Music Reviews: The Latest From Calvin Harris, Neil Young, Ani DiFranco and Big Star

— -- intro: As the industry gears up for the coming holiday season, this week seems to be a moment to take a breath. There aren’t many high-profile releases this week, but the coming weeks will probably be monsters full of highly anticipated blockbusters.

This week EDM-favorite Calvin Harris returns with his latest, Neil Young gets backed by an orchestra on his second studio album of 2014, indie-rock stalwart Ani DiFranco releases her 18th studio album and much-beloved Memphis legends Big Star release an archival live concert from 1994.

quicklist: 1title: Calvin Harris’ “Motion” ***text: Back in 2007, Calvin Harris appeared as a funk-loving, party fueled dance machine on his album “I Created Disco.” His half-spoken, half falsetto delivery had a silly charm and that quirky debut still stands as his best album even if in the years since his profile has grown considerably.

Starting with his third album, “18 Months” in 2012, Harris began using guests to deliver the vocal parts of his songs. That album was full of high-profile figures like Rihanna, Kelis, Dizzee Rascal and Florence Welch. "We Found Love” with Rihanna is probably his most famous song to date.

"Motion” plays like a weaker sequel to that record. There are fewer high profile names even with appearances by Gwen Stefani, Ellie Goulding (who also appeared on “18 Months”) and Haim. Most importantly, Harris brings his own vocals back into the play, albeit with a less goofy, more mannered approach. The single “Summer” gave him quite a hit over the last few months.

In spite of its occasional weak spots, though, this is the kind of party record Harris’ fans expect and he doesn’t really let them down.

Of the celebrity DJs putting EDM further onto the map within the pop landscape, Harris is among the best the industry has to offer. If only he didn’t have to sacrifice the unique sound of his earlier records in the name of pop stardom.

Focus Tracks

“Summer” This radio hit is the undeniable centerpiece of the record. Yes, it seems deceptively simple, but further listening shows it to be truly an intricate, well-arranged sonic piece. Harris understands the “mainstream bounce” that EDM songs need to achieve airplay and yet his songs never come off as lazy exercises in formula. He’s got a masterful touch that separates him from the likes of Avicii and David Guetta.

“Outside” (Featuring Ellie Goulding) Ellie Goulding as a pro at making these guest spots matter. She knows how to make her mark, and this is a beautiful house-ballad anchored by what sounds like a tweaked string-section.

“Slow Acid” Although it is slower than all three cuts and it has its own unique swagger, this instrumental sounds like Harris’ love letter to Fatboy Slim’s “Acid 8000,” Daft Punk’s “Da Funk” and The Crystal Method’s “Busy Child.”

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quicklist: 2title: Neil Young’s “Storytone” (2 Disc version) **1/2text: “Storytone” is an experiment by Neil Young to record his music in front of a 92-piece orchestra. If you get the deluxe edition, you also get these songs in their solo acoustic form. This album plays all right, especially on the orchestral disc, considering the fact that in many cases, the extra instrumentation opens these songs up. Really the main problem here is one that you don’t expect from someone as reliable as Young: When it comes to the songwriting, he seems for the most part to be on autopilot.

Sure, Young on autopilot delivers better work than some others when they really put some effort into their songs, but this seems like an excellent idea without the steam to really deliver. Some of these songs, like the painfully basic “I Want To Drive My Car” sound like rough sketches done by a veteran who just decided to write a song in five seconds. Maybe this feeling is due to the instantaneous nature of his last 2014 release, “A Letter Home” where he recorded live covers to an old-timey record machine in Jack White’s recording studio. Much of this record’s construction (compositionally speaking) comes off as alarmingly slapdash. And yet, the often intricate orchestral arrangements obscure this fact.

Young can do better work than this record conveys. Go listen to “Harvest Moon,” “Sleeps With Angels,” “Greendale” and countless other later-career classics. This, in comparison is a rather weak entry. Consider the fact that just 4 years ago Young issued the exciting “Le Noise,” which while stripped down, didn’t seem half-baked in the least.

Again, this is an interesting idea on Young’s part, and it has its moments, but ultimately it deserved better execution.

Focus Tracks

“Plastic Flowers” This is a sweet love song and it opens up the set. Yes, it would sound better with some power-pop-esque momentum, but hopefully someone will hear that, too and deliver a striking cover. The solo version is the better version here.

“Who’s Gonna Stand Up?” Sure this environmentally-themed anti-fracking anthem may be a tad heavy-handed in its approach even to those agreeing with its sentiments, but at the same time it harkens back to the protest songs from the beginning of Young’s career. Perhaps he handled this kind of material better on a record like “Living With War,” but this is still a potent listen, especially in its orchestral form.

“I’m Glad I Found You” This is another sweet love song about being different and finding one’s exact counterpart. Perhaps the recent news of Young’s pending divorce from his wife of 37 years, Pegi gives this song an air of sadness, especially in its orchestral form.

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quicklist: 3title: Ani DiFranco’s “Allergic To Water” ***text: Ani DiFranco has been a trailblazer in the world of independent music for some time now. Having made music on her own independent label, Righteous Babe records since 1990, she has remained fiercely and admirably independent within the high-pressure music industry.

"Allergic To Water” is DiFranco’s 18th studio album and her first since controversy gave her the wrong kind of attention. Last year, DiFranco attempted to organize a musical retreat at a resort in Louisiana that was once a giant plantation. After the sizable public outcry from her fans, DiFranco acknowledged the planned venue had been a mistake and canceled the event. It was an awkward and unusual stumble for a normally politically-aware artist. It was a rare misstep that was seemingly incongruous with the tone and messages associated with her music. That alarming momentary gaffe may be a reason why this record, while still overtly political in some spots, is a little more subtle in its approach.

This album shifts the focus back to her music and with its jazzy tone. It doesn’t quite hit the high mark that 2008’s “Red Letter Year” did, and there are moments that bring to mind a bohemian coffee shop, but if you are a DiFranco fan, that comes with the territory.

Though the tempos are slower, throughout, many of her hallmarks still stand strong. The few times she goes into her unique and distinct guitar-strumming style are thrilling, even if the moments are fleeting. She doesn’t often achieve the kind of momentum needed to blast off in quite the way to warrant such playing. This record is a more peaceful, mellow exercise full of subtle blues textures and an intriguing sense of backwoods calm.

DiFranco, once the poster child for spiky, pierced arty folk-punks everywhere has firmly embraced a mellower adulthood here. “Allergic To Water” may not have the kind of bite you’d necessarily expect, but it still will resonate upon repeated listens.

Focus Tracks:

“See See See See” One of the few moments with DiFranco’s signature strumming technique, she adds a bit of a bossa nova swing into the mix. Hearing her quietly sing the lines “I’m still in love with you” over such a chilled background is striking. The song is full of jazzy flourishes.

“Dithering” This opener plays like a down-tempo answer to Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.” The track even shares that song’s wary sense of world-weariness.

“Happy All The Time” Starting with religious imagery about suffering, DiFranco quickly juxtaposes that tone with an airy chorus about her own happiness. The message is that pain makes us stronger so we can better enjoy the happier moments in our lives. Again, there is a jazzy airiness to this track.

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quicklist: 4title: Big Star’s “Live In Memphis” *** 1/2text: Recorded in late October 1994, around the time when Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens decided to re-form Big Star aided by the Posies’ Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, “Live In Memphis” captures a hometown concert by a band that in all truth should have been one of the most successful acts of the seventies. Somehow the band never got the audience they deserved, but this second incarnation almost achieved their goal. In reality, it felt like the band was just about to break in a big way when Alex Chilton died suddenly in 2010. A week later, after all, they were supposed to headline South By Southwest. (That concert happened but it ended up being a celebrity-filled tribute to their legacy.)

Restarting the band was no doubt done as a labor of love and this lineup would serve the band’s legacy well during the band’s final 17 years. In every note heard on this collection, you can hear the glee that comes from a sense of rebirth.

Ironically, the poster on the back of the album cover calls this the band’s “farewell U.S. performance.” It was anything but. Admittedly the sound quality is a bit tinny in some places. The added reverb on Stephens’ drum-kit at times makes this sound like a recital in an empty high school gymnasium. The band members do glowing versions of many of their classics. Strangely, they omit “Thirteen” which is one of their signature songs.

Along there are a few surprises. They cover the Kinks’ “Till The End Of The Day” and a few seconds of Bruce Springsteen’s “Fire.” Perhaps the most touching is when they break into founding guitarist Chris Bell’s solo song “I Am The Cosmos” and dedicate it to his memory. Bell died in a car crash in 1978.

“Live In Memphis” isn’t necessarily a good starting point for new fans. I’d suggest listening to “#1 Record,” “Radio City” and “Third/Sister Lovers” first. That being said, it is great that this album has seen release. Considering the band only released 4 studio albums (the last one in 2005 with Auer and Stringfellow) archival releases like this one add heft to their discography.

Note: This collection was also issued on DVD.

Focus Tracks

“September Gurls” Arguably the strongest song in Big Star’s catalog, “September Gurls” is the kind of buzzy power-pop song full of youthful exuberance even if it does make lyrical references to a relationship that is no doubt, doomed. It still captures a feeling of new love quite effectively.

“In The Street” This set opener will be familiar to fans of “That 70’s Show.” It was essentially that show’s theme song. It’s a fitting anthem about suburban boredom.

“The Ballad Of El Goodo” I’ve heard this song hundreds of times. Each time, it has struck me as a strident reflection from a determined old soul. In recent years it has become like Alex Chilton’s autobiographical eulogy. His lines about “trying hard against unbelievable odds” just bring to mind his and Bell’s struggle to have Big Star majorly succeed. The song is drenched in both sadness and confidence. In many ways it plays like Big Star’s defining thesis statement.

Next Week: Pink Floyd release their first album in 20 years which could also be their final release, the Foo Fighters issue “Sonic Highways” and more.

Missed last week's? Get the latest from Taylor Swift, Yusuf (Cat Stevens), Rancid and more!

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