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BLACK ACETATE
ASTRALWERKS
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Eclectic and rocking, Cale’s new album taps the same strain of romantic, evocative darkness that ran through the music he made when he was Lou Reed’s principal foil in the Velvet Underground. But Black Acetate has a distinctly modern sound, blending driving ’n’ dirty guitars with beats and samples. Despite Cale’s current fascination with Dr. Dre and Pharrell, this is a rock album, even if falsetto vocals ride a funky pulse in "Outta the Bag" and "Hush" seems like the whimsical soundtrack to a Martian assembly line — at least till his hungry voice kicks in, begging, "Put your lips on mine." On the flip side, "Sold-Motel" is a powerhouse hunk of garage rock, all six-string grind and chime, with Cale’s low vocal register dishing out non sequiturs with casual aplomb. And when he picks up his guitar, he blends the distorto-howl of Neil Young with the knotty, needling insistence of the late Robert Quine. "Woman" actually darts between mechanical beats and organic blasts of guitar with seamless ease. These are the kind of tunes Cale delivers extremely well live, and that makes his current tour promising. John Cale + Twinemen | Middle East downstairs, 480 Mass Ave, Cambridge | Nov 22 | 617.864.EAST
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