American Songwriter » Pop

BEACH HOUSE > Teen Dream

Jay Steele — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:00:05 +0000

Teen Dream" src="http://www.americansongwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Beach-House-Teen-Dream1.jpg" alt="BEACH HOUSE > Teen Dream" width="200" height="200" />

BEACH HOUSE TEEN DREAM (SUB POP) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars There’s something about the build-up to a band’s third album. A make-or-break ho hum that is often unavoidable. Will they cleanse the nasty aftertaste from a sophomore slump? Will they hit a plateau after a promising progression? Will they continue to demonstrate genuine talent after two terrific releases, solidifying itself as more than another overnight blogosphere sensation? Will they drop a dud and fizzle into mediocrity? Wasn’t it J Mascis that said, “Anticipation/is making me wait/ keeping me waiting?” For Beach House, the third album finds the Baltimore, Maryland-based duo with a new home, Sub Pop, one of the biggest players in today’s independent music world. Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally released their eponymous debut and follow-up, Devotion, on local stalwart Carpark Records. Beach House was an enchanting work of bedroom pop. Icy instrumentation lured the listener in, allowing Legrand’s vocals to exercise a certain mystique. It showcased songs such as “Apple Orchard,” with the capacity to slowly envelop one’s every thought like a steady snow falling on a bed of dry leaves. Beach House quickly drew somewhat apt comparisons to Mazzy Star. However, one could tell that Legrand and Scally were fashioning their own coat. Devotion further evidenced Beach House’s construction of a singular style. Though the band seemed to be creeping away from the bedroom, their second release built on the magical simplicity of Beach House. The subtly beefed-up production provided a sturdier device, allowing Legrand and Scally to better showcase their increasing propensity for creating sublime slow jams. Whereas many a band has trouble with its follow-up record, Beach House took a step forward with Devotion and in the process drew praise from critics and peers alike. Which brings us to Teen Dream, ten songs of irresistible majesty recorded with producer Chris Coady (TV On the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Blonde Redhead) in a converted church in upstate New York. From the initial notes of “Zebra,” one notices an increased urgency in the band’s music. The elements that made their first two albums so alluring are still present: Legrand’s smoky vocals, lush organs, the synthetic drum pulse and Scally’s slithering guitar licks. But this is a much larger Beach House. Vocal layering, crashing cymbals and propulsive melodies meld on “Zebra” to create one of their most grandiose tracks to date. And it’s only the first cut on the album. “Silver Soul,” the next track, is no less beautiful. The steady burner churns crusty guitars, ambling beats and Legrand’s repeated chorus of “it is happening again,” slowly shaping a skyward-reaching tower of sound. The heavenly vibe carries over onto “Norway,” the album’s lead single. Legrand’s voice floats above a choir of delicate backing harmonies and a driving rhythm—the only tether that keeps the song from drifting beyond the cotton candy clouds. It sounds like a modern interpretation of what would have been a Spector girl-group standard. Four minutes of psychedelic, bubblegum ecstasy. Throughout this initial stretch, Legrand’s vocals are nothing short of otherworldly. The next three songs on Teen Dream make the case for her as one of the most arresting singers in modern music. “Walk in the Park,” presents a fresh take on the textbook Beach House song. Rich guitar tones and a clattering drum pulse swirl into the familiar, dense organ, creating a hypnotic foundation for the songstress’ haunting croon. “Used to Be” is a rollicking dreamboat; if ever there were a tune to listen to while coasting along in a Cadillac convertible, this is it. “Lover of Mine” takes a darker slant; Legrand reveals her sultry side on a mid-tempo pop number everyone will wish played at their senior prom. Do not forget that Beach House is a duo. Scally’s riffing during the second verse of “Lover” serves as a good reminder. As do his eerie harmonies on “Silver Soul” and the aforementioned “Lover.” Furthermore, his slinking six-string style adds sinew to “Better Times” and “10 Mile Stereo.” On the latter, Legrand’s words transcend a shimmering song structure. But perhaps Scally’s most compelling contribution is found in the gorgeous keyboards he plays on “Real Love.” Like Beach House as a whole, there is nothing overly ornate about his parts; just brilliant, simple flourishes crafted into unbelievable pop songs. “Take Care” might be the perfect ending for Teen Dream. The song shows a group completely in control. Every element is present: crystalline organ lines, subtle guitar licks, sturdy percussion and stunning vocals. With their third full-length effort, Beach House forces the listener to re-examine pop music status quo while taking another giant stride as a band. In doing so, Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally throw down the gauntlet for the rest of 2010

25 Of Our Favorite Songs From 1984-2009

americansongwriter — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:34:55 +0000

The older one gets, the more one looks back at those years now gone. American Songwriter's reached the ripe age of 25 and the best years are ahead. But as happy as turning 25 makes us, we decided to look back at all the songs we've found and loved since 1984, the year the magazine started.25 OF OUR FAVORITE SONGS FROM 1984-2009 Selected by the American Songwriter Staff
The older one gets, the more one looks back at those years now gone. American Songwriter's reached the ripe age of 25 and the best years are ahead. But as happy as turning 25 makes us, we decided to look back at all the songs we've found and loved since 1984, the year the magazine started. Coming up with a list of favorite songs spanning a 25-year spectrum is far from easy, but it's also a lot of fun. Thinking about songs we listened to on the radio (when we turned 16, before CD players were standard and before satellite radio), songs we danced to (sometimes with someone special, sometimes completely solo), learned how to play on guitar (not deftly by any means) and songs we sang along to (words memorized and belted way out of tune) ushered in countless memories. The process brought us together as a staff, just sitting around talking about the songs we love, while at the same time it affirmed the amazing songwriting that's taken place between 1984 and the present. 25 "The Dance" Garth Brooks Garth Brooks (1989) Written by Tony Arata Brooks' delicate vocals match the tone of the poignant lyrics. The song's got love, dreams, loss, pain, hope and life in one tight package; it can leave you crying for all the right reasons.

24 "Fast Car" Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman (1988) Written by Tracy Chapman The song that put Ms. Chapman on the map blends the hard-knocks realities of poverty in America with a timeless sense of urgency and hope.

23 "Sweet Child O' Mine" Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction (1987) Written by W. Axl Rose, Michael McKagan, Steven Adler, Saul Hudson and Jeffrey Isbell What started as a joke, with Slash noodling on his guitar, turned out to be ‘80s rock songwriting gold. Axl's ear-splitting vocals put "Sweet Child" over the top.

22 "When Doves Cry" Prince Purple Rain (1984) Written by Prince A dance-pop masterpiece that's spurred a generation of awkward white kids to attempt to dance and sing falsetto-don't go off to college without it.

21 "Wagon Wheel" Old Crow Medicine Show O.C.M.S. (2004) Written by Bob Dylan and Ketch Secor The best way to co-write with Dylan: find the scrap of an unreleased song and turn it into something wholly your own...well, Dylan still owns 50 percent, but you get the picture. Secor and Old Crow created a classic song that never gathers dust in our office.

20 "Sticks that Made Thunder" The SteelDrivers The SteelDrivers (2008) Written by Mike Henderson and Chris Stapleton A somber, chilling bluegrass number about...well...a tree. To be specific, a tree observing a Civil War battle-not many folks can pull a song like this off.

19 "Loser" Beck Mellow Gold (1994) Written by Beck Michael Hanson and Carl F. Stephenson Remember trying to memorize the words to this? Remember trying to figure out the chorus when the song first came out? If Beck is a loser, we don't want to win.

18 "First Day of My Life" Bright Eyes I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (2005) Written by Conor Oberst Oberst's song is a wonderful, plain-spoken poetic statement on modern love. It's simple, delicate and feels new every time you play it for that special someone.

17 "Karma Police" Radiohead OK Computer (1997) Written by Colin Greenwood, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Phil Selway and Thom Yorke Radiohead bring the paranoia and chaos in this creepy classic. But the song's life-affirming coda ("for a minute there, I lost myself") is like a shot of adrenaline.

16 "Mr. Jones" Counting Crows August and Everything After (1993) Written by Steve Bowman, David Bryson, Adam Duritz, Charlie Gillingham, Matt Malley We all wanted to be big stars, and who among us doesn't want to be Bob Dylan? An inescapable hook and chorus just never lets this song grow stale. Sha-la-la-la-la indeed.

15 "Flume" Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago (2007) Written by Justin Vernon An eerie, lyrically vague number that swept us off our feet and dropped us in the Wisconsin wilderness. Vernon's DIY recordings from his cabin in the woods resonate and inspire.
14 "Independence Day" Martina McBride The Way That I Am (1993) Written by Gretchen Peters Our kind of patriotic song! It gets you all fired up about standing up for yourself in the face of something wrong-behind closed doors or in the streets. It's a must for any jukebox.

13 "Armchairs" Andrew Bird Armchair Apocrypha (2007) Written by Andrew Bird Not only does he whistle and play the violin like a mofo-Bird writes beautiful, endlessly unfolding tunes that make your soul ache with their loveliness.

12 "Mississippi" Bob Dylan Love and Theft (2001) Written by Bob Dylan Leave it to Bob Dylan to stay in Mississippi a day too long, write a song about it, and have said song be as deep and as powerful as the river it shares a name with.

11 "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Nirvana Nevermind (1991) Written by Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic Whether it's a lightning rod anthem for apathetic youth or one the best frickin' rock songs ever (or both), this tune will forever be one of our faves. Cobain ushered in the Grunge era with these contradictory lyrics, howling screams and potent guitar fuzz.

10 "Free Fallin'" Tom Petty Full Moon Fever (1989) Written by Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty The early dreams of westward expansion meet the not-so-happy reality of the present in Petty's tune, which namedrops L.A. streets and landmarks while echoing an urgency to flee. Doubt and heartbreak chased with a new dream of escape.

9 "Chattahoochee" Alan Jackson A Lot About Livin' (and a Little ‘Bout Love) (1992) Written by Alan Jackson and Jim McBride This devilishly straightforward song preaches the gospel of learnin', lovin' and livin' in the South. It's one of those songs in which lines unsaid are as important as those sung. It remains one of our favorites to crank up on a summer Friday afternoon.

8 "Forever and Ever, Amen" Randy Travis Always and Forever (1987) Written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz Travis' singing can't be beat, while the songwriting team of Overstreet and Schlitz nail the earnest down-home sentimentality of a country boy on this one.

7 "Golden" My Morning Jacket It Still Moves (2003) Written by Jim James The guitar rambles and trots while James' vocals softly glide over. The lyrics about bars, concerts, and rock stars, delivered by James' alpine falsetto carry you off to a better place like a folk-rock lullaby.

6 "It's a Great Day to be Alive" Travis Tritt Down the Road I Go (2000) Written by Darrell Scott An American anthem about taking things day by day and enjoying the simple, offbeat things in life. The optimism lifts us up, gets us thinking about going to get new tattoos, and growing facial hair.

5 "Copperhead Road" Steve Earle Copperhead Road (1988) Written by Steve Earle Earle's song is a country-rock storytelling gem that'll always shine through. His musing on a descendant of bootleggers turned dope-grower in the Tennessee hills after two tours in Vietnam is bittersweet and blood-boiling-and butt-kickin' good.

4 "Revelator" Gillian Welch Time (The Revelator) (2002) Written by Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch Sparse and elegant, "Revelator" has been hailed by some as one of greatest folk songs written in this century-we cannot disagree. The desperation, the wandering, and the abandonment found within are reminiscent of the mood and setting of a William Gay or Cormac McCarthy novel. Rawlings' picking on his archtop adds to the stumbling visions of moving westward, leaving the world behind. And here, especially, Gil and Dave's subtle vocal harmonies never fail to shiver spines and lift neck hairs.

3 "Ashes of American Flags" Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002) Written by Jay Bennett and Jeff Tweedy Wilco are like an ATM machine of good songs. This one is filled with hundreds and twenties. For a small service fee, you too will come back new.

2 "Born in the U.S.A." Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. (1984) Written by Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen's career reached critical mass with the Born in the U.S.A. album. The title song, deceptively simple yet decidedly complex, lodged him into our national consciousness for good, and helped turn the man from New Jersey into an American folk hero and protector of the people. Ronald Reagan famously misunderstood the intentions behind the Boss's lyrics. But just because the chorus wasn't meant to be patriotic doesn't mean you can't sing it with pride. As an electric rave-up or an acoustic blues, "Born in the U.S.A." resonates almost as deeply as the American Dream.

1 "Graceland' Paul Simon Graceland (1986) Written by Paul Simon Paul Simon considers this the greatest song he's ever written, and he's written a lot of great songs. Dealing in divorce, the holy road trip, and the ghost of Elvis, "Graceland" is based on a real journey Simon took with his young son, Harper. The song's sad center anchors its optimistic exterior, and the music blends different cultures (South African, American) into a joyous cappuccino of sound. "There is a girl in New York City, who calls herself the human trampoline. And sometimes when I am bouncing, falling, and tumbling in turmoil, I say oh, so this is what she means. She means we are bouncing into Graceland."

LENNY KRAVITZ > Let Love Rule: Deluxe Edition

Evan Schlansky — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:05:44 +0000

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Lenny Kravitz is a polarizing figure in rock music...

Label: VIRGIN Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Lenny Kravitz is a polarizing figure in rock music-a seemingly prefabricated cocktail of Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone and classic rock radio, a peace-loving hippie who readily embraced pop stardom. Before "American Woman" was played on the radio 4 billion times, Kravitz was the upstart musician behind Let Love Rule, his self-produced 1989 debut on which he plays nearly every instrument himself, and quite funkily. The hit here is "Let Love Rule," but virtually every song is a classic, from the acoustic singalong of "Rosemary" to the funk ecstasy of "Freedom Train." Kravitz's gritty voice oozes soul on the plaintive "Be" and the slow-dripping ballad "My Precious Love." "I Built This Garden For Us" is a Beatles-y epic that offers plenty of Kravitz's trademark, shredded-vocal ad libs ("Doo doo yeah!") The reissue comes with spin-worthy demos (the acoustic "Mr. Cab Driver" is bluesy treat), some incendiary live performances, and a frantic reading of John Lennon's "Cold Turkey." They're all a testament to how much talent young Lenny possessed beneath his dreaded main. All Kravitz ever wanted to do was make good music and pay homage to the greats who inspired him; he did his heroes proud on this one.

MOBY: Carry On

Paul Zollo — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:44:03 +0000

It’s an early Monday morning, and Moby, in Clark Kent glasses, is drinking green tea at the Sunset Towers, former home to much Hollywood royalty. It’s an early Monday morning, and Moby, in Clark Kent glasses, is drinking green tea at the Sunset Towers, former home to much Hollywood royalty. He’s here to hype his newest album, Wait For Me, a return to what he does best—haunting hip-hop-inspired rhythmic soundscapes of found and sung voices, vintage guitars and old synths revolving around crystalline melodic lines. Perhaps better than any of his peers, he’s mastered an enthralling fusion of warmth and cold in his work, of techno-mechanical layers wrapped around real human voices. That he ever left behind this kind of music is surprising, since hardly anyone does it better. But after the immense success of Play (1999) with the haunting “Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?” he became disenchanted with the prevalent presumption about him—that he was a techno DJ guy, and not a real musician—an impression partially created because he doesn’t sing. And though establishing himself publically as a musician didn’t matter much back then, it does now. “In my concerts I play guitar, drums, piano,” he said. “And people come up to me after shows and say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know you could play an instrument.’ Call me crazy, but I always thought playing an instrument was a prerequisite for being a musician.” And so Moby veered from his signature style to do other things—and left the home-made lo-fi sounds of his first work behind to work in a state-of-the-art studio. And he didn’t like it: “Big studios are great for making good sounding music, but they’re not good places to experiment.” So this time around he returned to the home studio in his Manhattan apartment, and had fun again making the kind of lo-fi music he’s made since the start. The album is highlighted by “Pale Horses,” an elegiac journey through the ruins of the past punctuated by a lone female voice nakedly singing about “all the places where my family died,” and percussion like boots shuffling through dry leaves. As with all his work, its power derives from the compelling amalgam of elements he unites—chord pads on a “crummy sounding old Korg,” real drums with sampled loops, and a lyric inspired by a train ride from Belgium to France in which he reflected on his heritage, the plight of his ancestral Huguenots, who were slaughtered en masse here in the 16th century. This marriage of history with modernity epitomizes the variance of threads he weaves in his work, as does his reliance on old machines to make new music. His friend, the burlesque star Lady Rizo, sings the vocal, and he captured her wounded, broken vocal by recording her first take, before she knew the song, or even knew he was recording. A few weeks later, having learned the tune, she recorded it again, but he used the unsure one, the first take, primarily because he’s not out for slick perfection as much as emotion. “No one ever says, after hearing a song, how perfectly it’s recorded. They talk about how it makes them feel. My ability to embrace imperfection is one of my strengths.” His friend Melody sings the lead on “JLTF,” and to compensate for the “perfect bell-tone” quality of her voice, he used old effects and a cheesy delay to degrade the sound. “I love to take things that are recorded well and make them sound old and crummy,” he said with a sly smile. Although he’s famous as a techno-pioneer, he doesn’t consider himself an innovator. “The most interesting innovation comes from not trying to be innovative. If I ever did anything that was innovative, it was just by accident. I think innovation comes more from love and open-mindedness more than anything. If you love what you’re doing and are open to experiments, you can create really interesting music. And that’s what I do.”

MINDY SMITH > Stupid Love

Edd Hurt — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:24:55 +0000

Stupid Love" src="http://www.americansongwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/stupid-love-300x300.jpg" alt="MINDY SMITH > Stupid Love" width="200" height="200" />

Stupid Love plays familiar tricks with the kind of embellishment folkies have been applying to the same old chord changes since time immemorial, or at least since the 1970s.MINDY SMITH > Stupid Love Label: VANGUARD Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Mindy Smith has written an entire album about-get this-failed relationships, and Stupid Love plays familiar tricks with the kind of embellishment folkies have been applying to the same old chord changes since time immemorial, or at least since the 1970s. Still, Smith's damaged and slightly lazy voice (her breathiness is first alluring, then begins to sound like a mannerism) dramatizes her homiletic pop, and the production adds interesting keyboard textures to guitar and pedal steel. Smith lives in "this world of fallen kingdoms" and doesn't like it very much, and "Surface" finds her decrying the devil and attesting to the value of truth. The up-tempo numbers sound something like contemporary country music, but Smith doesn't seem to have the heart to, you know, rock and roll. She remains an interesting songwriter, but when she hits the mark, as on "Love Chases After Me," Smith makes first-rate pop music.

JAMES HURLEY > Tempest In A Teacup

Paul Zollo — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:15:09 +0000

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This is strong, soul-sustaining music.

Label: HM
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

James Hurley is a songwriter of consequence. There's a gentle urgency in his work, a sense that this is a man who wants to be heard and should be. There is swing, swagger, and soul. There's both brain and brawn, a nimble confidence of physicality and spirit. His music is distinctively rhythmic, often syncopated, with grooves that shift-shape into little suites. A warmth and tenderness permeates, as does a sense of joy, even when decrying the madness of modern times, a prevalent theme. "Mountain" cunningly surveys the ways modern man bulldozes through the earth when it's in the way. "Mushroom" resounds with the fun of creativity itself, the joy of making connections, of indulging in the ecstasy of unbound imagination. He's an inspired guitarist, with a fluid flair that is never flashy, but always in the service of the song. His songwriting voice is such that even when his conceit is a poetic, abstract one, you follow his lead. Sometimes, his songs are visceral and anthemic, sometimes comic, sometimes philosophical, but always distinct. "Jealous of the Moon" is a jewel--a lyrical romp with a delightfully chromatic melody that brings Paul McCartney to mind. And "Long Way Down," with a great gospel choir interplay, is pure passion and heart. This is strong, soul-sustaining music.

DAVID BERKELEY > Strange Light

Edd Hurt — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:54:55 +0000

Strange Light" src="http://www.americansongwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/strange-light-300x300.jpg" alt="DAVID BERKELEY > Strange Light" width="200" height="200" />
David Berkeley sings in the voice of a ‘70s pop-folk performer and writes songs to match, and Strange Light contains a couple of inspired moments. DAVID BERKELEY Strange Light (STRAW MAN) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars David Berkeley sings in the voice of a ‘70s pop-folk performer and writes songs to match, and Strange Light contains a couple of inspired moments. "Hurricane" is a big, dramatic, careful number that justifies its five-minute length-sort of post-Abbey Road folk music, if you will. "Willis Avenue Bridge" benefits from a tart arrangement; it's a great Sunday-morning car song. Brian Deck's production adds backward guitars and a slightly jazzy sensibility to Berkeley's big, solid, careful songs. Sounds like Berkeley has been hanging out down South-don't miss the swinging pop-gospel of "Sweet Auburn."

HOLLY WILLIAMS > Here With Me

Jewly Hight — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:52:52 +0000

Here With Me" src="http://www.americansongwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/holly-williams-300x300.jpg" alt="HOLLY WILLIAMS > Here With Me" width="200" height="200" />
All that's to say that Here With Me isn't a flashy album, but a modest beauty.

HOLLY WILLIAMS Here With Me (MERCURY NASHVILLE) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars The time last Holly Williams released anything, it wasn't a country album-not even close. It was, instead, sophisticated, introspective singer/songwriter fare. Whatever caused her change in heart-resurgence of interest in her family's musical dynasty (Nashville's Country music Hall of Fame currently has an exhibit on the subject), her life-threatening car wreck or something else-she's made one now, complete with ambling shuffles, steel guitar and songs about mama and Jesus. And, to her credit, Williams also retained the serious tone of her previous work (seemingly her most natural mode) and didn't even attempt a drawl, a good call, since she never sang with one before. Williams wrote most of the songs, and she favors acoustic ruminations and quality ballads (album-opener "He's Making a Fool Out of You" is a fine one). Her willowy voice yearns and sighs, but seldom, if ever, over-sings. All that's to say that Here With Me isn't a flashy album, but a modest beauty.

A PURE DROP: THE LIFE OF JEFF BUCKLEY > Jeff Apter

Gillian G. Gaar — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:52:02 +0000

Jeff Apter" src="http://www.americansongwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/pure-drop-cover-199x300.jpg" alt="A PURE DROP: THE LIFE OF JEFF BUCKLEY > Jeff Apter" width="132" height="200" />
A Pure Drop is a concise retelling of Jeff Buckley’s short life

Label: BACKBEAT BOOKS Rating: 4 out of 5 stars A Pure Drop is a concise retelling of Jeff Buckley’s short life. It’s a story full of ironies; the young singer-songwriter who spent his life striving to get out from under the shadow of his singer-songwriter father, Tim Buckley, but who looked and sounded so much like his dad constant comparisons were inevitable. But of course what really binds him to his father, and his father’s legend, is that both died at an early age (Tim at 27, Jeff at 30). But until his unexpected death, there really wasn’t that much drama in the Buckley’s life. Apter’s portrait of the artist shows a young man set on a straight path to stardom: from studies at Hollywood’s Music Institute, to apprenticeships with various bands in L.A. and New York City, to a residency at N.Y.C.’s Sine-E café, where he landed a major label deal. Apter has interviews with friends and associates of Buckley that add further insight, but never fully penetrates the man’s core, though that’s due in part to Buckley’s own reticence at being more forthcoming. Apter’s also curiously dismissive of posthumous Buckley releases; most fans like getting unreleased material, especially when the artist isn’t around to create new music anymore.

U2 > Rattle & Hum

Holly Gleason — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:49:39 +0000

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U2 Rattle & Hum (Island) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars They were on the brink of being the most important rock band of a generation. Not since the Rolling Stones had a group of rock and rollers emerged with both the cohesion and the thrust to warrant that notion. Puckish in a way that would eventually support the fame skewering/courting of lead singer Bono Vox's larger-than-life personas, the not taking-themselves-too-seriously banter and choice of song covers-the opening "Helter Skelter," "All Along The Watchtower," not to mention the wry B.B. King trade-off "When Love Comes To Town"-offered the balance to the seriousness of the progressive, almost Christian punk band. The Edge-with that broken glass and twisted, clean, electric tone-both shoves columns of electric guitar chords and lacerates with solos that bore into a melody's core. As the juxtaposition to Bono's haunted and haunting delivery that is ardor cast upon a sea of need and seeking. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is an anthem for the disillusioned who refuse to surrender-and here the near-straining to his witness, punctuated by a wall of soul-gospel choir, is a testimonial to faith against the odds. Ditto the intensity that marks the Martin Luther King-inspired "Pride (In The Name of Love)" with the signature riffs, the waves of sweeping rhythms receding into lean places that let the truth emerge of its own volition. And that's the beauty of Rattle & Hum. Never designed to be a bigger-faster-louder live record, what emerges from the tracks is a band in their prime-neither hiding in an accelerated take on the songs they're known for nor drowning them in the hubris that can sometimes plague the road-playing just what is needed, letting the audience rise to the moment and sending everyone home richer for the way music rearranges your DNA. That is the gift of Rattle & Hum: the truth about a band a lot of people believed in. With the rock-solid Larry Mullin and Adam Clayton holding down the rhythm section, they could hit hard, lean and clean-allowing the songs, the guitar and the singer to bring the heat. To be this naked is the gift-and the reward.