-
neumu
Monday, December 23, 2024 
-
-
--archival-captured-cinematronic-continuity error-daily report-datastream-depth of field--
-
--drama-44.1 khz-gramophone-inquisitive-needle drops-picture book-twinklepop--
-
Neumu = Art + Music + Words
Search Neumu:  

illustration



edited by michael goldbergcontact


Rufus Wainwright's Want One Is 'Family Affair'

Canadian singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright will release his third album, Want One (DreamWorks), on September 23. Wainwright, who's fostered his own style, fusing Tin Pan Alley influences with lushly orchestrated, baroque accents and pop sounds, continues to expand his musical repertoire on the 14-track album. According to press materials, Wainwright was so prolific, he's reaped another album of material, tentatively titled Want Two, which will be released early next year.

The set was produced by Marius deVries (Björk, Massive Attack, David Bowie); deVries also contributed to the orchestral arrangements. Wainwright enlisted an impressive slew of guest musicians, including Charlie Sexton and Gerry Leonard on guitar, guitarist/pianist Jimmy Zhivago, drummers Levon Helm, Matt Johnson and Sterling Campbell, and bassists Jeff Hill and Bernard O'Neill. Martha Wainwright (Rufus' singer sister) contributes backing vocals, as does Jenny Muldaur (Maria's daughter), Linda Thompson and Teddy Thompson (Linda's son). And Kate McGarrigle, Wainwright's mother, plays the banjo and accordion.

Want One is a "family affair" in more ways that that.

Several of the songs, including "Dinner at Eight," one of the most direct, emotionally sharp tunes of Wainwright's career, focuses on his relationship with his father, the folk singer Loudon Wainwright III, and feels haunting, with a melancholy melody and arrangement that includes strings and harp. "No matter how strong, I'm going to take you down with one little stone," Wainwright sings, over a simple piano-led accompaniment. As the song continues, growing in intensity and emotion, Wainwright goes on, "Why is it so that I've always been the one who must go/ That I've always been the one told to flee/ When in fact you were the one, long ago, actually, in the drifting white snow/ You left me." His admission is finessed with the supple string arrangement.

"Every time my mom hears it, she cries," Rufus Wainwright said in a press release, "because she can see that young child with his father leaving. It's so heartbreaking, and it happens so often." He continues, "I'm afraid of my father like all sons are. Our relationship is one of intense love, intense fear, intense respect and intense disrespect. A lot of the keys to my psyche and my well-being lie in that relationship. The issues that result from not having a father around, or the son rebelling against the father, are universal. Their impact is incalculable."

Wainwright has released two previous albums: Rufus Wainwright (1998) and Poses (2001), a lavish pop opus replete with lush, orchestrated string arrangements. Thematically, it charts the corruption of a naïve newcomer onto the New York social scene. Both albums received raves from the critics, and have allowed Wainwright to develop a healthy fan base.

The new album finds Wainwright once again evolving his sound. The title track is a misty number, led by hushed guitar and Wainwright's vocals. In it he sings of his dreams, his desire to disavow fame and settle into a simpler life. The cozy arrangement complements Wainwright's plea: "I just want to be my dad/ With a slight sprinkling of my mother/ And work at the family store and take orders from the counter."

Wainwright fans will also appreciate Want One's musical innovations. Wainwright does not forsake his theatrical side, and even continues his already impressive knack for orchestration with heady, stunning arrangements.

Lead track, "Oh What a World" opens with low, anchoring tuba, looping between Ravel's "Bolero" theme and a choir of harmonizing vocals. The song blossoms into its circular structure and Wainwright sings, "Wouldn't it be a lovely headline?/ 'Life is Beautiful' on the New York Times," unveiling a fully orchestrated arrangement that's as grandiose as the wondrous pronouncement.

Equally grandiose are "I Don't Know What It Is," which chugs along with its soaring melody and kicky chorus, and "14th Street," all glitter and pizzazz. The song, like Wainwright's persona, is over-the-top, splashy, and so much fun. "Go or Go Ahead" evokes Greek mythology, and its epic, almost prog-rock structure expands into a loping, captivating symphony.

Want One is not without its sense of humor. "Vibrate," a wistful commentary on contemporary culture, features a plucky string section. In the song, Wainwright muses about growing older and his distaste for some contemporary artistic movements. "My phone's on vibrate for you," he sings, ever so tenderly. He continues with his endearing rumination, deadpanning, "Electroclash is karaoke too/ I tried to dance (to) Britney Spears/ I guess I'm getting on in years."

Other tender moments include "Natasha," with its chiming keys. "Harvester of Hearts" favors a ragtime piano lead-in and gains color from its gauzy, breezy pace. The song is bathed in its sunny arrangement, slaloming along until its chorus, replete with the self-effacing Wainwright's cry: "Not that I have that much to offer/ God knows I have so much to gain."

Wainwright is expected to launch a tour following the album's release. For more information, consult his official Web site.

Want One's tracklisting: "Oh What a World," "I Don't Know What It Is," "Vicious World," "Movies of Myself," "Pretty Things," "Go or Go Ahead," "Vibrate," "14th Street," "Natasha," "Harvester of Hearts," "Beautiful Child," "Want," "11:11," and "Dinner at Eight." — Brian Orloff [Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003]


Alejandro Escovedo's Joyous Rebirth

John Vanderslice Kicks Genre

Paul Duncan's Elusive Pop

Stephen Yerkey's Wandering Songs

French Kicks Complete 'Two Thousand'

Spazzy Romanticism: Love Story In Blood Red

Brain Surgeons NYC Rock The Big Questions

Jarboe's 'Men' Charts Turbulent Emotions

Delta 5's Edgy Post-Punk Resurrected

Blitzen Trapper Spiff Things Up

Minus Five: Booze, Betrayal, Bibles and Guns

New Compilation Spotlights Forgotten Folk Guitar Heroes

Chris Brokaw's Experiment In Pop

Old And New With Death Vessel

Silver Jews: Salvation And Redemption

Jana Hunter's Beautiful Doom

Vashti Bunyan Finds Her Voice Again

Nick Castro's Turkish Folk Delight

Katrina Hits New Orleans Musicians Hard

Paula Frazer's Eerie Beauty

The National Find Emotional Balance

Death Cab For Cutie's New Album, Tour

Heavy Trash's Rockabilly Rampage

Help The Wrens Get Their Albums Released!

Devendra Banhart, Andy Cabic Launch Label

Lydia Lunch's Noir Seductions

Bosque Brown's The Real Deal

PDX Pop Now! Fest Announces Lineup

Sarah Dougher Starts Women-Focused Label

Jennifer Gentle's Joyful Psyche

Mountain Goat Darnielle Gets Autobiographical With 'Sunset Tree'

Mia Doi Todd's Beautiful Collaboration

Return of the Gang of Four

Martha Wainwright Finds Her Voice

Brian Jonestown Massacre's Acid Joyride

Solo Disc Due From Pixies' Frank Black

Heartless Bastards' Big-Hearted Rock

Mike Watt's Midlife Journey

The Black Swans Balance Old And New

Nicolai Dunger's Swedish Blues

The Insomniacs' Hard-Edged Pop

Yo La Tengo Collection Due

Juana Molina's 'Homemade' Sound

Beans Evolves

Earlimart's Songs Of Loss

Devendra Banhart's 'Mosquito Drawings'

Negativland Rerelease 'Helter Stupid'

Alina Simone Transforms The Ordinary

Sounds From Nature: Laura Veirs

Octet's Fractured Electric Pop

Sleater-Kinney Working With Lips Producer

The Cult Of Silkworm

The Evolution Of The Concretes

Devendra Banhart's Exuberant New Songs

Catching Up With The Incredible String Band

Gram Rabbit's Desert Visions

Three Indie-Rock Stars Unite As Maritime

Remembering Johnny Ramone

Jarboe's Many Voices

Phil Elvrum's Long Hard Winter

First U.S. Release For Vashti Bunyan Album

Incredible String Band To Tour U.S.

New Music From Lydia Lunch

Le Tigre Protest The Bush War Presidency

Joel RL Phelps: Bleak Songs Rock Hard

Time Tripping With Galaxie 500

Patti Smith Wants Bush Out!

Sharron Kraus: A New Kind Of Folk Music

The Fiery Furnaces' Psychedelic Theater

Harder, Heavier Burning Brides

Sonic Youth's Ongoing Experiment

The Dt's Do It Their Way

Poster Children Cover Political Rock

Rare Thelonious Monk Recordings Due

Uneasy Pop From dios

Beck, Lips, Waits Cover Daniel Johnston

Understanding Franz Ferdinand

The Truly Amazing Joanna Newsom

Mylab's Boundary-Crossing Experiments In Sound

Have You Heard Jolie Holland Whistle?

The 'Magical Realism' Of Vetiver

The Restless, Rootsy Songs Of Eszter Balint

The Sun Sets On The Blasters

Devendra Banhart To Tour U.S.

The East/West Fusion Sounds Of Macha

Destroyer Gets Mellow For Your Blues

TV On The Radio Get Political

Sonic Youth, Modest Mouse To Play Lollapalooza 2004

New Music From The Fall

Apocalyptic Sound From The Intelligence

Fast And Rude With The Casual Dots

'Rejoicing' With Devendra Banhart

New Album, Tour From The Polyphonic Spree

Shearwater Take Wing

Sleater-Kinney To Tour East/West Coasts

Resurrecting Rocket From The Tombs

Visqueen Want To Get A Riot Goin' On

Lloyd Cole Makes A Commotion

Funkstörung's 'Cut-Up' Theory

Waiting For Mirah's C'mon Miracle

Electrelane Find Their Voice

The Television Is Still On!

Experimental Sounds From Hannah Marcus

The Ponys Play With Rayguns

Ex-Mono Men Leader Returns With The Dt's

Mountain Goats' Darnielle Adopts A More Hi-Fi Sound

Sun Kil Moon To Tour U.S., Europe

Nothin' But The Truth From The Von Bondies

Sultans Survive 'Shipwreck'

Sebadoh Reunite For Spring Tour

Xiu Xiu's 'Reality' Rock

Meet The Patients

Beth Orton, M. Ward Make Sadness Taste Sweet

Oneida's Pathway To Ecstasy

Radiohead, Pixies, Dizzee Rascal To Play Coachella

Young People Tour Behind War Prayers

Pixies Tour Dates Announced

Ani DiFranco Tells It Like It Is

Deerhoof Back For 2004 With Milkman

McLusky Set To 'Bring On The Big Guitars' Again

Pixies Reunite For U.S., European Tours

American Music Club, Decemberists To Play NoisePop 2004

Damien Rice Set To Tour U.S.

The Frames Accept Your Love

Punk Rock's A-Frames To Re-Record Third Album

Finally! Mission Of Burma Record New Album

A Solo Detour For Ladybug Transistor's Sasha Bell

Return Of The Old 97's

Spending The Night With Damien Rice

Tindersticks Reissues Due This Spring

The Evolution Of 'A Silver Mt. Zion'

Neil Young Rocks Australia With 'Greendale'

Poster Children Back In Action

'The Great Cat Power Disaster Of 2003'

Chicks On Speed's Subversive Strategies

Oranger At A Crossroad

Peaches On Tour And In Control

Jawbreaker's Complete Dear You Sessions To Be Released

Belle & Sebastian + Trevor Horn = Sunny Pop Nirvana

Von Bondies' Pawn Shoppe Heart

Descendents Are Back!

Modest Mouse Touring; Album Due in 2004

London Suede Take A (Permanent?) Break

Saul Williams Wants You To Think For Yourself

The 'Zen' Sound Of Calexico

Elliott Smith Dead AT 34

Debut Due From Mark Kozelek's Sun Kil Moon

The Hunches: Music That'll 'Fucking Live Forever'

Vic Chesnutt Speaks His Mind

90 Day Men Cancel Tour

Keith Jarrett, Cecil Taylor Highlight SF Jazz Festival

For My Morning Jacket, It's The Music That Matters

EP Due From The Polyphonic Spree

Bright Eyes, Neva Dinova Collaborate On EP

The Rise & Fall & Rise Of Ben Lee

Catching Up With Cheerfully Defiant Tricky

Hanging Around With The Polyphonic Spree

Sophomore Album Due From The Shins

Noise Rock From Iceland's Singapore Sling

Death Cab To Tour U.S.

Rufus Wainwright's Want One Is 'Family Affair'

Death Cab's Transatlanticism On The Way

Heartfelt Rock From Sweden's Last Days Of April

The Minus 5 Get Down With Wilco

Tywanna Jo Baskette's Southern-Gothic Rock

Xiu Xiu's Stewart Takes On 'Gay-bashing'

Portishead Producer Resurfaces Behind New Diva

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wire, Primal Scream On Buddyhead Comp

Yeah Yeah Yeahs To Tour West Coast

Sonic Youth, Erase Errata Kick Off 'Buddy Series'

The Locust Are One Scary Band

Damien Rice In The 'Here And Now'

Remembering Karp's Scott Jernigan

ATP-NY Postponed 'Til At Least 2004

The Soul Of Chris Lee

Gits' Frenching The Bully To See Re-Release

Stephen Malkmus Is In Control

Superchunk To Release Rarities Set; Teenage Girls To Swoon As A Result

Summer Touring For The Gossip

Babbling On About Deerhoof

Irish Song Poet Damien Rice's O Released In U.S.

Chatting With ATP's Barry Hogan

Former Digable Planets Frontman Surfaces With Cherrywine

ATP L.A. Festival Rescheduled For Fall

Freakwater's Janet Bean Takes A Solo Turn

Lee's 'Cool Rock'

Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs Highlight YES NEW YORK

Mark Romanek's 'Hurt' Revives Johnny Cash's Career

The Rapture's Post-Punk, Post-Dance Sound

R.E.M., Wilco, Modest Mouse Highlight Bumbershoot Fest

Set Fires To Flames' Sleep-Deprivation Sound

Southern Gothic Past Shadows Verbena's La Musica Negra

The Subtle Evolution Of Yo La Tengo

Spring Tour For Jolie Holland (Plus A Live Album)

Liz Phair Still Pushing The Limits

Gold Chains Wants You To Dance And Think

Young People's War Prayers On The Way



peruse archival
 



-
-snippetcontactsnippetcontributorssnippetvisionsnippethelpsnippetcopyrightsnippetlegalsnippetterms of usesnippetThis site is Copyright © 2003 Insider One LLC
-