Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
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MOGstars: 9 out of 10
Listening to Rilo Kiley's Under the Blacklight, it would be easy to assume Jenny Lewis was an out and out city girl - it is a record that plunges through the grime and detritus of the sprawling metropolis, unearthing players, pornstars and countless other villains. Yet Lewis' solo albums, the second of which sees release Stateside on Tuesday, are a much more Mid-Western affair. Debut Rabbit Fur Coat was seen by many as a jaunt through the Appalachians, it was a record of farmsteads, diners and folk-rock. With second Acid Tongue Lewis has once again headed out of LA but has retained some of its filth, and she dives headlong into the dirty south. Sadly she no longer without The Watson Twins in tow, however they have been replaced with an impressive cast: Zooey Deschanel and Johnathan Rice boost her indie-cred, while Elvis Costello also pops by.
The bluesy snarl of The Next Messiah makes it an obvious standout, as dirty guitars are paired with the occasional twang of a theremin. This, combined with a boot stomping rhythm contrasts beautifully with Lewis' soulful voice, before the whole thing swirls towards to the heavens in a gospel like chorus, before descending into a jaunty, minimalist conclusion, which suits the clubs of the big smoke as much as the dive bars of the Smokey Mountains.
There is no doubt about where Carpetbaggers belongs though. The country pomp and tale of predatory women is unmistakably deserving of the small towns of Dixie. Jenny is feisty and energetic as she promise to treat us kind and rob us blind. You can almost see the tail lights disappearing into the desert as Costello appears to warn young men of the fate that awaits them, in what turns into a convincing duet paring.
Yet Lewis does not always wish to play the Arch-Bitch. Sing a Song for them is a delicate and heart-warming piano number, which showcases a pathetic romanticism. As a tune for the "never made its and the unrecognised", it is an ode to the washed up unfortunates from Nevada to North Carolina, and as an album closer it forces you to draw breath and smile. In other words, it is just nice, and that is no way an insult.
In the more sedate songs, it becomes clear that Lewis' voice is set to be the star of the album. She is a seductive as ever on Badman's World, coyly cooing "It's a badman's world, and I'm a bad bad girl" before letting out some knowingly subdued moans. All the while the light musical arrangement serving as little more than a gilt frame for her talents. Similarly on Black Sand Jenny's voice is so deep and alluring the song almost passes by unnoticed yet its warmth embraces you. On the guitar led countrified title track, Lewis smoulders, while on the rampant Jack Killed Mom she effortlessly side-steps the histrionics one often finds in such songs.
Compared with Rabbit Fur Coat, Acid Tongue is a less personal and a less folksy record. There is little to match the autobiographical twinge of Lewis' previous outings' title track, instead we are treated to a parade of malcontents, misanthropes and misfits. Suitably, the music has gained a sharper edge, far more bluesy and fierce than RFC's gentleness. Thus just as Under The Blacklight was a fabulous sonic rendering of the filth that basks in the glow of LA neon, so too is Acid Tongue a masterpiece of the misfortune found in the sunbaked middle of America. And just as the sun nourishes the crops, Lewis' voice brings these stories to life.
Locating MOG account...
Comments (15)
Even though you name checked him up there, it totally took me by surprise when Elvis popped in there. He's soundin' a bit aged, but Jenny props him up real nice.
You keep getting more polished and descriptive in these write-ups, soon we'll have to visit a pay site to read these words...nice job, great disc Jox!!
Nicely written, Jox, and what a pleasant little musical journey that song is. So far I have yet to hear anything from Blacklight or this new one that isn't hands-down great. Fur Coat tracks I heard didn't provoke the same reaction, but I am putting her on my purchase list because of you!
i saw the title and wondered what you thought of this
got a lota of play this last week
Acid Tongue could become one of my favorite songs of all time
i think this is her best work to date
IMHO
oh BTW
excellent review AS ALWAYS
Oh I had the wonderful chance of meeting her on several occasions and she's an absolute doll. I caught her in LA last weekend. I can't say I liked all the songs off Acid Tongue, as she's going for more of a "funk" feel this time around, but I ceratinly enjoy her giving it all she's got.
I'm going to grade your writing with 10 acid tongues out of 10 ;o)
Scot: I must say, when I first heard the record I was like "Who the hell is that singing with Jenny?"
Dermarkh: I agree Fur Coat was a bit limp in places, but this really is a league above.
Pimpy: Thought you might be into this one, glad to see you loving it.
Pinkerton: I think if I met Jenny I'd either faint or propose... or both.
And you guys are all to kind with your plaudits...
lovely write up, even though im not supposed to have it yet, im digging jenny's new album. and the way you described the america in acid tongue was way better than most americans could have described it. belive me, i actually live here, in "dixie" no less.
:] love the album, but love it better live.
i love her. can't wait to hear it!
Great Album -- lots of play around our house.
hey man, good writing, great review. i'm buying the record tomorrow, sure hope it does well. i really liked both Rabbit and Under The Blacklight, fingers crossed this record brings JL to another level of fame and adulation, she deserves it.
great review: favorite sentence : The country pomp and tale of predatory women is unmistakably deserving of the small towns of Dixie.
:) keep it up Joxy!
Checked out the album on Rhapsody this morning, gave it 2 listens, and I have to say, I'm not feeling this album. I think her sounds are more interesting, but the songs seem to be weaker, less memorable. Maybe I need to listen to it more, but it is just not grabbing me as much as Rabbit Fur Coat did on the first listen.
I think the last Rilo record absolutely smokes this. Different, but consistently better throughout.
Nice review, joxley.....re: ebuzzmiller's post, I had a similar initial experience, having developed such a powerful attachment to RFC over the past two years.....but after living with Acid Tongue for almost two weeks, I am completely sucked in -- Next Messiah just keeps giving, the live gems from her last tour (Fernando and Jack Killed Mom) simply rock, the title track brings tears to my eyes, and Godspeed is - in a word - GORGEOUS.........keep listening -- one day soon, Acid Tongue will just have you in its grasp......
I am so absolutely baffled by the number of people enjoying this record that I'm wondering if my copy of it was somehow defective or switched out with something else entirely. Were it not for the lyrics paralleling the track titles, I'd be positive that was the case.
I have been a Rilo Kiley fan since Take Offs and Landings, and while I cannot say that I particularly enjoyed Rabbit Fur Coat, it was -- at its best moments -- somewhat enjoyable and -- at its worst -- tolerable. Such 'praise' would be completely inappropriate for Acid Tongue, which sounds to me like an unfortunate and awkward attempt at alt-country by a songstress that's capable of delivering so much more.
Acid Tongue is especially disappointing because the once quirky, inventive Lewis seems to have adopted such a back-to-roots approach for this album that nearly everything I liked about the music that preceded it has been stripped away as well. I feel as though Jenny Lewis and Rilo Kiley are moving in retrograde: Instead of becoming more innovative and more interesting, they seem to becoming less and less so, and these reaches towards a twangier sound have only 'created' a sound that we've heard before -- except that it has sounded much better when other people did it.
I'm pretty shocked to see so many readers so pleased with this 'effort' -- no one I've spoken to has been particularly fond of it, and obviously, I'm not either. On a scale of 10, this would get a 3. And I'm already wondering if I'm being overly generous.
Jox, this post is so well-written. for a cussy English rebel ;p, you write with a discipline that i want.
i must say the track caught me by total surprise. i can't say yet if it's the good or bad kind, i want to hear the entire album first.
the music notwithstanding, "a parade of malcontents, misanthropes and misfits" - so dope.