Daniel Lanois “Shine” Anti
Records
The good news is that this record is not as bad as the first two
songs would have you believe.
The bad news is that it never gets a whole lot better.
Daniel Lanois, the celebrated producer of the likes of Bob
Dylan, Peter Gabriel and the most overrated band in the history of
rock, U2, clearly shows the influence of his proteges on
“Shine,” his first solo album since 1994.
The first two songs sound like second-rate imitations of U2
circa “All That You Can’t Leave Behind,” clearly
not the best record to be copying badly. The “Beautiful
Day” impressions should come as no surprise, however. Lanois
and Bono have been longtime collaborators, and Bono co-wrote and
co-performed the album’s second track, “Falling At Your
Feet.”
The third song, “As Tears Roll By,” comes as
something of a relief following the adult contempo-fest of the
first two. Attempting a jazzier, blusier sound, the song, and the
two that follow it, show that the quality of Lanois’s music
correlates positively with the quality of the artist he imitates on
each. For this part of the album he abandons his mediocre U2
impersonation for a mediocre Bob Dylan impersonation. The result is
inoffensive, almost pleasant, modern folk rock.
In the middle of the album are two inexplicable and boring
instrumental tracks. Stick with the songs, Daniel, they’re
working better for you.
Throughout the record, songs that actually have a good deal of
potential are drowned in overly glossy production. The power of a
folk song should be derived from its emotional immediacy, not the
echo effects on the vocal tracks. Endlessly lame percussion is no
help either, as eventually no one wants to hear another shaker. The
album’s sound makes one lyric seem particularly apt. On
“Fire,” Lanois sings, “Your fire, my
tremolo.” Substituting fire for effects, he dilutes what
could, at points, have verged on becoming a pretty decent
record.
Maybe he just needs to shake this Bono fixation.
-Dan Crossen
The Libertines “Up the Bracket”
Sanctuary
The Libertines: the band that is the Rochester to Jack
White’s Wycherley, the “Imperfect Enjoyment” to
Meg’s “The Disappointment.” The debut album by
the latest garage-revivalists is a confident, energetic statement
at once placing them in the ranks of such groups as The Strokes and
The Hives, and separating them as a unique, original act. Good
stuff.
-Dan Crossen