Choice Cuts: December 2001
© Adam McKibbin
Artist: Stew
Album: Guest Host
The Scoop: The scoop is that I’m way behind with this one, but this album came out before I began my column on Suite 101. Stew is the frontman of The Negro Problem, one of L.A.’s best-received bands in the past few years. Entertainment Weekly’s Tom Sinclair listed Guest Host as his #1 Album of 2000. It isn’t hard to understand why. Stew’s album is a rousing display of melody and wit, intimacy and buoyancy.Highlight Track: What distinguishes this solo album from his ongoing work with The Negro Problem is that Guest Host allows Stew to exorcise some personal demons, demons of the more stripped-down variety (as opposed to TNP’s frequent party atmosphere). “Original Love” is a pretty piano-and-string ballad that, vocally, finds Stew at his most versatile. His songwriting is clever and cerebral without being too cheeky, and what it makes it especially enviable is that songs like this are aimed at your heart and your head.
Honorable Mention: That’s not to say that this album isn’t plenty of fun. “Re-hab” is a sharply written piece about loveable junkies (“When she got out of rehab for the very first time, she was very, very, very optimistic”) that manages to incorporate a children’s sing-along in the chorus.For More Info: Check out http://www.thetelegraphcompany.com
Artist: Sugarplum Fairies
Album: Flake
The Scoop: Continuing with this month’s theme, this is another album that came out a bit ago but deserves attention. Vienna-raised and L.A.-based duo Silvia Ryder and Ben Bohm are the nucleus of Sugarplum Fairies (the supporting cast is ever-rotating). Their Flake seems borne of a different, happier era (namely, the early 90’s).Highlight Track: “10 Cents Philosophies” reminds you of when you could turn on the radio and hear a good “pop” song. The ingredients aren’t new—a lead guitar riff that could have come from The Cure catalog, driving percussion, a propellant bass line, and a quiet verse/rousing chorus structure—but, damn, it sure does work when it’s done right. Best of all, it’s kept to a tight three minutes (the perfect pop song length, as you loyal readers will remember from an earlier interview with The Timbre Project). Just long enough to sink in your skin, but short enough to have you reaching for the repeat button cuz you haven’t had enough.
Honorable Mention: “Cupcake” is, finally, a female protagonist for the grunge generation. “I am not that kind of girl who really cares,” Ryder sings, “Carrying lipstick everywhere / I just sit around.” “Cupcake” serves as a sort of aural bridge between Nirvana and Hole, while Ryder’s dreamily detached delivery gives it a feel of its own.
