Stuff this in your turkey and eat it

November 17, 2008 by Eric Alves 

 

Whether it’s dance or haunting melodies, here’s two albums that will keep the party going through Turkey Day

Lady Gaga – “The Fame”

Typically when reviewing an album, I forcibly listen to it at least twice to give the songs a chance to grow on me. Lady Gaga’s debut album, The Fame, is one of the rare few that I found myself listening to repeatedly not because the songs had to grow on me, but because I was actually enjoying it. 

As the title indicates, Lady Gaga explores the admittedly overdone theme of living glamorously as a celebrity – or like one, anyway. Trite as the theme may be, Lady Gaga handles it with the bravado of a trailblazer, offering a fresh (and more importantly, danceable) perspective.

“Just Dance” sets off the party, a track writhing with seductive electricity and lyrics offering optimism in the solace of dancing. Steady claps pace the sinister synths of “Lovegame,” a song that emulates Lady Gaga’s signature combination of slightly bawdy verses punctuated by tuneful melodies.

Even the glamorous have obsessions, as Lady Gaga evinces in “Paparazzi.” With lyrics like “I’ll follow you until you love me” and “I won’t stop ‘til that boy is mine,” stalkers anywhere can identify with the borderline creepy lyrics, while the rest of us can enjoy the entrancing beat.

Following her voyeuristic escapades, “Beautiful Dirty Rich” describes the lifestyle Gaga and her friends embody, a song with tinges of cabaret contributed by dramatic piano chords. “Poker Face” uses various clever card-playing metaphors for a woman that’s hard to get, with a winning hand of robust vocals and a royal flush of catchy music.

While most of the album glimmers with scintillating dance tracks, one notable exception is “Again Again,” a song where Gaga decides to flaunt her unfortunately unimpressive vocal range to slow-paced music that creates an unsightly disruption to the dance-party atmosphere of the album.

In “The Fame,” Lady Gaga has crafted perhaps the quintessential soundtrack for a night of carefree fun, with beats so unrelentingly intoxicating, you might end up hun gover as they linger in your mind.

 

The Bleachers – “Conjure”

Las Vegas already lays claim to a few bands that have penetrated the mainstream consciousness of America, and if The Bleachers’ latest effort is any indication, our humble town will soon be able to add another name to the list. 

“Conjure,” The Bleachers’ second album, shows maturity and restraint while focusing their haunting melodic sound in new ways.

“Ice on the Equator” is a controlled explosion of sound, like the timed detonations of a building being imploded.  Each instrument comes in at just the right time to blow the listener away, with their signature stirring vocals soaring through as the dust settles. In the aftermath of the intro, “Build an Army” rises with purposeful rhythm, a droning hypnosis almost settling in were it not for the unexpected shifts in timing.

The album’s murky atmosphere is brightened a bit by “Country House,” with a decidedly more mellow sound and swaying disposition. The core of the album is marked by “Skeleton” and “Skeleton,” twin tracks with very different sounds. A suspenseful mood pervades the former with sparse instrumentation creating the sense of an impending climax that never truly manifests. The latter “Skeleton” in contrast is much more stirring, with a simplistic melody reminiscent of a haunting tune in an old music box.

“Zodiac” is another standout, featuring a more laid back rendering of their formula, densely layered with a touch of defeat.

Conjure concludes with the instrumental “Rivalry,” a riveting denouement for the effective album that precedes it. 

What The Bleachers have conjured up with their latest album is nothing short of extraordinary.