I’m going to make a not-so-shocking confession: I love Scarlett Johansson.
I realize that it’s a tremendously controversial position to stake out, especially when you’ve read my blog for all of one post and have firmly affixed yourself to the idea that I hate women, but there it is. I admire the hell out of her acting, she’s painfully beautiful, and in all her interviews she comes across as carefully sculpted out of pure awesome. In my dreams, I see the two of us alone in my golden submarine, while up above the waves my doomsday squad ignites the atmosphere.
Anyway, she’s done an album of Tom Waits covers that I like an awful lot.
Sayeth Listening Post:
Combine Esquire’s "sexiest woman alive," the much-loved music of Tom
Waits and producer Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio fame with guests like
David Bowie and members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Celebration, and you
have pretty much the perfect recipe for a much-anticipated release.
Her label, Warner Music, has partnered up with imeem to let all of us unwashed masses listen to the album in its entirety before it is released later this month. Bully on WMG for embracing all of us onliney listening types, instead of treating us like criminals:
This album isn’t for everyone, and comments at Listening Post are 100% hating on it. Eliot says, "I can’t get behind every track on the album
(‘Fannin Street,’ for instance, is a bit of a dirge)". I’m not crazy about "I wish I was in New Orleans," but I like a lot more of the album than not. It feels haunting and lush, with Big Sonic Heaven candidates throughout. If you enjoy Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil, Massive Attack, My Bloody Valentine or Portishead, I think it’s worth a listen.
Even if you don’t like it and want your five minutes back after a couple of tracks, I hope you’ll join me in applauding a major label for embracing this model. I hope this represents a step toward sanity from the recording industry mafia.
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In my dreams, I see the two of us alone in my golden submarine, while up above the waves my doomsday squad ignites the atmosphere.
I see what you did there, and it was awesome.
It’s pretty interesting. I’m going to hang my head in shame and admit I don’t know who any of those artists you just named are. But I’m listening to “Town With No Cheer” and it’s pretty awesome. Yes, and I applaud their business model. I’m more likely to buy it after getting to hear it and determine that I really would like it.
Thanks for posting this!
Jonathan Coulton and Scarlett Johansson in the same posting … FTW.
I am also a fan, and love the fact that Warner is being open with letting people listen to the album online. It is a step, albeit a small step, in the right direction in online music.
Hey… I like it so far! Wow. It’s definitely not for everyone, but it’s GOOD! I’ll buy it when it comes out.
Oh hey, Wil, rumor has it you’ll be in San Jose this weekend for Super-Con. Hopefully I’ll see you there!
Clay
If you enjoy Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil, Massive Attack, My Bloody Valentine or Portishead, I think it’s worth a listen.
You had me at “I love Scarlett Johansson.”
I’m super happy that Warner is doing this. You see, major labels? When you embrace the internets and don’t treat your customers like criminals, people will applaud you and then be more likely to give you their business.
Also, Scarlett Johansson is way hot.
I checked out the album a few days ago. I was totally intrigued when I first heard about it. I tracked it down and gave it a 100% bias-free listening from beginning to end. I even sent out a huge number of tweets about it.
I’m sorry, but it’s awful. I couldn’t get over the feeling that everyone was giggling behind her back the entire time, just trying to hold it together long enough to get their tracks done before running out the back door, exploding with laughter.
I really like the general production and fuzzy atmosphere, but it’s simply a very amateur effort done only for vanity. In the immortal words of Shatner and Rollins, “I can’t get behind that.”
(See what I did there?)
Well, I’ve listened to just about the whole album now, and while Ms Johansson is always interesting, and Tom Waits is all sorts of awesome, this crossing of the two is missing a bit. She captures his melancholy, muttering, (sometimes) off-key-ness brilliantly, but she is missing the frantic energy that he infuses some of his songs, even while remaining melancholy, muttering, and offkey. As it stands this is the perfect album for a rainy day spent indoors, if you want to remain in a rainy day spent indoors mood.
I think the thing about this album that I find so remarkable is how someone as young as Scarlett Johansson could come up with such a mature album. I know this won’t be a commercial success, but WOW. I haven’t heard anything this interesting in a long time. I would add to your list of “if you enjoy..” the very obvious (to me) influence of the Velvet Underground. I’m just sad she didn’t choose to do my favorite Tom Waits song “Innocent When You Dream”. Anyway, I think most people won’t “get it”, but I for one am going to buy the album.
“Falling Down” was about all I could bear to listen too since it seemed the quality of the rest was very “Sub Par” as far as my ears were able to tell.
As far as her singing talents, it’s not bad for a first timer but it is nothing I would ever go out and buy, not even online.
So i heard slight rumor of this before you posted this and my response was always “What??” So thanks for posting this because it answered the “what?”. I’m kind of diggin’ the fact that she’s got such a low register. I like it. thanks wil 🙂
Anyone else only getting 30 seconds of each song or is this a special punnishment for us europee-ons?
I do like the posting of an album in its entirety for customers to ‘preview’ and decide whether to purchase. It’s a bold step, similar to NBC Universal’s Hulu.com or even the original ‘preview’ stores, Barnes and Noble and Borders, which let you sit and read a book and magazine all the way through while drinking coffee. Logic says “why give away your product for free when you are trying to sell it?”, but from what I can tell, it’s a business plan that works.
I would like to know if there are any other full albums available for ‘preview’ online?
It’s odd. I love Tom Waits. I love song covers because I always like to see what other people will do with the same material. In fact, I own an awesome album of Waits covers already (Step Right Up). I’m generally well-disposed towards Johansson. I like almost all of the bands you listed. All of this made me think that this would really suit me, but it doesn’t. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but it seems, maybe, too clean. “I Wish I Was in New Orleans” in particular seemed to just loose the soul of the song for me.
On the other hand, I’m thrilled that Warner opted to allow me to preview it, even though it means that I’ll almost certainly not buy it.
I am going to stereotype right now because I can. Musicians have proven they can act, but apparently (usually) it isn’t a two-way street. (Please see the Jennifer Love Hewitt record, and Russell Crowe’s horrible band). That being said, this record actually surprised me. She is a pretty lady, has a pretty decent voice, and is definitely aided by her supporting players. It also helps that I like all things Tom Waits though, so I am a bit biased. If she does a record of Johnny Cash covers next, I think I will stalk her.
I don’t think anyone has to worry about Ms. Scarlett quitting her day job. Her acting and personality are admittedly sculpted of awesome, but her singing voice is carved out of suck.
This isn’t her first foray into music. She covered Summertime on the album Unexpected Dreams in 2006. It’s a pretty amazing version, actually, and for me, it was definitely … well … unexpected. Her voice has a very unique quality to it.
Looking forward to checking this one out, too – thanks for the recommendation!
I will have to listen to her album later because I’m at work right now.
I can’t believe a major label sat up and realized people want to hear stuff BEFORE they buy it. I know a person *coughcough* who likes to listen to stuff before buying it to make sure it doesn’t suck. Those 30 second clips on most web based stores are not enough to judge if an album is good or not.
Thanks for sharing that link.
i love the album,
im actually played on big sonic heaven, (self plug)
agree that it would fit right in
I love the arrangements — I agree they’re Big Sonic Heaven-worthy — but I don’t think her voice lives up to the arrangements. It needs the fullness and richness of a Cocteau Twins or a Sia, and her voice sounds sort of thin and — I hate to say it — amateurish. I would totally love to hear these arrangements with Sia or Beth Gibbons singing. But I’m glad she has the star power to get these folks together making music.
Fantastic. I can definitely hear the Cocteau Twins similarity, really enjoying the sounds. I guess I’ll have to buy it, then!
Thanks, Wil, for letting us know, and thanks to Warner for the full preview!
-bill
IN with the JoCo reference!
You can’t slip this past regular readers, you know.
Anyone like to sell Twitter to me? If I can use it to find out when Wil’s met Gina Trapani, I’m almost considering adding it to my GReader.
Thanks Wil…I like the album and plan to play it on my radio show as soon as I can buy it. Thanks also for pointing me towards imeem. You are a girl geek’s dream.
*hugs*
I have to admit I wasn’t to impressed with Scarlett’s sing ing skills, however after seeing a picture of her and Natalie Portman getting down with some pseudo lesbo action in Hef’s rag, I’m totally into it. Amy Smart with a nip slip has got me digging her too. Keep it goin girls, huwah!
Scarlett Johansson herself has said that her singing sounds like “Tinkerbell on cough syrup,” and while that is a style that could sound cool if executed creatively, I have to say: girl can’t sing. And no amount of production value/Tom Waits cred/otherwise excellent song choices can make this girl sing. If you are looking for a starlet who has made the leap successfully to quirkypop, look no further than She and Him, Zooey Deschanel’s new gig. Not sure what qualifies ScarJo to be a singer in your eyes except her bra size.
Dude, you asked for it.
Oh for fuck’s sake. Is this more “I’m a huge sexist” crap?
I could care less about her bra size and how it relates or doesn’t to her singing voice. It’s not the best album in the world, but I happen to like it more than I don’t like it.
So terribly sorry I believe she’s a beautiful woman. So terribly sorry that I enjoyed parts of this album.
Wait. No I’m not. But I am getting *real* tired of this shit.
THEN STOP INSTIGATING IT. If you’re getting tired of it, then STOP with the “the fact that I like a gorgeous actress with a body like a bomb doesn’t make me sexist” BALONEY. BALONEY BALONEY BALONEY. Because it only makes me want to adopt you as my little brother so that I can give you the world’s biggest fucking noogie.
I have real respect for your musical tastes and for you as a person. I NEVER FUCKING CALLED YOU A HUGE SEXIST. I am a musician, and a lady, and after hearing her sing I honestly don’t know what qualifies SJ to be a good musician, except I suspect it has something to do with her rating as Maxim’s most sexiest lady. I have nothing against SJ. I think she is a fine actress and I particularly liked her in Ghost World. I would NOT kick her out of bed in any fantasy scenario. But I am not crazy to think that she might not have an album out now were it not for her rather extreme and obvious sex appeal. That is all. That is fucking all.
I’m not angry, just worked up. Thank you.
Oops, I was too worked up: that should have been “stop with the ‘the fact that I like a gorgeous actress with a body like a bomb is further proof that I am not sexist'”. Or a sentiment to that effect.
I admire Scarlett Johansson on many levels, and I respect her as an artist. I just wish she hadn’t sent her album to radio the exact same week as the artist I work with. Even in 2008 the general policy at radio stations nationwide (both commercial and non-commercial) is only to add one female artist (or female-fronted band) per week. And let’s face it, when a Music Director gets in a CD by a 100% indie artist at the same time as a CD by a famous actress, well, really it’s no contest. Artistic merit has nothing to do with it.
Sigh.