I think that's limiting. I'm more of a multi-resolution per year kinda guy.

Although I have a generally positive outlook on things, I'm not a positive person. Which means that I'm looking forward to having a great year, but I'm dubious about my chances. Honestly, this feels like it could turn out to be a really good year. I think that I can definitely say that there will definitely be progress, and moving forward, and new challenges. I hope to manage to squeeze some living and memories in there too, even with my current schedule.

I hope that this is a year of jubilee for everyone. I think it's off to a good start, and there's more good on the way.

I apologize for the lack of posting in a bit, but the holidays are when I take vacation time, and I wasn't anywhere near a computer for a long while. That meant that once I got back to work, I had to play catch-up on all the lovely projects (at both jobs) that everyone else left for me to tackle. Not that I've ever been terribly consistent in putting up frequent posts, and not that it's a real treat to anyone other than me, but I should be back to my bi-weekly-ish, or better mode for the foreseeable future...