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Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
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Browns' roster nearly devoid of consistent players
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NFL star Chris Spielman's wife loses cancer battle
Blogs:
Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
For your Saturday entertainment …
Akron Zips:
Hitchens leads Zips in second-half comeback
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Holmgren expresses interest in Browns position
Kent State Sports:
Kent State blown out in second half, loses to Temple 47-13
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Four area football teams play tonight
All Da King's Men:
Headed For Disaster
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (69) The Brookings Institute Study on "Bending the Curve" – Four General Strategies
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
By Greg Kot
Chicago Tribune
Published on Sunday, Sep 14, 2008
Brian Wilson, the most troubled and gifted of the Beach Boys, is working at his most prolific rate since the 1960s.
It's one of the most heartwarming stories of the last decade: an improbable return from the abyss of mental illness and a well-deserved victory lap for one of rock's legendary figures.
Obscured by the Brian-is-back love fest, however, is that his new music hasn't been particularly strong. Solo albums in 1997 (Imagination) and 2004 (Gettin' in Over My Head) sounded like robotic re-creations of past triumphs, rather than the work of a genius back on his game.
Wilson's latest release, That Lucky Old Sun, aims higher: It's an earnest attempt to create another song cycle in the tradition of '60s classics Pet Sounds and Smile, which he has been performing on the road. But the new album is not the long-awaited third part of a concept-album trilogy; instead, it's mostly a clunky and forgettable exercise in nostalgia.
The album's theme of personal renewal plays out over a day in old Los Angeles, back when the 66-year-old Wilson was a teenager. Collaborating with the multifaceted band that has been his safety net in concert, Wilson crafts a 17-song, 38-minute suite of orchestrated pop.
All the signifiers of Wilson's late '60s sound are in place, from the dense vocal harmonies to elaborate orchestrations incorporating French horn, ukulele and bells.
At the center of it all is Wilson, sounding a little worn around the edges but still bringing enthusiasm to his singing. Most of the songs are like a forced smile, a series of strained odes to ''the golden glow'' of an L.A. that no longer exists.
There are also a handful of embarrassments, including a mash note to a Mexican Girl. ''Can you picture me in your family tree?'' Wilson sings.
He also reads kooky spoken-word interludes written by his old '60s collaborator, Van Dyke Parks. These are designed to link the songs and enrich the narrative, but they're momentum-killers spackled with unintended laughs (''Are we all not actors/And the whole wide world our stage'').
In the album's closing songs, Wilson addresses the pain of his mental illness and his long road back to a semblance of stability. The best of these, Midnight's Another Day, is a melancholy piano ballad that ranks with Wilson's best and most personal work. When Wilson sings, ''All these people make me feel so alone,'' we get a brief, heartbreaking glimpse of what the singer's life must have been like the last four decades.
That he is once again recording music is no small triumph. That he is still capable of a song as moving as Midnight's Another Day is encouraging. But That Lucky Old Sun is not even close to being as great as the Wilson-directed albums that inspired it.
Brian Wilson, the most troubled and gifted of the Beach Boys, is working at his most prolific rate since the 1960s.
Get the full article here.
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