To be honest, I still have doubts about Metallica’s upcoming Death Magnetic. Yes, I’m waiting patiently to pull the wrapper off and reveal my middle school years within the grooves of a beautiful piece of wax. I want so badly, as I’m sure the remains of the fans that stuck with Metallica do as well (those that are still wrapped up in Napster need not comment), to make this record the soundtrack to everything mundane in my existence. Didn’t we all pull out Kill Em’ All and Ride the Lightning and pretended we ruled the world for an hour of mayhem?

If not, you never understood Metallica and the nostalgia and power their significant recordings (which is debatable, I’ll let you pick) meant to people. But, as we can see, from the likes of “The Day That Never Comes”, we are prepared for a revival. But in order for this revival to take place, one must have faith in Metallica. Frankly, I’ve heard countless examples across the Net of people doing nothing but “expecting the worst”. Well, chances are you’ve moved on and this record isn’t for you. When I had the honor of seeing the band for the first time this summer—I realized this was no joke. Not to any of those fans, or not to me. There were songs I hadn’t heard in years but still remembered every word and every feeling that went along with them. That’s a band with staying power.

After first listen of the new single, “The Day That Never Comes”—the doubt crept in… until the clock struck 2:50 when Lars and Kirk provided a transition into which the next six minutes built into classic Metallica mayhem. But this isn’t exactly old Metallica. This is a new Metallica playing with a youthful revivalism that struck their aging bones. The epic solos, the guitar trade-offs, the driving beat, it’s all there. It’s all fresh. It’s all Metallica.

—John Bohannon

The twelfth, and final, episode of Season Two of Live from Abbey Road (Sundance Channel, Thursday, September 4, at 10 p.m. Eastern and Pacific) is what all 11 of the previous amazing lineups were preparing viewers for: Brian Wilson, Martha Wainwright and Teddy Thompson. All three performers are living, writing, singing proof that talent is often a family affair.

Brian Wilson opens the show discussing how Rubber Soul impressed him so greatly that he went on to write “God Only Knows” because of it. Brian Wilson’s band is made up of members of the Wondermints, among several other musicians. It’s clear from the between song banter that this group of people, Brian included, is very comfortable together, and it’s even clearer once the performances begin, that this is the rare, perfect musical combination. So it’s only fitting the band should have some of the most perfect compositions to perform. “Sloop John B” is up first, and after a false start for a piano problem, it swells until the various voices mingling threaten to carry the viewer away on a wave of goodwill. Yeah, it’s not supposed to be an uplifting tune, but Wilson’s arrangement—and his obvious pleasure at hearing it fill that room—can’t help but buoy you.

“Southern California”, comes from this year’s That Lucky Old Sun, and is an ode to Wilson’s home and his past. It’s a truly touching and beautiful song, and has that uniquely timeless quality of the very best Brian Wilson songs, in that it could’ve been released 40 years ago or 40 years from now, and it would still be just as gorgeous. The vocal harmonies, of course, are stunning. And that brings us to “God Only Knows”, which is Wilson’s favorite song for its “pretty melody and meaningful lyrics”. It has a lingering transcendence in this performance, which actually seems to add to the ambience of Abbey Road studios, rather than drawing from it. It’s a hauntingly beautiful effect.

Martha Wainwright steps up next with “Bleeding All Over You”, “Cheating Me” and “Coming Tonight” from her most recent release, I Know You’re Married But I’ve Got Feelings Too. “Bleeding All Over You”, from which the album takes its name, is a song about unrequited love and the way it can still haunt you even after you’ve moved on. Despite its subject matter, it’s a hummable, strummable tune made all the more catchy by Wainwright’s infectious vocal delivery.

“Cheating Me” is a harder, darker, but no less contagious in its chorus. “Coming Tonight” has a false start as well, but once the song gets going again, it begins to appear that this episode isn’t so much about the stars, the performances or this particular lineup’s genetics, but about the sheer songwriting prowess.

Teddy Thompson begins his segment by referring to his parentage ("My mom is Linda Thompson… she’s like the British Museum, my dad’s more like the vault down below where they keep all the stuff they don’t show you!"). Thompson gives us “In My Arms” and “Don’t Know What I Was Thinking” from his latest album, A Piece of What You Need. “In My Arms” is a song which Thompson claims is the first of his that has ever made him want to move to it, but dancing isn’t his inclination. However, if it’s yours, you’re going to love this song. It’s got that mid-’60s girl-group rhythm, a great bit of organ and some fabulous “oooohs” from Thompson. It will make you believe, as Thompson sort of intended, that A Piece of What You Need is a happy record. “Don’t Know What I Was Thinking” is another of the performances in this episode that point to these artist being grouped together for their enviable abilities to write songs just like this one. And Thompson’s voice on this is particularly strong.

The brilliant second season of Live from Abbey Road comes to a close with Thompson dueting with Wainwright. They are friends from way back, so the rehearsal and pre-performance banter come off as completely natural. When they begin their stripped down, almost sad, and, yes, haunting cover version of “We Can Work it Out”, it’s mesmerizing. It’s also quite an impressive way to end a very impressive season. Let’s hope season three of Live from Abbey Road has even more world class artists and wonderful lineups to come.

—Christel Loar

In the eleventh episode of Live from Abbey Road (Sundance Channel, Thursday, August 28th at 10 p.m. Eastern and Pacific), Bryan Adams talks about his love for studios—he rescued and renovated a gold-rush-era building in Vancouver, BC for his own state of the art studio—and how much the sound of a room can influence the sounds of songs. He performs songs from the very beginning of his career, as well as one from his 2008 release 11 in a set that, at one point, he refers to as “Busking at Abbey Road”. First up is a beautiful acoustic version of “Heaven”, with gorgeous violin accompaniment. Next, “She’s Got a Way”, a product of the instantaneous chemistry that can often come into play with creative partnerships and another lovely love song made more so by the violin. Lastly, Adams goes solo for his first big hit, “Cuts Like a Knife”.

Ben Harper, of course, is accompanied by the Innocent Criminals. His musical influences include not just genres, but every sound and conversation he has ever had. He also believes that the live music experience is of great importance and the performances in this segment support that belief, especially “Better Way” from 2006. That song’s performance expresses all the freedom and energy you might find at an outdoor festival, and is one song that he considers “an accomplishment, musically”. Harper describes his impression of studio two in Abbey Road as, “Sonically, it gives right back to you in the clearest, most honest way.” Harper and the room are kindred, then. As his closer, Harper treats viewers to his own sexy, wicked version of Bill Withers’ “Use Me”, and the note he holds near the end of the song will convince you that you can feel the room giving back to him.

Justin Currie, perhaps best known as lead singer/songwriter for Del Amitri, only performs one song during his Abbey Road session, which is a bit unusual for this program, but it’s a great song. Currie lets us in on why you must be superstitious about writing songs, or any writing really: “Because no matter how hard you work on it, it doesn’t make it any better… and the songs that you consider to be good, just come along—in a highly mysterious fashion.” His performance of “Still in Love” from 2007’s What Is Love For is a deep and haunting. It’s a ballad for piano and strings, which showcases not only Currie’s ability to write a stunner, but his talent for elevating a great song even further on the strength of his voice. You can just imagine what the room gave back to him.

Upcoming Line-ups:

Episode 12 - September 4
Teddy Thompson, Martha Wainwright, Brian Wilson

—Christel Loar

On episode 10 of Live from Abbey Road (Sundance Channel, Thursday, August 21st at 10 p.m. Eastern and Pacific), the Subways discuss how the three-piece dynamic adds to the energy and adaptability of the band, and claims that each member is so excited by the songs that the band brings exactly the same fervor to playing for 10 people in a studio as it brings to playing for 10,000 in a stadium supporting Foo Fighters. Then the performance proves those claims. Drummer Josh Morgan plays as though his life depends upon it, and guitarist Billy Lunn and bassist Charlotte Cooper shout out their shared vocal duties while dancing all across the studio floor and diving from the bass drum during “Oh Yeah” from 2005’s Young For Eternity. “Strawberry Blonde” and “I Won’t Let You Down” from this year’s Butch Vig-produced All or Nothing demonstrate some serious songwriting chops while still showcasing what Lunn calls The Subways’ “ferocity”.

From ferocity to funk and fun, Gnarls Barkley performs tracks from 2008’s The Odd Couple. “Whatever” seems slow to start at first, but builds, layer-like, until Cee-Lo’s smooth delivery and Danger Mouse’s spellbinding melody has filled up every speck of space in the studio. “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul” are each equally and hypnotically compelling, riveting in a way completely contrasting the Subways segment before it. Gnarls Barkley’s gift—that of seamlessly combining both creative personalities, both approaches and both sides of life—shows even more clearly here than it has on past work.

Herbie Hancock saw bringing the past into his present as a welcome challenge. He performs two tracks from his Grammy winning River: The Joni Letters. Accompanying vocalist Sonya Kitchell on “All I Want” and “Court and Spark”, Hancock is the consummate bandleader, stately and sedate playing his part in a quiet study of perfection, all the while finessing, caressing, commanding the performances of the musicians around him. It’s the polar opposite of the energy displayed at the beginning of the episode, but in no way less energetic.

Upcoming Line-ups:

Episode 11 - August 28
Bryan Adams, Ben Harper, Justin Currie

Episode 12 - September 4
Teddy Thompson, Martha Wainwright, Brian Wilson

—Christel Loar

There’s something about the diminishing quiet of this song that draws me into the subterranean chase of its music box clatter.  The Bjork touchstone seems obvious, but its not forced or even earnestly parroted.  She doesn’t have the range and seems less interested in doing a floor routine with her vocals than in curling through curious and coy paces.  The sound parallels the work of Little Dragon (no relation) in that they both seem to be working with R&B out of its modes and moods, complicating the traditional subject matter and glacially arresting the genres movements with slipper beats and elongated ambience.  The VCR and the dated recording equipment add to the artifactual elements of the song, which, ironically, sounds like a perfectly shaped, delicate piece of pop architecture. The lush room fabrics and casual observers further deepen the song’s intimacy, making it seem like Josefine Jinder just shuffled her way up to a cozy coffeehouse open mic.  It’s a security blanket song and an easy ease into the weekend.

—Terry Sawyer

I once attended college in Los Angeles, where I came across a lot of rich So-Cal kids (or rich, wannabe So-Cal kids) who casually used the n-word to insult each other and openly admitted their racism, even expressing pride in it.

I’ll be damned if this piece of garbage doesn’t remind me of some of those old acquaintances. These guys might as well have filmed their minstrel video in blackface.

—Anthony Henriques