The Silos, Tom Waits and the Talking Heads.
By: Hank Kalet
The fall has brought us some great music this year, some of the best we’ve heard in 2004. There is the great disc from REM, "Around the Sun," their best in years, perhaps their best since 1991’s "Automatic for the People." And later this month, U2 is slated to release "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," which will include the explosive single the year’s best song "Vertigo." (Read the piece in Sunday’s Times Arts and Leisure section.) And there is Elvis Costello’s rocking "The Delivery Man."
But I’ve written about them already.
Here are a few work listening to and buying definitely buy.
The Silos, "When the Telephone Rings" (Dualtone). The band’s first new release for the label (Dualtone also re-released "Cuba" in 2003) is a roots-rock masterpiece, a near-perfect mix of grinding and jangling guitars, crunching rhythm section and impressionist lyrics. Walter Salas-Humara has the kind of well-worn voice that adds a touch of authenticity to everything he sings, a voice that can sound weary, resigned, angry or ecstatic, but always real. The disc bursts from the speakers with raw energy and never lets up, even when the band slows things down. Salas-Humara’s guitar rides atop a raucous mix, twisting and turning in an anarchic swirl, as bass player Drew Glackin and drummer Konrad Meissner lay down a solid and driving foundation.
Tom Waits, "Real Gone" (Anti). This is a masterpiece of found sound and cultivated noise. Similar in texture to some of his recent releases, but lacking the odd instrumentation, Waits has found a way to make his gritty, sandpaper vocals recede into the mix, as if his grovelly groan is just another long lost musical instrument. It is on a par with his Island work.
Talking Heads, "The Name of This Band is Talking Heads" (Rhino). Finally, this great live recording has been issued on disc, with added songs and a great mix that really gives you the sense of how good David Byrne and company were back in their heyday. Why it took so long is anyone’s guess.
Next week, I’ll offer some thoughts on Chuck Prophet’s two new discs, Buddy Miller’s amazing release and the tribute to Warren Zevon.