Music Review: Golden Bloom -- Fan the Flames

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These days it’s become far too easy for musicians to simply cite their influences since inevitably audiophiles and critics can uncover those just by listening to their work.

However, when musician Shawn Fogel, who plays every single instrument in his August 18 release under the band name Golden Bloom, was asked to offer an explanation and influence-laced play-by-play of his effort Fan the Flames, The Smiths and The Beatles received only the tiniest of shout-outs. No, instead of just dubbing a guitar hook Wilco inspired the way that nearly every critic has described Fan the Flames as sounding like that band during their Summerteeth era, Fogel’s artistic muses will definitely surprise.

Drawing upon inspiration discovered in everything from books such as Confessions of an Economic Hitman and The Perks of Being a Wallflower and DVDs including Network, and The Atomic Café, Fogel seems to absorb culture and politics like a sponge.

And while the rest of us may have wanted to simply shut off our televisions and seek solace in the comedic fake news he also enjoys via Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert over the state of society in the past few years, Fogel chose to sublimate his anger into a creative album that’s become one of the most hotly anticipated discs of the year, earning kudos from SPIN, The Observer, and more.

Taking a cue from Radiohead perhaps, Fan the Flames has been hitting the internet one site at a time with each given track landing at a different music site for fans to download for free. And with this clever strategy, interest has been building steadily in the “power pop” sounds of the man who records all by his lonesome but goes incognito as the faux group-sounding title Golden Bloom, playing live at club dates with a varying roster of impressive musicians. A veritable revolving door of artists who share the stage with Fogel so that no show is identical to the previous one — while the sound of the music may change ever so slightly with Tom Petty shout outs added in as you can witness here — the lyrics of his works remain the same.

Moving away from his previous tendency to use his own relationships for fodder in the overcrowded indie rock movement of lover’s lament tracks or confessional, introspective works, Fogel acknowledges the change in the content and finished result, describing the contents of Flames as coming “from a frustrated optimism, or an optimistic frustration.”

Again dealing in the topical Radiohead terrain of Hail to the Thief or even Green Day’s American Idiot, Fogel refocuses his energies to “what’s going on in our country and our planet,” by using music to release that frustration into optimism (or vice versa) in regards to former President George W. Bush and those who cheered on Sarah Palin at rallies.

Yet instead of cheap shots or one-line jabs, the lyrics of Flames are creatively articulated throughout and one may not even catch on to precisely what it is Fogel is referencing on the initial passive — driving in your car with the windows down — listen, given the musical framework of deceptively sunny sounding, infectious ditties that comprise the roughly thirty seven minute disc.

Of course, part of the reason you may not catch on right away is because — as has been the trend of late for both music and film — the independent offering is packaged without a booklet or insert that gives us the opportunity to relish in the written lyrics. For those, like this reviewer who is still fighting against the trend of dropping CD production in favor of simply digital downloads in the future, it’s a disappointment as the pleasure of a great booklet that lists the music credits, lyrics, contains photography or sketches is one of our last remaining tangible products that separates the concept of an album from simply a disc you burned from your iTunes download library.

Yet Fan the Flames wins you over with a danceable retro tune that kickstarts the album with the first track “E.H.M.” which I can only assume is a nod to Fogel’s admitted inspiration of author John Parkins’ nonfiction work Confessions of an Economic Hitman.

Beginning with a sort of eclectic Beach Boys like hook before the modern guitar riff cuts in along with Fogel’s voice which immediately gives you the source of all of Summerteeth Wilco comparisons, the song which was initially conceived as “a slow piano ballad” soon evolved after he discovered Perkins’ book. After realizing the work gave him the fuel for the lyrics to the song for which he’d only had composed the melody and chords, he explained to Medleyville’s Chris M. Junior that in retrospect the book not only “changed the way” the musician looked “at the world” but it could also jokingly be classified as “the first installment of the Golden Bloom ‘book of the month’ club!”

He follows up the opener with the most recognizable track off the new release — the instantly catchy “Doomsday Devices” which seems to have become the official first single with the production of an offbeat Bush era style music video inspired by his fascination with the 1982 documentary film The Atomic Café and its startling balance of humor and tragedy in chronicling the development of the atomic bomb.

Again it’s dressed up in the complex musicality of an upbeat Ben Folds like orchestration that serves as a counterpoint for his true satiric intention. In my eyes and without the knowledge of Atomic Café, it feels as though it’s delivered in a Kubrickian Dr. Strangelove spirit but one that musically takes a fare more subtle approach than Green Day did with “American Idiot” or “Holiday.”

Lyrically, Fogel acknowledges that it’s a change of pace wherein he uses first-person but sings as though he’s a character other than himself by critiquing “the Bush administration’s insertion of ‘weapons of mass destruction’ into the American lexicon,” by portraying the President of the United States in the video as he opens the track with “You think you see me/but it’s only what I’m willing to show/you think you understand me/but it’s only what I want you to know.”

Still, all politics aside and even if you completely miss that interpretation the first time around, what you’re left with is a great indie pop rock track that feels like an ideal summer song, if only the album had been released a bit earlier as it’s addicting enough for some serious radio play.

With the third, titular track of the album, Fogel chose to channel the frustration and “disconnect [he felt] with the human race” upon witnessing crowds cheering on Sarah Palin in a televised rally into an optimistic, activism minded tune that reminds us of the clichéd but true statement of not giving up. While the title is a conscious “jab” at book burners and those who’d ban literature (like Palin) with the line of “Don’t pretend you’re satisfied until you’ve placed the blame, ‘cause pages never burn unless you fan the flames,” the philosophy that underscores the piece is the truism that if you quit instead of trying, then “nothing ever comes out of this mess we’re in.”

Moving away from politics into a romantic ballad that begins like a folky Neil Young song crossed with the Americana fusion of Ryan Adams’ Gold and the dreamy nature of Guster with the 2002 penned semi-autobiographical “She Leaves Me Poetry” which recalls the end of a long relationship, with in-joke references about the things that bonded them such as Stephen Chbosky’s wondrous coming-of-age novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower whose main character Charlie he relates to in the words.

Despite calling “The Fight at the End of the Tunnel” an all-out “fight song” which to Fogel was intended as “the musical equivalent of” Peter Finch’s famous “I’m as mad as hell” scene from Network, in the world of musical genres, it’s a pretty quiet fight song when placed next to those from metal or punk. Aside from employing the guitar to drive home the testosterone to the pop music listeners in the traditional Wilco like Golden Bloom way, it doesn’t have quite the impact that he aspired it would and ultimately marks a turn for the album which starts wearing thin at the halfway point. However, this being said “Fight” sounds infinitely better live (which you can see in YouTube footage here) and fortunately the disc’s bumpy second half boasts a few standouts.

These can be found via the familiar sounding Shins-lite “Dead Petals” which again references Bush and first showed up on Fogel’s 2007 EP One Day in the Desert before he became Golden Bloom, the pleasant, positive but predictable love song “If You Believe” and an uneven half-successfully ambitious attempt at paying homage to a Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band Beatles technique in “Theme for an Adventure at Sea.”

For a closer, he adds in a surprise minute-long rant aptly titled “Your Minute of Fame” which referenced the recent former Illinois Governor Blagojevich debacle that he’s hoping will appeal to Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert.

And although again politics were the “outside agitator” (to use a ‘60s phrase) which inspired a majority of the work, overall Fogel’s Golden Bloom manages to morph all of the madness of the previous years into multifaceted melodies.

Layering on all of his own instrumental work on the piano, bass guitar, keyboards, harmonica, drums, and tenor sax into rhythms you can dance to and lyrics which remind us that it’s okay not to completely understand how to process what we’ve been faced with as a nation either — in the end Fan the Flames is proof that sometimes the best process is through a process like music itself.

Track-List
1) E.H.M
2) Doomsday Devices
3) Fan the Flames
4) She Leaves Me Poetry
5) The Flight at the End of the Tunnel
6) Dead Petals
7) If You Believe
8) The Mountainside Says
9) Theme for an Adventure at Sea
10) (Unlisted) Your Minute of Fame

Okay, I've Heard the Album. But what does it mean?

Click Here to Read Shawn Fogel's Track-by-Track Breakdown of the Songs.

Concert Blu-ray Review: Elton John -- The Red Piano -- Live from Las Vegas (2008)

Sir Elton John's
Sold-Out Las Vegas Concert Experience
Is Now Available on DVD & Blu-ray

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Never one to skirt around an issue-- although Elton John jokes that on the one hand, Las Vegas is the place “where musicians go to die,” on the other he acknowledges that “there's only so much Cirque du Soleil you can see.” So thankfully-- giving audiences a break from the inventive yet exhaustive array of acrobatics on display in Sin City-- in 2004 he took over the Caesars Palace Auditorium previously home to Celine Dion (whom he jokingly refers to as “the singing q-tip”). And with this in mind, he decided to bring a little Elton energy to town.

Building a theme entirely around the color red which to John signifies love which is a recurring through-line in the music he’s composed over forty years with his long time lyricist Bernie Taupin, Sir Elton John kicked off an enviable record breaking run of more than 200 sold out visually dynamic live concert performances dubbed simply The Red Piano.

And despite the fact that over thousands of people have flocked to the show to try and nab one of the 4,100 seats in the gorgeous, acoustically impressive yet intimate auditorium to dance along to “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” fortunately both for historical reasons and out of necessity in this economy, The Red Piano has been transferred by Universal Music Group to DVD and Blu-ray high definition.

Whether it’ll make a valuable keepsake for the devoted audience who mouth along the words to such beloved greatest hits as “Daniel,” “Bennie and the Jets,” “Tiny Dancer,” “Candle in the Wind,” and “Your Song,” over the course of his fourteen track concert or offer the rest of us to see it for the first time—it’s a terrific move by executive producer Clive Banks and one that helps augment the multi-layered experience.

Although The Red Piano can be simply viewed as a concert, Elton John wanted to ensure that he was going to deliver something unique, creative, and fun to crowds in the city where anything and everything goes. In doing so, he consulted his good friend and artistic photographer David LaChapelle for an inspired creation that consisted of “multi-color neon sculpture, pop art, inflatables, bottles, balloons and the band.”

Additionally, since LaChapelle—whose impressive videography and portraiture of musicians including Britney Spears and Madonna have caught the attention of the industry-- had been a long time and highly knowledgeable fan of the music and the man, John gave him free range in the design. Or as John noted in the Blu-ray liner notes, he told LaChapelle to “go ahead and do what you want” in terms of creating innovative, short film interpretations of certain songs in John’s set list.

Projecting LaChapelle’s videos using state-of-the-art technically superior equipment on a screen that runs 120 feet wide by 40 feet tall, the videos in tandem with the music pounded away by a spirited John via a magnificent cherry-red piano on a stage filled with extravagant “only in Vegas” props certainly begs a repeat viewing due to the sheer overwhelm of the sensory experience.



While John’s performance is dynamic per usual as he banters with the audience and makes good-natured jokes about Dion, at times the short films accompanying the songs ultimately detract from the remarkable power of the music. Of course, in Vegas, it’s expected to go above in beyond in a presentation to remember and Red Piano succeeds on many levels with a few very beautiful pieces including the Marilyn Monroe (and possibly a look-alike) filled “Candle in the Wind,” and “Daniel” which—despite an eerily over-sexualized image of a bare-chested boy at the beginning laying in the foreground before he evolves into a man tells an earnest tale of loss from childhood to war, fully grasping the haunting pain of Taupin’s songwriting.



Moving to a classical black and white simplistic style of a solo man dancing his heart out in “Believe” is quite effective but honestly though, in the end even that track becomes repetitive as the near art-installation style of the films use the same imagery throughout.

The most twisted interpretation of a track, which as we see in the documentary also caught a band member off guard as he acknowledges that in the end the LaChapelle takes are “just one man’s impression of the songs,” comes in the form of a surprisingly violent and rather ugly domestic abuse ballet played throughout “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.”

Getting us fully immersed into the Vegas lifestyle-- “Pinball Wizard” relishes in the seedily, sexually charged erotic nightlife of adult entertainment in Vegas with plenty of shots of strippers and female entertainers gone wild before it leads up to a gratuitous, obvious, and uninspired stripper pole dance by Pamela Anderson throughout “The Bitch Is Back.” (Needless to say, parents may want to preview the unrated work before popping it in for the entire family.)

While it’s safe to say you may prefer your own personal music videos that play in your head to the songs or even some of the traditional ones—which in fact LaChapelle seems to parody in “Rocket Man” as a look at Elton’s fame and nature of celebrity—luckily they just serve as a background throughout the hyper-edited concert on the Blu-ray.

However, the rapid number of edits that initially cut in time with the music as seen in the opener “Bennie and the Jets,” takes a near The Bourne Ultimatum style two second ADD approach that finds your eyes straining to adjust from one quick movement to the next damn near ruin your appreciation of the beloved hit. Luckily, though eventually the style gives way to a bit more fluid movement throughout… at least most of the time.

The high definition quality of the disc is stellar indeed given its terrifically transferred concert level sound although strangely despite the fact that it boasts several subtitles in a wide variety of languages, I couldn’t even get English to work to see if there was a “read the lyrics option.” However, the picture suffers slightly from grainy and muddied color appearance during the concert footage that most likely can be attributed to the neon lights and challenging color reflection on the camera that gives the edges a soft feel.



The gorgeous night shots of Vegas that open the disc are exquisitely captured in HD, seemingly confirming the visual challenges in “cleaning up” or augmenting the concert’s look but the option of watching LaChapelle’s short films alone (either by flipping back and forth between the event and his work or choosing one option altogether) emphasizes the technical superiority of the format with their crystal clear transfer.

All in all, it’s a great opportunity to catch the concert without the cost of travel and tickets in these affordably priced releases. And while honestly I would’ve preferred a bit more Elton (and far fewer cuts) in the place of some of the distracting and downright unappealing video work completed by LaChapelle that takes away from the heartfelt earnestness of the music that made it so special-- Red Piano still made for an entertaining spectacle, even if personally I think I’d prefer Elton John in concert over The Red Piano any day of the week.


(Photo Source)

For, since music is the soundtrack of everyone’s life and John’s in particular has definitely been a part of so many lives and was one of the defining musical catalogs of the twentieth century--- I believe it would’ve benefited the work to incorporate that. Perhaps it could’ve been done in the place of even swapping out a few of the LaChapelle videos with some of the beloved footage dedicated to the man and his music like the Almost Famous “Tiny Dancer” sequence as a lead-in to that track or—despite it not being on the set list—the gorgeously simplistic music video of Robert Downey Jr. simply mouthing the words to “I Want Love” (view it here) as he walks from room to room that emphasizes John’s universal appeal in lieu of just one personal and mostly distracting vision.

Disc Details

DVD & Blu-ray:

[Band Instrumental Performance]

1. Bennie and the Jets

2. Philadelphia Freedom *

3. Believe *

4. Daniel *

5. Rocket Man *

6. Answer In The Sky *

7. Tiny Dancer

[Band Introduction]

8. Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On *

9. Candle In The Wind *

[Elton Suit Change / Vegas Montage Footage]

10. Pinball Wizard *

11. Bitch Is Back *

12. I’m Still Standing *

13. Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting *

[Encore]

14. Your Song

Blu-ray Only Extras:

1) Documentary [50 mins]:
The Life and Legacy of Elton John, with behind-the-scenes of David LaChapelle’s Red Piano treatment of Elton’s live stage show.

2) David LaChapelle Stage Projections:
The unique raw videos made for the stage back drop for tracks marked on the Blu-ray with a heart to switch back and forth between the concert and the short films (or with * as noted above).

Concert Blu-ray Review: Streisand: Live in Concert 2006

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On Blu-ray & DVD

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A crew member of Ms. Barbra Streisand's says it best in the Blu-ray "Behind the Scenes" featurette "The People" when he illustrates that since-- frankly there is no bigger artist in the entire world-- the recordings and performances of Streisand should be documented and collected for future generations.

I couldn't agree more and just one look at the diverse crowd gathered for this critically lauded 2006 Fort Lauderdale, Florida concert recently released on DVD and Blu-ray seems to be all the proof we need that regardless of age, gender, and background-- everyone considers a Streisand concert to be a show-stopping must-see.

And, not taking this trust and responsiblity lightly-- she delivers on all fronts in this '06 North American tour that was kicked off essentially to raise funds for her philanthropic efforts that have turned the former award-winning singer and actress into a humanitarian over the last few decades.

From children in the audience that were brought along to see Streisand in the hopes that they'll be able to learn a thing about what true musical quality really sounds like to devoted fans who help welcome her with a standing ovation at the beginning of the show before she even sings one note to the red-carpet level stars and politicians gathered (including former President and Senator Clinton, Robert De Niro, Sarah Jessica Parker, Tom Hanks, Sting, Ben Stiller, Nancy Pelosi, and her The Way We Were director, the late great Sydney Pollack among others)-- this sold-out show filled with an elegant production design is fittingly divided into two Broadway style acts.

Opening with her beloved original Broadway Overture from her Oscar winning Funny Girl and weaving her way through not just a string of her beloved hits including "The Way We Were" and "People," but also works that she hadn't performed in several decades not to mention some of the earliest songs she'd ever sung or written-- (including her first tune composed at the age of 22 with the French "Ma Premiere Chanson")-- Streisand also performs work with the international group Il Divo.

Likewise, she works in a playful narrative involving a Q&A session from cards completed by audience members. Additionally, delving into her extraordinary repertoire and catalogue of classic works, Streisand's astounding ability to find new meaning in standards like "Come Rain Or Come Shine," "My Man," and "Happy Days Are Here Again," is an unparalleled quality that only benefits with age and life experience along with her joyful takes on South Pacific's Nellie Forbush number "A Cockeyed Optimist" from the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic as well as the heartrending "Smile" which was recorded after the singer lost her treasured dog.

Never failing to put her most regal foot forward by changing costumes a few times in a mostly dark, elegant and understated wardrobe with unique accents that play second fiddle to her best accessory-- namely, that dynamite voice as she saunters down a long elaborate catwalk of sorts to give her a more intimate interplay with the audience amidst vases of roses, Streisand's concert captured here in phenomenal clarity and sound gives you the best seat in the house. Furthermore, it proves once and for all why filming concerts by legends like Streisand is a vital and integral part of our American history.

While the Blu-ray's poorly designed menu is a hindrance as the gold titles that just barely brighten when selected will have you squinting to figure out just what it is you've landed on with your remote-- if you are able to discover the extras after you take in both acts of the two hour plus concert, you'll definitely want to explore the special features.

Whether she's pointing out the need for women to continue to change the status-quo and politely saying "no thank you" when a fan yells "Barbra for President" before singing "The Woman in the Moon," in one of five bonus songs (including two more with Il Divo) or explaining that it's never too late to try again when she tackles a song she last performed at the age of eighteen ("Nobody's Heart Belongs to Me") during which she'd forgotten the words, she never fails to astound.

Likewise, we get to see another side of the performer via those who know her best in featurettes that take a look at her work as a musical artist and interpreter of music such as the way one interviewee points out she never sings the same song the same way. Similarly, in a particularly fascinating extra-- we learn more about her charitable foundation and the dedication and commitment Streisand has in assisting nearly eight hundred organizations of various sizes.

A stunning concert that delivers on a level way beyond that of "casual fan," with the luminous production value and performance quality-- Streisand: Live in Concert 2006 is a highly recommended Blu-ray that was also released on the same day as its DVD companion that spans three discs and incorporates a concert from more than a decade earlier.

A perfect gift for Mother's Day and an ideal way to "see a concert" during this unthinkable economic recession-- my only hope is that this is the first of more Blu-ray concerts to come from this American icon who's proven time and time again she's so much more than just one of our favorite Oscar winning "funny" girls.

Act I

1. "Funny Girl Overture" (Original Broadway Version)

2. "Starting Here, Starting Now"

3. "Down With Love"

4. "The Way We Were"

5. "Ma Premiere Chanson"

6. "Evergreen" (With Il Divo)

7. "My Way" (Il Divo)

8. "Come Rain or Come Shine"

9. "Funny Girl"

10. "The Music That Makes Me Dance"

11. "My Man"

12. "People"

Act II

13. "The Music Of The Night" (With Il Divo)

14. "Jason's Theme"

15. "Carefully Taught"/"Children Will Listen"

16. "Unusual Way"

17. "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?"

18. Q&A (With "Stoney End")

19. "Happy Days Are Here Again"

20. "(Have I Stayed) Too Long At The Fair?"

21. "The Time Of Your Life"

22. "A Cockeyed Optimist"

23. "Somewhere" (With Il Divo)

24. "My Shining Hour"

25. "Don’t Rain On My Parade" (Reprise)

26. "Smile"

Streisand: The Music



Streisand: The Movies