ABon Iver
22, A Million
Jagjaguwar
Some weirdness pervades the release of the third album by Bon Iver -- symbols, images and liner notes that feel like they're fraught with meaning. Some of it might be nonsense.
But then there's the music.
An adventurous journey in sound, 22, A Million is never dull. Altered voices, the familiar falsetto of Bon Iver's mastermind, Justin Vernon, and acoustic and electronic shape-shifting stretch the conventional boundaries of song.
The album "is part love letter, part final resting place of two decades of searching for self-understanding like a religion," we are told. "If Bon Iver, Bon Iver built a habitat rooted in physical spaces, then 22, A Million is the letting go of that attachment to a place."
See, that might be nonsense; it's at least self-consciously artsy. So it's tempting to dismiss this as a meaningless collection of look-at-me life themes for hipsters.
But then you give the music another listen.
There are extraordinary moments of sound, with just enough melody to sustain them. A prime example, "8(Circle)" -- the title itself is a symbol -- builds from a heartbeat pulse through vaguely achy lyrics on a tidal swell to a spirited crescendo. Pretensions notwithstanding, it is beautiful.
Will Bon Iver's growing body of sonic experimentation lose its charm and sound dated, like Moby, when the shine wears off?
We may not know for a while -- but it hasn't happened yet.
Hot tracks: "8(Circle)," "22 (OVER S88N)," the heart-rending "29 #Strafford APTS"
-- SCOTT STROUD
The Associated Press
BIdina Menzel
Idina
Warner Bros.
Idina Menzel won a Tony Award for her standout performance in Wicked. She has shown off her acting chops in Glee. And her voice inspired millions of kids' singing dreams thanks to the juggernaut that is Frozen.
But on her new album, Idina, she lets all of that go and focuses on her inner pop star. It's clearly on display in the first single, "Queen of Swords," where she reaches notes of Celine Dion-esque heights.
On "Everybody Knows," she stretches her voice over a pretty dance-floor anthem.
However, Menzel is strongest on the ballads, starting with "I See You," a stunner that builds like Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" but features her distinctive vocal twists. On "Perfect Story," she uses her gorgeous voice to tell a tale that mirrors her personal life, singing about how parents' love for their children continues even if their marriage ends.
It's an example of how Menzel excels as a storyteller, something she has cultivated in various Broadway roles. On Idina, she is playing her most believable role -- herself.
Hot tracks: "I See You," "Perfect Story"
-- GLENN GAMBOA
Newsday (TNS)
C-Moby & The Void Pacific Choir
These Systems Are Failing
Little Idiot/Mute
Moby's new outfit is no doubt a rejuvenation for the 51-year-old, a grinding industrial respite from the textural quietude that has made up his last decade, with the exception of 2008's diva-disco Last Night. But keeping his locomotive beats simple ends up meaning flat, and the project itself requires the listener to have an investment in the man as a vocalist, a rock 'n' roller, even.
Moderate highs like "A Simple Love" and "Don't Leave Me" end up as anthemic Nine Inch Nails knockoffs with no serrated edges. And you'd think the guy behind such trenchant criticism of the meat industry would have a more specific machine to rage against this year.
Hot tracks: none
-- DAN WEISS
The Philadelphia Inquirer
BJack White
Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016
Third Man/Columbia
Jack White anthologizes his unplugged material from the White Stripes to the Raconteurs and beyond, the unvarnished tunes of a top-notch songwriter.
Album versions, remixes and the previously unreleased "City Lights" add up to an engaging 26-track chronological collection that cries out for an electric companion to complete the portrait of rock's most modern traditionalist.
"City Lights" got its start during sessions for the White Stripes' 2005 record Get Behind Me Satan and was completed this year without Meg White. Appearing at nearly the midpoint of this compilation, it's a worthy addition to the canon, a fragile, vulnerable vocal gauging his sanity and paying homage to his "surest and safest bet."
"Honey, We Can't Afford to Look This Cheap" has John Prine-like subject matter and the song's title is an apt summary of its mood. The curio "Love Is the Truth," written for a Coca-Cola ad shown just once, removes the Memphis Horns from the mix and can't camouflage the cliched lyrics.
Quality attractions include "Never Far Away" from the Cold Mountain soundtrack, the stripped-down murder ballad "Carolina Drama," the spirit of the Zombies on "Apple Blossom" and the Alex Chilton vibe of "We're Going to Be Friends."
Fans of Jack White will know the words and hum the tunes -- others can enjoy this diverse bouquet from a great talent and rest their ears until, hopefully, the loud & wild version comes along.
Hot tracks: "City Lights," "Carolina Drama," "Never Far Away," "Apple Blossom"
-- PABLO GORONDI
The Associated Press
Style on 10/25/2016