Steely Dan - Two Against Nature
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.25 You Save: $9.71 (70%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.03 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Two Against Nature
Free Music Review: The return!
Hit: 5 Stars
It wasn't until I was 24 years old that I got into Steely Dan. I must admit that Steely Dan's music never grabbed me on first listen. I was baptized by fire when I bought Citizen Steely Dan and listened to it over and over while driving up and down the 15 in Southern California. I was determined to find out why everyone thought they were so brilliant. After many listens, I was a huge fan. I then invested in Fagen and Becker's solo albums which I thought were brilliant. But when I heard that the Dan were returning to the studio for an official Steely Dan release, I was ecstatic. After one full year of waiting, my dream came true. So how is the album? Well, upon first listen, I labeled it "difficult." It isn't as catchy as Gaucho, Aja or Pretzel Logic but, then again, this isn't the seventies and, after all, if their music was as sun drenched and lulling as it used to be, they would probably have to brave terrible criticism aimed at their relcutance to branch out or experiment. I listened to it again and then a third time. Amazing that after three listens, I know the names of all the songs and their position on the disc. That tells me something. Thankfully, Fagen and Becker have not lost their edge these last few years. Gaslighting Abbie, Cousin Dupree, Janie Runaway are all subversive and twisted tales that rival such sharp classics as Hey Nineteen, Gaucho and Everyone's Gone to the Movies. What a Shame About Me is a middle aged dig at the naive posturing in My Old School, Fagen and Becker's ode to Bard College that was included on Countdown to Ecstacy. Musically, Two Against Nature is complex and brilliant. As a reviewer once said about the Dan's music: "Never before has such glossy petals contained such sharp thorns." 20 years later, this still applies. Probably the most interesting thing about the disc and the Dan's return is the way Fagen and Becker answer the question "Where have you been?" Their answer? "Where have YOU been and, more importantly, what have you done?" Brilliant and timeless, Two Against Nature is easily the year's best disc thus far.Free Music Review: Deserving to sweep the next Grammy Awards...
Hit: 5 Stars
There is a saying that precious things are those things that are not "seem" perfect at first glance.Sometime people tend to be to traditional about things that when you create a thing they expect the second one is the exact replica of the first...but we should not because time is changing or shall I say you evolve or else you devolve.If you want to hear Aja so buy Aja coz 2vn is 2vn and it is a classic transition from the mindgates of time.Comparing it to each other is like comparing you with your brother which is not always right because you are not identical. Steely Dan has created a masterpiece that transcended time and space coz they have proved to the world that they are not over yet and their best years are not far from them. Try comparing this to the comeback album of SANTANA...Hell that album sucks and it got all the Grammies.Steely Dan has more class than that coz they are not only there to cash in the money over some comeback nostalgia but they're there to explore the limits of Rock and Roll music. This is what exactly the 2vn album is all about...pure of satisfying melodies and marvelous horn arrangements. At first you will have the catchy after shock of Aja or Gaucho but after listening to it several times you will see that it surpassed the latter albums in terms of maturity and class.Tunes like Almost Gothic and Jack of Speed are really unforgettable tunes and none of the tracks are pushover or extenders. They are all a product of skill,talent and musical imagination that the Dans are known. Even the MP3 soundclip is enough to satisfy my curiosity that the album is spectacular.This will separate the novice from a really Steely Dan Fan in terms of form and understanding of their music. My only regret is the non-inclusion of the song Wetside story that they play in their artcrimes tour.What happened to that song?I really love it coz its too "Complex".Anyway this album deserve to sweep or atleast get the majority award in the next Grammy plus a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...This is legit music in the highest sense of the word:)Jack of Speed...Chow:)Free Music Review: ALMOST CLASSIC
Hit: 5 Stars
TWO AGAINST NATURE is not the album that will jump out of the speakers and ignite the fires of undying praise on the first play through. You've probably heard that and it's true. But these are not a bunch of one take cuts done hurriedly so the artists can get back to the party.By the tenth time through, you may be like I was in early March, listening to nothing else for several weeks. And there are many reasons. There is not a weak track in the lot, and the lineup is well-paced in terms of changing rhythms and tone. "Almost Gothic," "Jack of Speed," "Negative Girl" and "Cousin Dupree" are outstanding. "West of Hollywood" with its incredible sax riff is the best Dan song since COUNTDOWN TO ECTASY. Musically, the only shortcoming here is the repetitive nature of Becker's guitar leads.
As a LIT teacher and writer, I have always been intrigued by Becker/Fagen lyrics. But with this one I came away asking, who gave these guys permission to make perfect word choices in pop music lyrics. There is noone in pop music, including Waits and Dylan, that has the understanding and command of language that these guys have. There are memorable lines and off-camber uses of sound (language-wise)all through the disc. But there are two things that really make this one work well. First, their understanding of the power of juxtaposition. "Cousin Dupree" and "Almost Gothic" contrast resplendent intrumental and vocal arrangements with the darker themes of incest and understated desperation. This is something that happens to some extent all through the recording. Finally, as demonstrated especially in "Negative Girl," there is that ability to create memorable imagery by simply picking the right action verbs and then allowing them to stand out in near anorexic lines. It's brilliant and there aren't that many poets working in America today that can do it.
The level of sophistication and the quality and care of the recording on this cd simply raise these guys twenty years later head and shoulders above their peers.
Free Music Review: A Great Effort from a Great Band!
Hit: 5 Stars
I have listened to this extraordinary CD every day since it came out and I still can't get enough of it because I constantly hear something new in the music. I now rank Two Against Nature as one of my favorite Steely Dan CDs. A lot of people have been comparing this CD with Aja and Gaucho which I think is not a very accurate way to judge their new CD. Aja is a masterpiece and is by far their best work of all time but I think after 20 years, people change and grow in new directions, so it's only natural that this CD has a different sound than Aja or Gaucho.Two Against Nature contains outstanding songwriting, musicianship and vocals - Donald Fagen is absolutely captivating. His vocals are deep and sensual - like he has had way too many smokes. All I can say is "wow, give that man a Grammy!". I also love Walter Becker's guitar playing but I too generally miss the more guitar-oriented music of their earlier days. I am a hard-core guitar lover and I think Steely Dan is better suited as a rock band than they are as a "jazz combo". I am a jazz music fan also but the Dan's music is now a little too overwhelmed by sax solos, although the horn arrangements in 2VN are wonderful and compliment the music very well. I love the funky groves and the humorous lyrics. I was stunned by the beauty of Almost Gothic. I never thought I would hear a Steely Dan love song! Steely Dan fans tend to vary a lot in what they like about their music, some like the jazzy quality of the music while others like it for the rock sound. With this CD, I suspect the guys are trying to appeal to many different musical tastes because this one is the toughest ever to categorize. Overall, a great effort by the mighty Steely Dan.
I rejoice that Steely Dan has given their fans a great new CD to listen to and I can only hope that they will continue to give their amazing music to the world. I can't wait for the tour! In summary, this CD is creative and fun and I would recommend it to anyone who hungers for great music from a group with a sound all their own!
Free Music Review: Was it worth the 20 year wait for SD's new album? YES!
Hit: 5 Stars
20 years after Steely Dan's last studio album, Gaucho, we have been re-introduced to the greatest band of the 70's. The wait was worth it. Granted, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker (the driving force behind SD) released "solo" projects that they worked together on (and I recommend all, especially "The Nightfly" by Fagen), but this is the first SD studio album since 1980.
"Two Against Nature" takes off beautifully with GASLIGHTING ABBEY, a heavily bass-influenced tune about a love triangle. GREAT song, funky and jazzy with a new edge to the old SD sound.
WHAT A SHAME ABOUT ME is an awesome self-loathing, soul searching tune about how cruel life can be if you let it beat you down. The music is heavy on keys and guitar and has a great jazz backbeat. Pure SD negativity and sarcasm.
The title track, TWO AGAINST NATURE, is a little exploratory, a bass lover's dream with great percussion and keys and some really bizzare, jazz sax that is the closest thing to 'free-form' jazz that I have heard from SD.
JANIE RUNAWAY, JACK OF SPEED, COUSIN DUPREE & WEST OF HOLLYWOOD all strike true in the SD classic jazz/rock/blues/funk genre that they are known for.
ALMOST GOTHIC is a great, soft, bluesy tune with soft percussion and soothing keys nicely supported by R&B backing vocals and some smooth guitar work.
NEGATIVE GIRL is perfect. Another experiment in diminished sound, that comes off perfectly, showcasing Fagen's developed style of singing and some nice piano work with smooth guitar.
I am a SD fanatic, and this album did not disappoint. 20 years later, the bad boys of the 70's still got it. They may be older and wiser, but they are still smart and socially biting, cynical as hell.
The album is definitely lighter in the sound department but it seems to me that the guys have just refined their sound as they grew musically, fully embracing the jazz roots that they love.