CD Reviews

The Big Pink

A Brief History of Love
(4AD)
*5.9*

Goes well with: My Bloody Valentine,The Cure, Ambien CR

Once again, you can’t get back to sleep. You lay awake, tossing and turning, night after night. Are you tired of being tired? Well, now there’s The Big Pink. Unlike other sleep aids, A Brief History of Love has multiple layers of sleep relief.

The moody atmospherics dissolve quickly to help you fall asleep fast while the electronic twiddling and pedestrian—though prominent—vocals dissolve slowly to make sure you stay asleep. In clinical trials, The Big Pink has been shown to exhibit characteristics of bands like My Bloody Valentine, The Cure, Oasis and even Radiohead. Sounds awesome, right? But until you know how The Big Pink will affect you, you shouldn’t drive or operate machinery.

In some cases, The Big Pink has caused severe allergic reactions such as the swelling of expectations and shortness of breath in fawning critics and fans. While tracks like “Crystal Visions,” “Velvet” and the radio-friendly “Dominos” suggest there is a potent formula here for synthesizing electro, shoegaze and indie-pop, the overall execution of A Brief History will make you wonder how so much sound can ultimately be so bland. Other side effects may include numbness, headache and the irrational sense that you’re just listening to deviations of The Cure’s “Pictures of You” and The Beach Boys’ “Sloop John B.” The Big Pink is not a narcotic, but like all indie-rock bands, there is some risk of dependency. Do not take with alcohol.

The Big Pink play Saturday, Nov. 21, at The Casbah. See our feature.

Tyondai Braxton

Central Market
(Warp)
*8.5*

Goes well with: Igor Stravinsky, Mr. Bungle, Looney Tunes

A worthy market not only carries a selection of functional sundries but also an array of candies and trinkets. And Central Market is quite worthy, offering a fusion of rock and classical accented with pitch-bent vocals, whistling, kazoo and even fireworks.

Braxton, a classically trained multi-instrumentalist, contributes vocals and guitar to the post-rock outfit Battles and builds loops painted with effects in solo performances. Central Market, his first solo album in seven years, is his most ambitious statement yet. With the help of the Wordless Music Orchestra, a genre-bending ensemble that has collaborated with the likes of Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood, Braxton captures the angular forms of 20th-century composers like Igor Stravinsky.

But while Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” feels dark, Central Market overflows with color. Amid the album’s off-meter grooves, dainty interludes and explosive climaxes, many surprises abound—the flute and lighthearted whistling of opener “Opening Bell,” the wacky vocal stabs and swooping strings of the 10-minute centerpiece “Platinum Rows” and the feverish electronics of finale “Dead Strings.”

By bringing purpose to each bit of grandiloquence, Braxton has written a delightful album with staying power.

Gonzales

Solo Piano: The Deluxe Edition
(Arts & Crafts)
*7.5*

Goes well with: Franz Liszt, Erik Satie, DVD menu music

Canadian pianist and producer Jason Beck is all over the place. His continually changing musical personalities and diverse project choices make for an eclectic read on the artist.

Starting by fronting Canuck alt-pop rockers Son, he soon moved to Berlin, declared publicly that he was “president of the Berlin underground” and dropped three rap records as Gonzales for German label Kitty-yo.

Perhaps because he didn’t want to be remembered that way—or maybe just because he wanted to let people in on the fact that he’s one hell of a pianist—he released Solo Piano in 2004.

The self-explanatory title says it all. The 16 short compositions included (none reach five minutes and most are in the two- to three-minute range) are beautifully constructed and reminiscent of the serene flowing richness of a Chopin nocturne.

Arts & Crafts recently re-released the album with the accompanying film From Major to Minor—highlighting Gonzales’ recent exploits, from working with Feist and Peaches to his 27-hour, Guinness-world-record-breaking solo performance. And while he’s currently appearing with folks like Jarvis Cocker and a hula-hoop virtuoso, nothing’s quite as impressive as the quiet charmers included on Solo Piano.