The Magnetic Fields
Realism and magnetism
An interview with Stephin Merritt
The Magnetic Fields gets real on “Realism” (Nonesuch). Once again proudly proclaiming “no synths,” the band puts aside the fuzzy (and aptly titled) Jesus and Mary Chain homage of “Distortion” and goes for a more folksy and cuddly acoustic sound.
The group’s constant is the deft and delicious wordplay of out frontman Stephin Merritt. Unquestionably the Stephen Sondheim of his generation, Merritt is the king (or queen, if you will) of the cruel turn of phrase. He writes the kind of pithy quips that we wish we would have said to a deserving ex, as in the CD’s opener “You Must Be Out of Your Mind.”
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Norah Jones performs March 15 at Overture Hall, 201 State in Madison, and March 19 at the Riverside Theater, 116 W. Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
Keeping up with the Joneses
“The Fall”
In her new release from Blue Note, Norah Jones trades the increasing languor of her last few albums for some relative vigor. Don’t get me wrong, she hasn’t morphed into Karen O, but she has picked up the pace. The difference is evident right from the start with the rhythmic and rolling “Chasing Pirates.” And, matey, it’s a pleasing difference. Jones and her band maintain the momentum on “Even Though,” “Young Blood” and the bumping “It’s Gonna Be.”
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Wilco
Chicago sounds like this
“Wilco”
Nonesuch
One of the lone survivors of the major-label raid of the 1990s, Wilco not only endured but consistently improved. Wilco exhibits a refreshing sense of humor right from the get-go with “Wilco (the song),” the opening track on “Wilco (the album),” in which the band declares that “Wilco will love you baby,” no matter how bad things get in your life. How can you not love them for that or for songs such as “Deeper Down” (sound effects and all), “You and I” (featuring a guest vocals turn by Feist), the pure pop of “You Never Know” and the retro bounce of “I’ll Fight.”
Wilco performs Feb. 20 in Overture Hall at Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State in Madison. For tickets, call 608-258-4141.
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Have you met Miss Jones?
An interview with Shirley Jones
In a career spanning more than 50 years, Shirley Jones established herself as a multi-faceted performer, starring on stage, screen and television. Although she is perhaps best remembered as the mother in the 1960s TV hit “The Partridge Family,” Jones is an Academy Award-winning actress and singer who starred in such classic films as “Oklahoma!,” “Carousel,” “The Music Man” and “Elmer Gantry.”
Jones and the 32-piece Hollywood Concert Orchestra come to Milwaukee March 5 to perform “A Night at the Oscars,” a salute to the greatest music composed for and used in Hollywood films. The one-night event is being staged at Wisconsin Lutheran College’s Center for Arts and Performance, 8815 W. Wisconsin St.
WiG spoke with Jones in mid-February.
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The Black Eyed Peas’ newest release is “The E.N.D.”
Between Lady Gaga and Owl City
The ubiquitous Lady Gaga and the swiftly gaining Owl City represented the opposite ends of the electro/dance music spectrum in 2009. As might be expected, they have inspired others to follow them.
“The Listening” (Lights, Sire)
Lights, performing Jan. 28 at the Majestic, 115 King in Madison, is the female equivalent of Owl City, right down to the religious affiliation. Silly moon/spoon/June rhymes aside, Lights (AKA Valerie Poxleitner), can carry a simple tune. The Christian imagery is subversive: “break off the chains” in “Saviour; the “road” that “drives” a soul in “Drive My Soul”; the water imagery and being taken over in “River”; the “crusade” and “faith” in “Lions!” and so on. So, while opportunities for dancing are plentiful, the whole experience feels less like a nightclub or party than a tent revival.
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