Wig in a Box - Wig in a Box
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Free Music Notes for Wig in a Box
Free Music Review: A Compliment to the Original, My Compliments to the Chef(s)
Hit: 4 Stars
Less a tribute and more of a benefit album, Wig In A Box capitalizes on the Hedwig phenomenon and adds one more compelling facet to it. Weather you like the artists who have contributed their talents or not, if you have experienced Hedwig there is most certainly something on this album for you. John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask have brought magic to stage and screen with Hedwig and the Angry Inch, now they have focused that same magic for one particular cause, the Hetrick Martin Institute home of the Harvey Milk School. This is reason enough to purchase this album regardless of who is on it and how they are coupled with the songs that they cover.In most cases the pairings and performances are stellar. The familiar whine of John and John of They Might Be Giants perfectly suits the condemning The Long Grift, as does Frank Blacks knee-slapping version of Sugar Daddy. The moments where the songs suffer as a result of castration from their visual compliment are forgivable due to strong performances from The Breeders, Imperial Teen, and Spoon. Rufus Wainwright infuses his usual delicate melancholy to The Origin of Love, while The Polyphonic Spree bring some rather interesting instrumentation to Wig In A Box. Pop stalwart Cyndi Lauper belts out a gripping version of Midnight Radio backed by an all-star line up of musicians including Peter Buck (REM) and Scott McCoughey (Young Fresh Fellows), but the real surprise is Milford Lake flawlessly performed by Hedwig creators Mitchell and Trask. It is so good you will wish you had seen it on stage!
Overall Wig In A Box is a wonderful compliment to Hedwig and adds a new twist to an already engaging musical story. For hedheads that arent too married to the originals this is a must have, but for those unfamiliar with the material it might be a tad tough to piece together. The album would be perfect had the artists been given the freedom to elaborate upon those songs that were either too short or too weak to stand alone without their original scenes. Although considering who benefits from it, that is purely superficial and isnt that the point, to see beyond the wig and makeup to the bigger picture?
Free Music Review: Great covers album
Hit: 4 Stars
Stephen Trask and John Cameron Mitchell's gender-bending Hedwig has gathered a cult following among film- and theater-goers and the music, as evidenced by this collection, has quickly become greatly beloved by musicians as diverse as Yoko Ono, Imperial Teen, and Fred Schneider. The passion for these songs espoused by the artists is readily apparent in all of the tracks, but unfortunately their love of the material does not always produce the greatest results.
The album's highlights:
Sleater-Kinney & Fred Schneider's "Angry Inch" -- Sleater-Kinney's intense guitar and drum work, Corin Tucker's half-singing/half-bellowing vocals, and Fred Schneider's snide delivery perfectly capture Hedwig's angry yet tongue-in-cheek narrative of his botched sex-change operation.
Frank Black's "Sugar Daddy" -- One of the albums most energetic moments, Frank Black truly embraces Hedwig's spirit of challenging notions of both sex and gender with his gravelly-almost-snarling delivery of lines like, "I'll be more woman than a man like you can stand."
The Breeders' "Wicked Little Town" -- The subtle guitar work and Kim Deal's quiet, raspy vocals make this song a very beautiful, intimate encounter with The Breeders.
The Polyphonic Spree's "Wig in a Box" -- This track is probably the best match of material to artist. The theatrics and ostentation of the lyrics perfectly complement The Spree's grandiose musical arrangements.
Honorable mentions: Rufus Wainwright's "The Origin of Love", Spoon's "Tear Me Down," Yoko Ono & Yo La Tengo's "Hedwig's Lament/Exquisite Corpse," Ben Kweller & Ben Folds' "Wicked Little Town (Tommy Gnosis version)," and Cyndi Lauper & The Minus 5's "Midnight Radio"
The biggest disappointments: the new material (Robyn Hitchcock & John Cameron Mitchell) and Bob Mould's clubby, dance take on "Nailed," which is a fun enough cover but completely strips the song of its eroticism.
More of this album works than doesn't work and is a must-buy for "Hedwig" fans and indie-music lovers alike.
Free Music Review: Wonderful CD
Hit: 4 Stars
I am actually surprised at how great this album is. I am a Hedwig fan and thought that this would be a huge flop, but I bought it anyway. Every song differs from the movie and off-Broadway version, yet retains the emotions of each song. I think that the majority of the reviewers here forgot about the importance of the emotions of songs, not just the way the song sounds.
There is only one flop on this album and that is the techno version of "Nailed." It's the only song that is completely out of place and it shouldn't have been in the album. Also, the reprise of "The Origin of Love," though innovative, is not on par with the rest of the album.
Yet, these are only two out sixteen songs. The Breeders' "Wicked Little Town" is eloquent and well executed, as is the 3 Bens' version of the reprise. Cyndi Lauper's "Midnight Radio" is fantastic and the Polyphonic Spree's "Wig in a Box" improves a song that I already thought was perfect. The biggest surprise for me was actually JCM's "Milford Lake," which is very catchy and very deep. These songs make up for the rest of the album and this worth getting just for these songs.
Overall, this album is fantastic and should be purchased.
Free Music Review: Fascinating...
Hit: 4 Stars
A lot of these covers are pretty good. Though, nowhere as good as John Cameron Mitchell's singing, but still worth listening.
The Origin of Love - Rufus Wainwright - 8/10
Angry Inch - Fred Schneider and Sleater-Kinney - 7/10
The Long Grift - They Might Be Giants - 7/10
Sugar Daddy - Frank Black - 6/10
City of Women - Robyn Hitchcock - 8/10
Freaks - Imperial Teens - 7/10
Wicked Little Town (Hedwig's Version) - The Breeders - 9/10
Nailed (Loudbomb Remix) - Bob Mould - 8/10
Wig in A Box - The Polyphonic Spree - 9/10
Milford Lake - John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask - 10/10
Ladies & Gentlemen - Stephen Colbert - 6/10
Tear Me Down - Spoon - 7/10
Hedwig's Lament/Exquisite Corpse - Yoko Ono & Yo La Tengo - 5/10 - This one is HILARIOUS.
Wicked Little Town (Tommy Gnosis Version) - Ben Kweller, Ben Folds, and Ben Lee - 8/10
Midnight Radio - Cyndi Lauper and Minus 5 - 10/10
The Origin of Love (reprise) - Jonathan Richman - 4/10
119/160 - B-
The best tracks on this recording is Milford Lake and Midnight Radio(which was sung AMAZINGLY by Cyndi Lauper).
Free Music Review: It would have been excellent except for Rufus Wainwright
Hit: 4 Stars
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a phenomenon. A truly captivating story with some really great rock and roll music and now, we have an album of reinterpretations and inspiration of songs from the show and film.The ones that work best are the ones that try to create a new sound but still retain most of what makes the song works (the Yoko Ono/Yo La Tengo "Exquisite Body" & the Cyndi Lauper "Midnight Radio" are standouts, not to mention the new John Cameron Mitchell/Stephen Trask song "Milford Lake"). The only one that fails to ignite any excitement is, unfortunately, the first track, "The Origin of Love" performed by Rufus Wainwright, though it sounds like he's channeling Bob Dylan, and not in a good way. He sucks the emotion out of the song and it sounds like a dying calf.
Like I wrote before, all other 16 tracks are very commendable and it's a worthy compilation, just skip that first track.