"Surprise" - Paul Simon

No one needs me (or anyone else) to tell them that Paul Simon is one of the Greatest Living Songwriters. He's proven himself there, and whether you agree or not it will remain fact, so you might as well agree. There, glad we're on the same page now. What we can argue, as we can with any artist who has been creating for over forty years, is whether he is still a great songwriter. I believe he is, and I'm going to keep writing until you agree with me, so get comfy.

Surprise is Paul's first album since 2000's You're the One and is well worth the wait. He has taken the poetry that the world has come to expect from him and run right over the creative edge with it, and the result could not be more pleasing.

The album is a departure from Simon's original folky sound and even from his more recent embrace of African rhythms. This is thanks in large part to Brian Eno, his partner (credited as creator of the "sonic landscape") for this effort. Eno has added a wall of electronic, but bizarrely natural, sound to just about every track, giving the album a larger sound than it could have had with Simon and his band alone. The effect is excellent. The electronics are very much present on every track, but they never overshadow the subtlety of Simon's rhythms and lyrics.

Simon grabs our attention with the album's single "How Can You Live in the Northeast" which gives us a good preview of the sound he uses for the rest of the album. "Another Galaxy" is a standout track if only because Eno is (somehow) able to make it sound like we're actually in space with him and Paul. Very impressive. The album's anthem, "Wartime Prayers", paints a powerful and moving portrait of the downtrodden. But really, I feel safe in saying that "Outrageous" is going to be that track by which this album is remembered. Simon uses the song both to remind us that he can still rock and that there are a vast number of things in the world that just piss him off.

A solid effort from an aging, but not waning, rock star. Give it a listen, and if you don't agree with my take on it, then you should probably seek professional help.

"Ganging Up On the Sun" - Guster

Can Guster Make Wimp Rock, Rock Hard?

Can a genre of music be defined only by its complete half-assedness? The guys of Guster will tell you that it can, and it is. “Ganging Up On The Sun” is the latest in a collection of over 20 discs released since the band’s first in 1994, but that’s counting internet only albums, singles and live shows. In truth, you probably only know of “Parachutes”, “Goldfly”, “Lost and Gone Forever”, and “Keep It Together”, the band’s main collection of songs, and possibly only of their radio hits, including Barrel of a Gun, Fa Fa, and I Hope Tomorrow Is Like Today featuring Ben Kweller.

The guys have been churning out tunes for a while and, for the most part, each album has been great. Earlier works were a bit more rock-oriented and had their drummer, known to some only as Thundergod, working a hand-kit extensively and often to the point of bleeding fingers. As the group progressed the acoustic aspect was played up, the hand-kit became a standard kit, and the vocals softened, leading us to the latest album which I can say, with complete certainty, is the wimpiest collection of songs ever written by someone who isn’t James Taylor.

“Ganging Up…" suffers from two problems: 1. the few good songs sound like they were written by other bands, and 2. the songs that sound like Guster songs never go anywhere and often end without coming to a satisfying conclusion. One Man Wrecking Machine sounds like Coldplay, and Manifest Destiny sounds like Ben Folds Five, but here’s one upside to the facsimile: Guster does the Five and Chris Martin better than the Five and Chris Martin do. Sadly, the remaining tracks don’t pan out as well. Some merely feel unfinished (Empire State, Lightning Rod), while others drag out and yet go no where (Ruby Falls). These tracks would be great if they had some more effort put in, but as it is, I get the feeling that the boys just ran out of energy. A few highlights are The Captain, The New Underground, and The Beginning of the End, but mostly because they are very similar to songs off of previous albums: Jesus on the Radio and Red Oyster Cult, respectively.

Having listened to this album in the neighborhood of 25 times, I’d say download it or have a friend burn it for you. Over time it is fun to listen to, but pound for pound, Wimp Rock is weak sauce.