Sounds for the Season: Some of the Best New Music for 2002

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Sounds for the Season:

Some of the Best New Music for 2002

By Robert E. Martin

Music always makes a great gift to give for the Holidays because

not only does it heighten our mind, body & soul to the sensibilities of the

season, but also unlike gloves or a sweater, it's something you can use all

year long.

2002 was not the best of years and the same holds true with the output and

quality of recorded endeavor.  The following new releases are by no means

representative of all the engaging material released in the past year, but

they embody some of my personal favorites.

The iconoclastic Seattle songwriter, showman, and musicologist known simply as Beck returned to the scene in a major way with the moody, atmospheric introspection of Sea Change, undoubtedly one of the most pensive and subdued releases from an artist born from the explosion of the Seattle Grunge scene back in the mid-90s.

Known for never being musically predictable (in the past Beck has mixed Grunge, sampling & Hip Hop and on his prior foray delved deeply into the world of Parliament acid-Funk) with Sea Change we find Beck exploring the misty layers of his innermost heart delivered primarily through acoustic guitar, with the haunting melodic structure of his material framed with lush, subtle, and potent string orchestration.

In terms of articulating loneliness & heartbreak, lyrically Beck has never

been in finer form, as witnessed through the haunting song, Already Dead,

where he notes that: "Time wears away/All the pleasures of the day/Days

fade to black/In the light of what they lack/Nothings measured by what it

needs/and you're already dead to me now".

Throughout material such as Paper Tiger, All In Your Mind, and the

symphonic closing track, Side of the Road, we find power not merely from an

artist deconstructing  'over-the-top' arrangements that his reputation was

built upon, but also from an emotional honesty that finds joy in the

listener upon the realization that no matter how large one's problems may

be, even rich and successful rock stars often share them.

Of the many releases I receive each year from both major & independent labels, this third album from New York based-singer-songwriter Heather Eatman immediately stood out from the crowd.

Eatman wrote all of the songs on Real, her 3rd release, except for Willie Dixon's Spoonful, and grew up in Jacksonville, TX, and Ann Arbor, MI, moving to New York City at the age of 17, where she now works as a graphic artist for the New York Daily News.

Apart from the poignant and uplifting caliber of her distinctive songwriting, the breathy unusual tone of her voice, and her hook-laden guitar playing, Eatman refuses to be typecast into the role of a Sheryl Crow or Lucinda Williams clone. Full of colorful character, insightful lyrics and bright melodies that she crafts so well, Eatman is easily one of the most vibrant and exciting pop singer/songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in quite awhile.

Filled with authority and individuality of vision that you rarely find

among new arrivals, Eatman defies categorization in the sense that she

walks a fine line between folk and rock music without narrowing herself

down to either.

She is also a gifted storyteller, whose casual narratives capture the

seemingly settled fates of restless small-town dreamers and big-time losers

with a bracing mix of compassion and detail.

Most compelling is the fact that her melodies often start out in folk and

meander into the rough edges of rock without ever getting too harsh.

Undoubtedly acoustic music with a kick, Heather manages to sound innocent &

experienced at the same time, and her alternately literate and giddy tales

offer plenty of whiplash-inducing moments.

After spending much of the past decade indulging himself in operatic and symphonic endeavors, not to mention his collaboration a few years ago with Burt Bacharach, the Godfather of Punk with a hefty dose of wit returned to his roots in full force with this year's new release entitled When I Was Cruel.

Enlisting the services of former Attractions bandmates Pete Thomas on drums & keyboardist extraordinaire Steve Nieve, on his latest outing Elvis Costello maps the often murky terrain between expectation and reality with the vitriolic wit and musical intensity that have long characterized his position in the lexicon of Rock.

From the opening chords of 45, playing not only on the imagery of old 45

records but the irony of hitting his 45th birthday when the song was

penned, to the sardonic musings of Spooky Girlfriend, up through the

full-throttled chorus of Tear Off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution),

When I Was Cruel showcases an incredibly prolific artist at the height of

his game.

Especially effective is the sing-a-long chorus of the song Alibi, which

incisively captures the two-sided coin of desire & transgression. ("You did

it 'cos you wanted/Alibi, alibi/And you took it/'Cos you need it/Alibi,

alibi/ But if I've done something wrong/There's no 'ifs & buts'/'Cos I love

you just as much as I hate your guts/Alibi, alibi").

All in all, an impressive release from one of popular music's most gifted

treasures.

One of the most stirring and pleasing surprises of 2002 came in the form of Tri-City based artists, The Process, who managed to crystallize the thematic magnitude of their previous work in the form of eight new tracks that totally re-defined the power of this group with the emphasis on their spectacular ability to truly rock down the house.

Produced by Gee Pierce and mastered by noted technician Dave Klutch, the material on Blood & Bones draws the best elements of the group together into a tight yet magnified focus that shimmers like a rare diamond.

From the opening assault of Rising Up, buttressed by the impeccable drumming of Sam Metropoulos and reinforced by the intricate bass & keyboard arrangements of Bill Heffelfinger, to the urgent emotive vocals of David Asher, accompanied by the soaring registers of backing vocalist, Michelle Shaw, the tales of transgression, redemption, and solidarity are consistently given soaring accent by the stellar constructions of guitarist Garrick Owen.

Especially effective is the closing song, entitled Rasta Calling, that

despite the title has very little to do with Reggae and everything to do

with a band finding fuel in the soaring embrace of Rock music executed with

a full flurry of passion scaling soaring musical heights. Constructed

around a sturdy riff that breaks into a melodic oasis, the song spirals

into the stratosphere with Garrick's breathtaking guitar solo, Asher's

vocals never in finer form.

Blood & Bones is an important work from one of our area's finest and most

dedicated groups.

And at no time has there been a 'message' contained in the music that is

more important to hear.  If there is any justice in this world, this will

be the album that takes The Process to the larger & greater audience that

they so rightly deserve.

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