02.21.2008
Spins: Autopassion, Michael Jackson
Autopassion
Sit Back and Make a Difference
Label: None
If you like: The Strokes, evolved
Song to download: “Cocktail Party On The Beach”
3 1/2 stars
Much has changed in the world of pop since Winston-Salem’s Autopassion released Is A Tedious Dialogue, its debut EP, in 2005 - something that isn’t immediately reflected by Sit Back and Make a Difference, the band’s too-long-awaited album.
The sound seems oddly static as songs deftly tease and seduce in a manner common to the EP. But each listening reveals that the band has actually refined and sustained a sound all its own - no mean feat.
Guitars jab, weave, jangle and chug, underscoring shrewd melodies and highlighting singer Andy Siebert’s remarkable voice, with its coy phrasing, emotional flexibility and astonishing range. Chord progressions dodge expectation, enabling all songs to boast subtle differences while still sounding of a whole.
There are no wild diversions, no experiments gone awry, making Sit Back And Make A Difference a cohesive musical statement by a band confident in its vision - and good and confident enough to fully realize it.
Michael Jackson
25th Anniversary of Thriller
Label: Epic
If you like: Thriller, with added rubble
Song to download: Akon’s remix of “Gotta Be Startin’ Somethin’”
2 1/2 stars
Thriller was the apex of Michael Jackson’s solo career - Quincy Jones’ production and Jackson’s singing remain amazing. So the reason for the commemorative 25th Anniversary of Thriller set is twofold: It’s a last-ditch effort by Jackson to revive his mangled career. And it is designed to attract a new generation of potential fans who know Jackson only as a tabloid disaster.
To that end, Jackson delivers one insignificant unreleased track, then hires big contemporary names - will.i.am, Fergie, Akon and Kanye West - to remix key tracks to try to refresh Jackson’s hip quotient. He has tried it before, to lackluster results, and these new remixes of already great songs largely fall flat, as well.
Fergie brings zip; will.i.am’s tracks are predictable; the ever-reliable West fares better with “Billie Jean”- but only Akon’s ingenious transformation of “Gotta Be Startin’ Somethin”’ is special.
Even the bonus DVD - three videos from Thriller and the amazing clip of Jackson’s “Moonwalk” on the 25 Years Of Motown TV special - is, in the age of You Tube, pointless.
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