Jethro Tull - "The Jethro Tull Christmas Album" (2003)

Reviewed as part of the Only Solitaire group album reviewing project

Rating: 7/10

Best Song: "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"

First off, I must admit that the Christmas album is not really my preferred genre of music. Sure, the basic Christmas canon has some strong melodies, but there are only so many times I can hear the same piece of music before it starts to become tiresome. What I'm generally looking for in music are original and unique ideas, not minor variations of the same old thing. 

Fortunately reviewers with similar biases as mine still praised this particular album, which gave me hope that Jethro Tull's Christmas experience would be the exception to the rule. And overall, I have to say that it is! On first listen to the album, I was immediately captivated by the opening flute/guitar riff to "Birthday Card at Christmas" and knew I was in for a rare treat - an original and engaging song that still maintains a clear Christmas atmosphere. Indeed, the combination of Ian Anderson's flute and Martin Barre's guitar sets the appropriate classical Christmas vibe throughout, and combine that with the strength of the tracklist - originals, reworkings of past Tull songs, and some more traditional Christmas instrumentals, and you get a Christmas album that actually stands up to immersive listening.

I also I admit I'm more of a Tull dabbler than acolyte, so several of the reworked tracks are new to me (e.g., the two 'Christmas Songs,' 'Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow') and I rather enjoy them. I also quite like the rearrangements of the songs I did already know ('Weathercock,' 'Bouree') as well as the new songs here. And since as a rule I'm inclined to dislike straight Christmas covers, I applaud Tull for managing to breathe new life into old chestnuts like "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." In fact, that particular track is probably the standout of the album with the variation and complexity of its arrangement worthy of any strong instrumental track, Christmas or no, - from flute intro to laidback guitar to piano solo to an almost-metal electric guitar riff. 

If there's a flaw, it's that the sound is pretty similar throughout, so I do find myself starting to fidget a bit by the time this hour of Tull Christmas music starts to wind down. And since it's fairly limited in scope, it's hard for me to rate it as 'essential' in the context of all rock albums. But overall, I would happily recommend it to anyone in the mood for a Christmas album and it's certainly one of the best in its genre that I've ever heard.

Review also available at: http://tomymostalas.blogspot.ru/2015/12/jethro-tull-jethro-tull-christmas-album.html

Van Morrison - "No Guru, No Method, No Teacher" (1986)

Rating: 7/10

Best Song: "Tir Na Nog"

Confession: My knowledge of Van Morrison before listening to this album consists solely of "Brown-Eyed Girl." I've never listened to Astral Weeks, or any other Van Morrison albums. So of course I start with an obscure 1986 release, his sixteenth studio album. This wasn't an entirely arbitrary choice actually - this just happens to be one of the Van Morrison vinyls that I acquired a few years ago when I purchased a large collection of records from a co-worker.

Anyways, my basic impression of No Guru, No Method, No Teacher is this: we have here a powerful singer who roars with conviction throughout and does a fair job creating an immersive, emotional experience solely on the strength of his voice. The instrumentation is a pleasant surprise for 1986 - no synthesizers or drum machines to be found, instead we have acoustic guitars, horns, and strings all united to create a warm, pleasant background for Van's ramblings.

All of these things make the album basically a success, and I can see where someone could LOVE this album. The downside for me is the almost total lack of what I would consider 'hooks' - Van's vocal melodies tend to ramble almost to the point of being spoken word, and while the instrumentation is pleasant and tasteful, it's somewhat lacking in captivating musical ideas either. In other words, how much you like this album depends on how compelling you find Van's singing and words - and while I find them compelling enough to enjoy the album, I don't quite find them compelling enough that the album can avoid feeling a bit tedious at times.

On that note, it seems somewhat arbitrary as to which songs are the stand-outs, but the 7+ minute "Tir Na Nog" seems a pretty clear highlight to me - with its swirling, almost psychedelic strings and Van really delivering vocally. "In the Garden" is another track that stood out to me on first listen - part of me finds it a little boring, but it's hard to deny the power of lyrics that clearly aim for a simultaneous romantic and spiritual transcendence ("Listen, no guru, no method, no teacher/Just you and I and nature/And the Father and the Son/And the Holy Ghost in the garden wet with rain"). 

All said, this album is pretty clearly a grower and not a shower, and I've enjoyed it more with each successive listen, so who knows, perhaps there's room for further growth here?

Longwave - "The Strangest Things" (2003)

Reviewed as part of the Only Solitaire group album reviewing project

Rating: 4/10

Best Song: "Everywhere You Turn"

Well, I suppose when you review albums outside of what you would normally listen to, you're not always going to be that fond of what you hear. My initial Google search of Longwave suggested they would be a shoegaze group - I suppose this is true, but it's a very radio-friendly, polished version of shoegaze, and not really in a good way in my eyes. Admittedly, I don't have much familiarity with the genre outside of My Bloody Valentine. But where MBV at their best aimed to assault the listener with visceral yet eerily beautiful noise, Longwave's guitar drones are pushed into the background to emphasize the reedy voice of singer Steve Schiltz, who sounds like Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day. Between the production and singing, it can't help but sound like fairly generic alt-rock circa 2003 with shoegaze guitars added in.

Honestly, on first listen I thought this album was pretty dire and that I was going to be giving it a rating like a 2. The overall sound is just not one that really appeals to me. But although I still don't really like this album, multiple listens did bring some out of the positives. The first two tracks strike me as overall solid and memorable - "Wake Me When It's Over" has a fairly lengthy atmospheric build-up, but generally lives up to it with a catchy chorus, and "Everywhere You Turn" borders on being a cheesy anthem, but it has some energy and genuine sincerity with its falsetto chorus, so I think it's a keeper. 

From there, it gets a bit more dicey. "I Know It's Coming Someday" has another memorable chorus, but is a little too anthem-by-the-numbers for my liking. The other slower songs like "Meet Me at the Bottom" and the title track are busts - Longwave is much more listenable to me when they play uptempo. When they go slow, Schiltz's delivery is cringe-worthy to my ears, with the part in "Meet Me at the Bottom" where he sings "they've got you by the balls" being a particular low moment. The rest all follows the same basic formula of generic alt-pop songs with droning guitars added in and varying between pleasant decency to generic mediocrity. 

Overall, there are some things to like here, but this doesn't just seem like music that has stood the test of time to me. It takes me back to my early adolescent days before I discovered the Beatles and only listened to 'alternative' college radio that played lots of bands like Our Lady Peace, and I'd prefer not to be taken back to those days. I suppose if I'm being generous, I could say they were aiming for a poppier take on shoegaze, but the overall result to me is a bland, watered-down version that veers far closer to radio-friendly 'alternative' bands of ill repute than to bands like MBV.