Steely Dan - Two Against Nature

Never so much a band as the slyly crafted specter of one, Steely Dan's mid-1990s "return" to live performance was as surprising as it was perverse. They'd previously toured only once, round about the era of Watergate, pet rocks, and Shaft. A half-decade after their concert comeback and a mere 19 years after Gaucho seemingly closed out their recording career, the jazz-pop conceit of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen deliberately dropped back into a recording landscape where they weren't so much seasoned vets as alien ambassadors. Two Against Nature, indeed. The tack is instantly familiar: a musical/lyrical reconciliation of Monk and Newman, with familiar harmonic flourishes, nimble studio chops, and an icy, world-class cool, as willfully insulated from hip-hop and techno as it was from disco and Top 40. Less concerned with melodic hooks than a canny sophistication of mood and manner, Becker and Fagen never let a trite melody get in the way of a good story, whether their protagonists are plotting some nefarious obliquity ("Gaslighting Abby"), Southern-fried incest (the deliciously funky "Cousin DuPree"), or bleakly confronting dashed expectations ("What a Shame About Me"). A little more musically languorous perhaps, its trademark cynicism now undercut by hints of sadness and regret, this is nonetheless a Steely Dan album worthy of the name, and like the best of them, one whose subtle charms reveal themselves in surprising ways. -Jerry McCulley Amazon.com essential recording

Tender hearts revealed

This album is a departure in a big way from previous Steely Dan CD. While the great chord changes and musicianship are all here, this CD has "heart." Fagen and Becker understand that they have grown old and they act their age without losing their coolness.

This is a CD full of songs that pick up the perspective of "Hey Nineteen" from the Gaucho CD. Four tunes -- Janie Runaway, Almost Gothic, Cousin Dupree and Negative Girl -- deal with variations of geezer/sweet young (sometimes underage) thing relationship.

"What a Shame About Me" deals with the alienation that takes over when a person, full of talent and promise, never quite gets it together.

This is a CD that folks over 50 can connect with.

There is one more departure that should be mentioned: The tune "Negative Girl" is, to my ears, a whole level above any other Steely Dan tune with regard to amazing chord changes. Fagen and Becker demonstrate the existance of an alternate universe of song writing that they have not yet visited again. It is quite possibly the greatest Steely Dan tune ever. October 2, 2008

Number 5 in my top 10 albums of all time

Here I am, over eight years post-release, letting all the world know the glory of this album. I first saw them perform tunes from 2vN on a PBS special. Needless to say, it's classic Steely Dan at its core, but it has a much jazzier and perhaps softer overtone. The lyrics are clever and have numerous possible interpretations. The sound quality is fabulous. Don't rely on 30 second clips to make your call on this album, listen to the whole thing with a bottle of scotch whiskey by your side and tell me you don't love it. June 4, 2008

Dreamy slice of 'fireplace rock'

Have twenty years really passed? You won't think so after hearing this CD. The literal themes that you remember from Messrs. Fagen and Becker are still there, along with the sex-and-drug references, though maybe not in the way you'd think. Donald Fagen's Fender Rhodes sounds warm as ever, and Walter Becker throws in enough of his trademark runs to make you glad that some things don't change. My favorite after 'Aja'. April 29, 2008

some strange comments here

its strange that some people find this record disappointing because they didn't change and some because they did. I think they've matured musically as well as showing a stubbon commitment to the unique jazz, rock, soul, funk idiom that they were always interested in. As a performing band they are playing better than they ever did. The burned out comment is really silly - nasty actually. They are remarkably fresh compared with most of their generation and obviously very happy to be still playing. Sure these songs reflect their age but they are full of wit and narrrative and more than a little ageing melencholy. Its full of tight rhythm construction, great arrangements and great playing, lyrically they are as sharp as ever - and its really beautiful sounding... its a treasure, its not Aja of course, but then what the hell is? that would deserve 7 stars February 28, 2008

Stellar Steely

A brilliant effort by the inimitable duo. This album met with much deserved acclaim when it was released. I've seen them in concert three times--they were in Auckland last year (2007) and gave their best concert of the three.
Marvelous. January 20, 2008

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