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spotlight! '60s legend for these Modern Times
By Cassie Hood
hoodc@mscd.edu

Bob Dylan Modern Times (2006, Columbia)

The jingle jangle morning shines brightly as the Tambourine Man appears out of the fog, bringing the dreams of the restless with him. After five years of silence, Bob Dylan has come to play a song to help troubled minds forget about today until tomorrow comes.

Wrought with heartache and sorrow, Dylan’s hoarse, scratchy voice has finally returned to the airwaves with Modern Times. The album not only welcomes people back into Dylan’s life, it gives them a bit of his heart.

“When the Deal Goes Down” is a soulful tune about love thriving even when facing death. Set to a slow waltz, Dylan’s melancholy vocals sound forced and strained. Singing, “We live and we die, and we know not why, but I’ll be with you when the deal goes down,” he drips with emotion. The music is simple, with every instrument, from the drums to the guitars, dolefully selling the three beats of the waltz, allowing Dylan’s voice to steal the attention.

“Beyond the Horizon” offers one of the only upbeat, hopeful songs on the album. Dylan exuberantly tells how wondrous love has been to him. The guitar, bass and drums keep a steady beat while a violin cheerfully plays behind the vocals, with the occasional piano creating a foreboding feeling.

Most of the songs on Modern Times are simple and repetitive, showing a Dylan that shed his controversial electric to give us an album of two-step country beats. While the drums basically hit the same beat throughout, songs like “The Levee’s Gonna Break,” give a playful guitar, making them stand out with the change of pace.

Dylan’s only mistakes with the album are drawn-out tracks like “Spirit on the Water,” which is nearly eight minutes of incessant droning. “Ain’t Talkin’” nears a needless nine minutes without straying from a mind-numbing marching beat. The lyrics are the track’s only saving grace, employing vivid imagery reminiscent of his songs from the ’60s.

After a long silence, Dylan has returned. With Modern Times he shows the music world that he isn’t going anywhere. He’ll continue to play that tambourine and create dreams of love in woeful minds.