Listening And Writing

The Albums of 2011 So Far, Part 1

2011-06-20T22:06:00.005-04:00

It’s June, the sixth month in a twelve 12 month year. According to my math, we’re half way through the year, a good time to take stock of the albums of 2011 so far. The albums that I’ve heard so far, that is. I’m no longer writing reviews or DJing at a college station, so less music is coming my way. I’ve put my hard earned cash towards 14 albums this year and an additional 2 were burned from a friend. Of the 14 I purchased, 12 were actual CDs and 3 were purely digital purchases.

I was a convert to digital music only age after moving from Atlanta to DC, away from any cool and affordable place to buy new music. I was frustrated by dead end searches where I’d find a local record store online and then arrive only to realize it’s since closed down. Or in the case of the one record store a Dupont Circle, didn’t sell any disc for less that $18. I liked how digital music rewarded my impulsiveness and cheapness. And then CDs started coming out that I was really anticipating and suspected would contain lyrics and thought out artwork. So I’m now ordering CDs from Amazon.com and waiting a week for the deliveries. It’s not as romantic as heading down to Criminal Records in Atlanta’s funky Little Five Points neighborhood. But it’ll do.

Why do I share this information? I think it’s interesting how drastically the way I’ve gotten recorded music has changed over my life. Maybe I’m now more aware of this because I read Ripped last year, Greg Kot’s book on the music industry over the past 15 years. But I wonder if there was also as much change in obtaining recorded music the generations before me. If only my grandparents kept a music blog. I guess I’m the one whose got to start it.

In no particular order except the order I was inspired to write about them, on to the albums:

Okkervil River – I am Very Far

I’m tempted to heap compliments on this band for putting out some of my favorite music in the past 10 years. However, this is the last album of theirs that I’ll turn to when I’m jonesing for my Okkervil fix. The album starts off rocky, with their two most un-Okkervil like songs starting things off, percussive and repetitive then new wavey. After “The Valley” and “Piratess” it starts to sounds like an Okkervil record should. Or at least what this fan expected. It could be that I need more time spent with I am Very Far, but the my turn-off at the opening tracks are an obstacle. I will say that all these songs translated seamlessly into their amazing live show.

Jessica Lee Mayfield – Tell Me

I like it. Sometimes I love it. Most of the time I like it. It’s simple, it’s got a few guitar licks, some piano riffs, and some moments where a pop shine is tried on. The constant is Mayfield’s voice. It’s the sound of a lonely vixen with perfect pitch singing haunting melodies. One of the guys from the Black Keys produced it and it results in some Keys-esque licks, breakdowns, and odd element thrown in here and there that never distracts to the songs. Almost like the opposite of I am Very Far, Tell Me is front-loaded. The first two songs are the best. I highly recommend at least throwing down two bones for “I’ll Be the One You Want Someday” and “Our Hearts Are All Wrong.” But really, if you like those two you’ll appreciate the nine others.

Drive-By Truckers - Go Go Boots

I think I Drive-By Truckered myself out this year. All of sudden they became my favorite band. I finally explored back past Brighter Than Creations Dark and fell in love with most of the back catalogue. The band promoted Go-Go Boots as their album of murder ballads. Boots fits right in with everything else they’ve put out, but like they warned, it’s more subdued. For me, they’ve become a band that can do no wrong. So I’ll nit pick. The slower songs do get a little long without the excitement of unleashed solo. Shoana’s songs seemed shoe horned in but always get better over time. And Cooley’s songs . . . I can’t bring myself to take down a Cooley song. There’s such innocence to his hard living hard truths country ditties I can’t resist. His first lines he sings on Go-Go are: “I’m not good with numbers / I just count on knowing when I’m high enough.” I’m not even sure I know what that means, but I like it. And it only gets better from there. Mostly, it’s good song followed by great song. And Patterson brings it like he always does, winning points by trying too hard. This is one of the few new albums of the year that get my who hearted recommendation.

That’s it for now. The plan is for the remaining 13 to get their description before June ends.

Some uneditied ramblings on the year in music I've listened to so far

2010-06-12T18:19:00.003-04:00

It's halfway through the year, a good time to take stock of my favorite albums of the year so far. Unfortunately, the list of albums I'd still like hear far out numbers what I've heard so far. So it'll be two lists. First, a few quick impressions of my favorites, then what I'd like to hear.

My two favorites of the year so far are Shame, Shame by Dr. Dog and The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth. Both feel like quick listens and are easy to enjoy to all the way through. Dr. Dog continue doing what I thought they perfected on their previous album, Fate, but apparently there was room for improvement. Having the two singers alternate each song is a nice touch. It keeps the sound fresh and almost gives it a mixtape feel. I perfer the snotty Ben Kweller-esque voice of Scott McMicken to the Beatles-era Paul McCartney scratchy yelping of Toby Leaman. And here comes the blasphemy part of this post: In my warped opinion Dr. Dog sound like the Beatles, but better and Tallest Man on Earth is like early Dylan but better. Not in terms of lyrics, but everywhere else. I'm glad I got that off my chest. Another one where I thought his (Tallest Man is just Kristian Matsson and a guitar) previous album, Shallow Grave was as good as it gets for frog throated (in a good way) singer songwriter. I was wrong, the new one is much catchier just sounds better. Both in terms of melodies and sound quality.

After that there are a handful of albums I enjoying skipping around the tracks, but not nearly as much as complete albums. There's Clem Snide's The Meat of Life, which packs a powerful punch without exactly rocking out. Lots of specifics about doomed relationships and the emotional toll shows.

Drive By Truckers' The Big To-Do is one that took a long time for me to get into. Their 2008 record, Brighter Than Creation's Dark is an all time favorite for me. Play that from track one on and you get the history of rock and roll, all genres, all tempos. It ebbs and it flows, it's got everything. The three signers compliment each other, all bringing their A game. The new one is mostly revels in that dirty classic rock sound and when bassist and sometimes singer Shonna Tucker pops up to lead a tune, it's not too long before I press skip. Last time around she provided some highlights and a perfect change of pace. So instead of going up and down and giving a full experience of what rock music can be, it's just one wallop to the head after another. Mostly. Now that I've given the album more of a chance I found some slower gems towards the end. But yeah, It's back to being Patterson Hood's show after feeling like there were three strong leads of last time around. And my appreciation for his songwriting grows with each listen. He takes rock and roll cliches of characters and doesn't necessarily flesh them out, but makes them real by plainly stating their motivations and stories with an attitude of sincerity and quick witted not given a fuck. Along with passionate classic rock riffs it a real person with a real story and a real insight by the end. Whether it's the alcohilic binging of "The Fourth Night of My Drinking," the blue collar shit on employee of "This Fucking Job," or the aging rock and roller hanging on a bit too long on "After The Scene Dies" the listener ends up with real affection for these good intentioned miscreants. And like I said earlier, it's rock and roll that wallops you over the head and gets you muddy, which can be very fun. Not many bands do that better that Drive By. I was just hoping they'd continue to excel in showing they had range beyond that.

One record that confused me was the new Band of Horses' Infinite Arms. I like a whole lot of songs on there but I think something went wrong with some of the production choices. I saw them live a few times performing some the new stuff and it got me very excited for this one. I'd like to give them a do over. Speed things up maybe. Make it rock more. Just do something different because I know these songs can sound less bland.

A feel good album I keep coming back to is Yukon Blonde's self titled debut. I'm a sucker for hippie influenced classic rock with lines like "I need rhythm, you need the groove, and I will make it to you." After a few months with this one in my listening rotation, I'm liking it a lot more than I did when I reviewed it. It goes better with summer weather.

Now it's time for list number 2: Albums I want. I'm just going to list the artist.
Titus Andronicus
The Hold Steady
The National
The New Pornographers
Broken Social Scene
The Besnard Lakes
Black Keys
Blitzen Trapper
Deer Tick
Delta Spirit
Gaslight Anthem

And two that I've gotten my hands on but I want to give another chance to after initially not making a strong impression: Josh Ritter and Morning Benders.

I can't believe I haven't even included the new Nas and Damian Marley and the new Reflection Eternal. I've really fallen off the hip-hop wagon this year.

SXSW 2010 Recap

2010-03-28T11:06:00.007-04:00

I'm caught up on sleep one week after South by Southwest ended and I finally have the energy to put together a list of the links from my dispatches for Flagpole. Mom and Dad, here you go:

1) My first blog post from SXSW includes impressions of the bands: Ivan & Alyosha, Yukon Blonde, FM Campers, Mariachi El Bronx, and Dillinger Escape Plan

2) My second blog post is a continuation of the first night. The final three bands I saw the first day were Nas and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, Everybody Was In The French Resistance, then Morning Bender.

3) The third update from SXSW begins when my second day began. Bands I judged here included Grey Market, Romantica, and MyNameIsJohnMichael.

4) The fourth post begins with Califone then goes into my review of a lackluster GZA show from a few hours later.

5) On the fifth post I start to lose track of time and post reviews of shows in the order that I feel like writing them. Bands include These United States, Peter Wolf Crier, San Saba, The Whigs, and Deer Tick.

6) And lastly, click this sentence to read the piece that ran in the actual printed publication. I tried to put the weekend experience into 300 words.

7) But wait! There's more! One blog post I never got around to finishing includes the other bands I saw over the weekend. Well, not all, but most. It's too late to put it on Flagpole.com now, but here it is below. Bands include Timbre Timber, Band of Horses, Jakob Dylan with Neko Case and Kelly Hogan, Dr. Dog, and a mini all star event including Billy Brag and Tom Morello. I'm leaving it unedited for your reading pleasure.

Church in Austin is Awesome
With noise blasting out of every nook and cranny, two nearby churches offered a respite from the chaos with reverential settings where music could be heard clearly and from the comfort of a pew.

Timbre Timber
Hypnotic magnetism through delicate plucking, a crying violin, and a pedal steal guitar almost put me to sleep. It wasn’t boring, it just begged the listener to close their eyes and visit the world they were creating on stage.

Recommendations
Buy the album? There’s just too much out there now for me to recommend a delicate atmospheric album.
See them live? Yes

Band of Horses
A great laid back rock and roll band playing cut selections from two previous albums and previewing more rollicking joints from the new one.

Buy the album? If you don’t have the first two, get them now. If your ambivalent about Band of Horses making a more straightforward rock follow up to the hypnotic first two, rest assured that the new direction is a good thing.
See them live? Yes. I’m not sure if the church setting actually added anything to their set. For me, I enjoyed them more when I saw these songs performed in a more typical music venue. They rock out in a relaxed way, but it’s still music for rocking out.

Jakob Dylan with Neko Case and Kelly Hogan
After some deliberation, this music critic is ready to endorse the ex-Wallflowers front man. The acoustics of the church helped his set of Americana ballads go down like a good wine. Dylan (‘s son) raspy voice has an worn down appeal that at times can be thin, but was given a full body by harmonizing with the powerful voice of Neko Case and her touring back up singer, Kelly Hogan.

Buy the album? It’s not cutting edge but it’s professionals giving a genre their best effort creating music that goes down like a fine wine.
See them live? Forget about your cred for an evening and have a go at this once chart topping son of an icon.

Speaking of Established Bands with Albums Coming Out This Spring

Dr. Dog

I Caught A Moment

Part of the fun of SXSW is the chance that you might see more well established musicians, even rock legends perform in smaller settings than otherwise possible. I finally caught one of these moments, with one music celebrity sighting after another. First, Billy Bragg took the stage for a solo set, then Wayne Kramer (from MC5) did a set followed by Chris Shiflett, guitarist from the Foo Fighters. Then they all did some songs together. It was all very low key, a nice touch for a past midnight show on the second to last night of the conference/festival. Then Mike Mills of REM took the stage for a rocking rendition of Neil Young’s “Ohio,” including a very exciting “four dead in Ohio!” moment towards the end of the song. Then things turned into a stirring rock and roll show with electric guitar solos with aggressive tude. A new band call Street Sweepers Social Club with Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Boots Riley from The Coup. I mostly know Boots from the tour he did with Galactic way back when, so I wasn’t too surprised to hear him emceeing to non-hip-hop beats. This was exciting stadium ready rock. After going to the myspace pager after the show, it strikes me as the big aggressive rock music that is contagious live, but I just don’t have enough of the “big aggressive rocker” in my personality to get much out of the album.

Read more about the first part of the set here: http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2010/03/billy_bragg_pla.html

Hear Street Sweepers Social Club here: http://www.myspace.com/streetsweepersocialclub

I Recommend: The New Clem Snide and LaLa.com

2010-03-14T17:38:00.004-04:00

"Punched in the heart, in the throat, in the kneecaps too," begins Clem Snide's new album, The Meat of Life. There's no musical build up, the album jumps right out the barrel with this unabashed nasal powered declaration from singer songwriter Eef Barzelay.

Pleasant music with a sad sack singer is a recipe for success, at least for my tastes. And this album does that job perfectly. A little less depressing than The Mountain Goats breakup album "Get Lonley," it does the job I was talking about in my last post. That is, it works as background pleasantness as well as something to sink your teeth into.

I recently got this album for free on lala.com, a site that Pitchfork and AV Club started using to give you a taste of the music you're reading about (click on links to read about and listen to The Meat of Life from the respective websites). I'm not really sure how the whole thing works so far. I think it allows you to listen to a song once for free, then you've got to log in and you've got 5o or so credits, with each one good for a song. Once you get the song you can listen to it on your computer but it's still not an mp3 you can put on your ipod. For that, it looks like each song is 79 cents, or 20 cents cheaper than i-tunes. I've got to explore this thing a bit more, but it may replace i-tunes as my mp3 purchasing go to site.

Maybe I'll learn more about it at SXSW, which I'll be attending next week and reporting on for Flagpole. I'm very excited.

Wait, hold on, I just looked at lala.com's wikepedia page and it looks like it's owned by Apple. This new discovery just became a lot less romantic. But it's still cheaper than i-tunes, so why wouldn't I use it. Apple actually bought lala.com last year for over 80 Million dollars. With that kind of money you could pay full price for the whole CD package.

My Opinion On Opinions

2010-03-10T22:48:00.005-05:00

I reviewed the new Dessa CD I was talking about a few blog posts ago. Pretty early on I call it "great." And I definitely felt that way at the time. However, I haven't listened to it since I handed the review in a few weeks ago. Well, I scanned through it once to see if I really liked it that much and decided I didn't feel like listening to it at the time. I credited that humbling experience to not feeling like listening to any hip hop at the time.

Looking back, it was a fun CD to review. There was a lot going on. The CD works best as the center of one's attention. When called on to perform background duty it can get distracting. A great album has to work on both levels.

This is why I hate having to cement my opinion in a published piece. I like to waffle back and forth and explore why I like it and why I don't like it. I used to run my reviews by Kyle, my old roommate before I handed the in and he usually said the same thing: I can't tell if you like it or not. Now my girlfriend tells me the same thing. Both tell me they like the reviews better when there's an obvious opinion. This makes complete sense.

I also like it better when I'm reading or listening something with a strong opinion. After all, I'm a pretty staunch liberal but I find myself listening to conservative talk radio more than I'd like to admit. I like it because it's interesting to hear a strong opinion. And the more it sounds like a conspiracy theory the more entertaining it is.

So why I don't I write like I like to read, with strong controversial opinions? I'll think about that one.

Jumping Into Okkervil River

2010-03-04T21:08:00.004-05:00

I was looking for a comfy soundtrack to a lazy Sunday morning last weekend and ended up listening to an Okkervil River concert from npr's All Songs Considered. I added one of the "related stories" to play after the concert.

And I got hooked. A variety of NPR shows have done stories on the band. I ended up listening to them all. Each one basically rehashes the same story with about one or two new nuggets a piece. Good stuff for a slow learner. I had no idea how interesting the band was.

The band's name comes from a short story where the main character falls in love with this singer through her recordings. He finds out she lives nearby, by Okkervil River, so he goes to find her but is disgusted by her. That separation, the one between song and singer, or action and the actor, is a theme that seems to be visited in every one of their songs. Fascinating stuff, bordering on brilliant.

I also realized how little I pay attention to lyrics. I thought you could classify me as an appreciator of lyrics, but after hearing stuff I totally missed from songs I've heard over and over I had to rethink this belief. I can really get into a specific verse, chorus, or even a clever couplet, but concept songs can pass me by. It's hard to pay attention to a story while all that music is going on. My mind drifts. This is not a bad thing. I am now listening to songs I liked before but now on a new level. For example, I listen to "War Criminal Speaks" from Down The River of Golden Dreams and "Savannah Smiles" from The Stage Names with new ears.

As a fun exercise, I recommend searching for a band whose gotten the same npr treatment (or just do the Okkervil thing) and put all the stories on a playlist. The stories are usually short and maybe you'll find a live session or two. I wonder how many bands have this many features on npr's site. Maybe I'll try Drive By Truckers next.

If only the kid me knew I'd be leaning on npr to get my music entertainment. NPR?!? Yes, the station I used to claim made me car sick when my mom would listen to it in the car. The days of B97 are over. It's a crazy world. The Saints are Super Bowl Champs.

The Week in Rabin: Two good reads

2010-02-21T11:07:00.003-05:00

I'm recovering from my recent bout of Who Dat fever. Time to get back to the real world. That is, until all the officially licensed stuff I purchased comes in. I might be a sucker. But the Saints are Super Bowl Champs, and for whatever reason, that makes me feel great. OK, enough, back to other stuff:

Nathan Rabin from the AV Club was on a role this week. First, he started a feautre where he'll be taking a critical ear to the Now, That's What I Call Music series. Great stuff here. The time capsule randomness of Aqua-Radiohead-Everclear back to back to back tracking is something that needs to be explored. Come on Barbie, let's go party (ah ah ahhh).

Second, he reviewed two tell all autobiographies of hip hop vixens who slept with Nas. Well, one wasn't really a vixen. I'm a sucker for hip-hop beefs, and Nas vs. Jay Z and The Source vs. XXL were some of my favorites.

Maybe it's time I actually pick up his own memoir published last year.

Saints, Zion-I, and cleaning out the closet

2010-02-10T08:45:00.004-05:00

Saints

The Saints won the Super Bowl. The Saints won the Super Bowl! The SAINTS WON THE SUPER BOWL!!!! I've been waiting a long time to see that Sports Illustrated ad for the commemorative hard bound super bowl champs issue. I finally saw it last night. While watching the parade. If you missed it, the parade was a beautiful event. I miss New Orleans. I'll be back.

Links
I wrote a show preview for Zion-I. This rap duo plays Athens next Tuesday night.

Speaking of my reviews for Flagpole, there's a bunch of reviews I wrote that I never linked to on here. Here they are:

The Mountain Goats
Art Brut
The Avett Brothers
Monsters of Folk
The RZA

And two others that I never linked to here:
Manchester Orchestra
Conor Oberst

Good, I've been meaning to get around to that.

More Saints and Spoon

2010-02-01T20:55:00.004-05:00

Media

"No matter the outcome in Miami, no one will ever look at this town, this team, or this building the same way again." Agree, Disagree? I'm still figuring this one out. I'm trying to be realistic about this. Still, I'm fired up either way. Five more days until a Black and Gold Super Bowl. Who Dat!

Links
Two interesting reviews for the new Spoon album, Transference: One from Pitchfork, the other from DC's City Paper.

The City Paper destroyed it in a well informed kind of way. Pitchfork liked it a whole lot but didn't love it. Me, I just picked it up yesterday and it's been on repeat all night after a few listens yesterday. I guess this means I fall in the 'like it, maybe love it' camp. I think it's a little more friendly than the last two albums. That is, it may not contain the hits that the last two had, but as a whole it's less challenging. It's still stripped down, emphasis on repetitive beats, halting at times, and has a scratchy voiced swagger. I think some are translating this as Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga or Gimme Fiction Lite. I'm translating this as more of the stuff that works with a few tweaks here and there. Sometimes a good groove is all you need and this album provides a good helping.

Thought
In the Liner notes of Transference, in all caps, it reads: "BUYING RECORDS IN RECORD STORES IS COOL." I wish they would have put that on the outside. I buy about two albums at Target a year. This happened to be one. Oops.

Dessa, Live vs. Recorded Music, and The Saints in The Onion

2010-01-31T14:59:00.004-05:00

Instead of "Pictures, Links, and a Thought", I'm switching "Picture" to "Media." The media section could be a picture, a video (like last week), or something an audio presentation (like this week).

Media
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://dessa.bandcamp.com/album/dixons-girl"&amp;amp;gt;Dixon's Girl by Dessa&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

I first heard this artist on P.O.S.'s "Low Life," one of the last songs from last year's earth shattering "Never Better" album. Well, earth shattering might be overstating it, but her verse on that second to last song on the album was one of the reasons it had such an impact on me. Original stuff, combo of Regina Spektor and Jean Grae.

Thought
Live music vs. recorded music. I consider myself a big music fan, but the truth is I'm not going to see live shows every week. It's the recorded music that makes me consider myself "a big music fan." Now, not much compares to a great live show, but that's just every once in a while. the recorded stuff is more of a constant thing. For example, this morning, I'm not sure how I would have eased into the day without Wilco's Sky Blue Sky as a soundtrack. It was just as important as the coffee and newspaper.

My thought for this post is this: While live music, at it's best, is transcendent entertainment, a great album can become integral in getting through the day.

Link
More super bowl stuff. This one's funny.

WHO DAT!!!

Why Do I Feel Like The Tallest Man on Earth? The Saints!

2010-01-25T20:36:00.008-05:00

Link
Via Pitchforkmedia.com, a new song from The Tallest Man on Earth, one of my favorite new artists. Sounds like he's sticking with the formula that made his last album irresistible once you got used to his voice: One man singing as loud as he can to accompany his powerful folk strumming.

Thought
The Saints really got away with one last night. They didn't really play well, they just hit hard and took advantage of opportunities. The Vikings played better and could have easily won. Some call it destiny. I don't believe in such things.

The Saints won because then capitalized on the turnovers. The Saints won because when the refs gave some generous calls in OT, the pass interference that wasn't and the first down on the fourth down dive that wasn't, they did just enough to set up another opportunity.

Some teams get the calls and still lose. The Saints are not one of those teams.

It's a marathon not a sprint. Another apropos cliche: luck is when preparation meets opportunity. Over the past 18 games the Saints played enough amazing football to put themselves in position to play a mediocre game with just enough breaks and . . get . . . to . . . the . . . SUPER BOWL!!!!

I've been avoiding saying that word for about three months. It feels good. I love being a sports fan because I feel like I accomplished something simply by sitting on my butt for four hours every Fall and Winter Sunday since I was 10. The Saints were the team that was bestowed upon me. And when they played like diddly poo, I felt like diddly poo. Now, as always, I Believe.

VIDEOS
Instead of a picture, here's a series of videos to show how far we've (yes WE) come. WHO DATS IN THE SUPER BOWL!!! Never thought I'd see the day.

That's my brother's favorite Saints song. This is mine:

Saints in the Super Bowl, anything from now on is Lagniappe. I'm gonna enjoy these next two weeks.

One last look back at last decade and optimism for the future (at least for football and laid back folk rock)

2010-01-23T11:45:00.006-05:00

PictureTime to get fired UP!!! WHO DAT!! 29 hours till kick off!!! I can't stop using exclamation points!!

Thought
I've put a lot of thought into my favorite music of last decade without putting any of it into writing. Now it's time to put it on the record. Here are 3 bands that put out a portion of the best music of last decade. Minimum: three memorable top notch albums.

My favorite: TV On The Radio: 3 albums, an EP, and never let me down live. Not a whole lot of output for 10 years, but it was the most original sound while still hitting the notes in my rock and roll wheelhouse. A band that began and may have broken up all in the Naughts. There's a lot going on in their songs and the elements come together to make the most interesting, noisy, disjointed, gentle at the right times, and kick ass rock of the past ten years.

Highest Peaks and Lowest Lows: Ryan Adams. Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights, and 29 all came out in '05 and all have some of my favorite songs of the decade. That was the peak. The climb to the top began with Heartbreaker. Pretty amazing discography, huh? And that's just the highlights After 2005s ridiculousness, it was a slow fall. Easy Tiger was alright, Cardinology was embarrassing.

Consistent Killer: Okkervil River is another band of the decade for me. They became one of my most listened to bands of the past few years and pretty much all their stuff is from the past decade.

Off the top of my head, those are three bands/artists that come to mind when i think of what stood out 2000 - 2009. It's still January so I've got a few days left where these lists are still relevant.

Link
http://www.myspace.com/vetiverse

I saw Vetiver last week based on a good few song experience with them at SXSW last year (I wish I could link back to that article, but haveyouheard.net is now dead and gone). They were as good as I remembered. If all goes to plan, I'm going to get their album from last year this weekend. In honor of them, this posting's link is to their myspace page. I recommend the song "Everday." Sometimes feel good folksy rock is all I need.

Top Ten of 2009: Manchester Orchestra wins!

2010-01-13T18:34:00.004-05:00

It's been a long long time since last posting. But I'm starting again. The main reason is to hone my writing/internet posting chops in preparation for SXSW, which I'll be covering for Flagpole. I thrive with structure and simplicity, so I'll keep this blog that way. Each post will have 1 thought, 1 link, 1 picture. Not necessarily in that order.

Structure and simplicity, now that's rock and roll.

Picture

Like most cool pictures I find, this one's from NatGeo. It's in the most recent issue with other amazing pictures in an article about clown fish. I highly recommend the latest issue, especially the article on animal smuggling. That's an extra link.

Link
I'm listening to the new Spoon album right now courtesy of NPR's "Exclusive First Listen"music site. I'm really enjoying it.

Thought
Better late than never: Here's my top 10 albums of 2010 as I sent them to my editor at Flagpole last December. It's actually cut and pasted directly from that email. The only thing I'd consider changing is swapping the new Built to Spill in for Son Volt.

1) Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything to Nothing

I'm surprised how much I fell for this album. One of those albums that I have to listen to all the way through. I'm also surprised this album didn't make a bigger splash and win over new fans. Maybe it'll take time. And yes, it sounds like what I listened to in high school. But better.

2) P.O.S. – Never Better

The most exciting new voice in music now. Relevant and challenging. A lot of the music on this list is throw back, this is the new sound that caught my ear this year.

3) Dinosaur Jr. – Farm

This is the album the air guitar was made for.

4) Avett Brothers – I and Love and You

I think I underrated it after my first month of listens. Now when I listen to it I realize how much I took for granted. Most bands don't play to their strengths so easily.

5) Tallest Man on Earth – Shallow Grave

Simple formula: unique voice, folksy strumming. Done so well that it became one of my most listened to albums of the year. You can ask Shana, she went through three phases: "ugghh I can't stand his voice", then "this is actually really good," then "enough already."

6) Patterson Hood – Murdering Oscar and Other Love Songs

This is the music I like. And it's not done much better than this. Nothin' new, but when classic rock is dusted off like this and driven home with gut wrenching guitar solos and lyrics it's gonna be a favorite of mine.

7) The Black Crowes – Before the Frost . . . Until the Freeze

Another throw back to 70s Americana. The CD that came out was "Before the Frost . . ." and it came with a free download, ". . . Until the Freeze." And while each one by itself wouldn't make my top ten, take 5 or 6 songs off of each one, and that's why it stays in my car at all times. Rock fans aren't appreciating Chris Robinson's voice enough these days. It's tailor made for southern rock and soul. Matched with the right song, it stands up with the best of the what the Allmans or Greatful Dead put out. The Crowes put out about 10 of those songs this year. And I ate em all up.

8) Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk

Three of my favorite lead singers made an album with Mike Mogis. It showcases what I like about all the contributors and took my appreciation for Jim James to another level.

9) Son Volt – American Central Dust

Even more than a throwback, this one's timeless. Farrar gets laughed off by too many cause they think he's been putting out the same album for over 10 years now. And I thought the same thing at first listen. But I couldn't stop listening. It's a collection of timeless tunes celebrating blue collar America. Sounds corny, but it's rarely done this confidently and genuine.

10) Jay Z – The Blueprint 3

The only album on my top ten where I consistently skip tracks. But the ones that I don't skip are that good. Jay Z dominated the summer and made commercial radio listenable. When the song "Empire State of Mind" started bleeding out of every other car towards the end of the summer/beginning of fall I couldn't get enough of it. If we're talking about decade retrospectives, I gotta say Jay Z needs to be considered for artist of the decade. He stayed relevant from beginning to end, something harder for rappers to do than artists in other genres. And he's still putting out some of his best music.

Would You Rather: Live in the present world, or a wolrld without slavery but also no chairs?

2009-04-24T01:18:00.008-04:00

Yesterday I stumbled upon a National Geographic from January 1998. The cover article was about making sense of the closing millennium. Remember how cool it was to think, "in two years it's gonna be the year 2000, man!" The article was so intriguing that I swiped it from the waiting room. One of the sentences from the following excerpt about what human culture was like 1,000 years ago stayed with me for the rest of the day. See if you can guess which:

"Circa AD 1000: While far from creating a world culture, trade increasingly moves ideas. Scandinavians carry notions of a popular assembly to present-day Russia. It does not last. The chair becomes commonplace in China. Bean cultivation spreads in North America. The slave trade flourishes; Slavs and Africans are major sources. Ten percent of England's people are slaves, mostly from Europe. Economic hardship prompts many families to sell children"

The accompanying article in the "Human Culture" section of this "Making Sense of The Millennium" article is about modern day child slavery. But it was the sentence about the chair that I kept thinking about as the day went on. I hope that don't sound heartless. It's just never occurred to me how much I take chairs for granted. For all our luxuries, the chair is the one I can't live without. And to think, it's only one thousand years old. How far we've advanced.

But then I was listening to Coast to Coast (Yes, I'm a cool guy. Thanks for noticing.) later that night, and had to reconsider this view that we're living in an extraordinarily advanced culture. George Norry's guest was talking about how primitive our civilization is because we're not part of an inter-galactic government, a la Star Wars. There were also lots of Carl Sagen and Star Trek references in this discussion. So, which is it? Are we incredibly advanced, incredibly primitive?

The point is, the chair thing really put things in perspective for me. I'm damn glad I live in a time where chairs are available. But then there's also children being sold into slavery. How do I wrap my head around it all?

Well, one thing I do is listen to music.

I posted this review on HaveYouHeard.net last week. The band is Part Bear, the album is Par Bear. I gave it a favorable review and did enjoy listening to it, but I haven't listened to it since finishing up the review. So do I really like it? Only time will tell.

Did you know Limp Bizket is reuniting? For a band that I can't listen to, I've always appreciated Limp Bizkit. I was a camp counselor for 12 year old boys at the height of their popularity. The way the cool/nice kids who weren't popular held on to bands, specifically Korn, Blink 182, and Limp Bizket, astounded me. These were important bands to kids who were going through their coming of age years. This music spoke to them when they most needed someone to speak to them and them and say: you're not alone. Sure, the message may have been, "I also like the break stuff and pretend I'm a hip-hop/rock star," but it was a connection nonetheless. Slate.com posted an article in defense of Limp Bizkit in anticipation for what may be their second act.

Paul Shirley, the ex-NBA 12th man, wrote a similar defense of Nickleback last week.

Here's a video that was put up on HaveYouHeard.net this week. It's from the Hold Steady's keyboard player. I listened to the whole album earlier this week. My response after one listen: I happy with having the single on line, no need to listen to the whole thing again.

Ready to have your mind blown? Here's the caption from the picture at the start of this post, from the same Nat Geo:

"In pre-Columbian times, Native Americans etched the Mojave Desert with images of their creator, Mastamho, and his spirit helper, a mountain lion. Tire tracks from recreational vehicles add the scrawls of modernity."

A New Take On Race and Rock and Roll from SFJ's Archives, DOOM, Phish, and P.O.S.

2009-04-10T12:59:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've updated this blog, so here are a few links, with one of my own hidden in there. Oh, and that picture? Just two bears kickin' it in Russia. I snagged it from Nat Geo's website.

I was actually inspired to post something today after randomly coming across this year-and-a-half old Sasha Frere-Jones New Yorker article about race and 20th century music. It starts with an observation at an Arcade Fire show. It's not the article you might expect. It zigs when you expect it to zag. There's plenty to take umbrage with, but this man knows his music history. It's a unique point of view. For example, he doesn't chastise Elvis for stealing black music, but praises him for not discriminating when selecting his influences. It's also the first SFJ article I've read where he gets personal and talks about his experience in a band. I highly recommend spending 15 minutes or so to read up on this link. If you like reading about music, this is perfect.

I ended up at that article after a google expedition set off by an email from my editor at Flagpole asking if I wanted to review a book titled The Real Hiphop. I said yes.

I bought the new MF DOOM CD last week after reading this headline. So far, I'm not as impressed. But I'm not ready to give up yet.

Someone over at some obscure website reviewed the bootleg from Phish's first show back. Although it may have been an April Fools joke.

It's been hip-hop heavy lately since I decided to check out that MF DOOM CD. Next week my review of RZA's latest production should be in Flagpole and I'm soaking in a new one from a new to me rapper/producer named P.O.S. It's one of the more engaging albums I've heard in a long time. Here's a link to his cover of Pearl Jam's "Why Go." Or just watch it below:

South By Southwest (SXSW) Extraveganza!

2009-03-24T21:49:00.001-04:00

Last week I spent five days in Austin, TX for SXSW. On day four I met Craig Finn and Tad Kubler from The Hold Steady. That's the photo above. Unfortunately, I only got to hear The Hold Steady speak and didn't make it out to one of their shows.

Bands I did see: Okkervil River, Manchester Orchestra, M. Ward, The Avett Brothers, The Decemberists, The Uglysuit, Blitzen Trapper, Lonnie Walker, Jessica Lee Mayfield, Tori Amos, Vetiver, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Gringo Star, Explosions In The Sky, Heartless Bastards, The Bridges, Eleisha Eagle, CLP, and Ben Harper

I wrote about my daily experience for HaveYouHeard.net. I also stopped by Big Ralph Studios for a podcast yesterday.

No other links. Recuperation time.

Phish, Illinoize, Ryan Adams, Ishues, SXSW, and, of course, Newspapers

2009-03-16T12:52:00.000-04:00

They did it. Phish finally got back together. You can download their three Hampton concerts from their website, which, unfortunately, are no longer free. I've been listening to the first show for about a week now. Solid stuff.

If you're more into hip-hop and indie rock, then this should make your head explode. I found it on Paste magazine's website. It's remixed version of Sufjan Steven's Illinoise, appropriately titled, Illinoize.

I wrote a review of a recent Ryan Adams concert for Creative Loafing's Crib Notes. Stay tuned to see if I respond to commenter Elizabeth. The review is a follow up to my article on his October concert. You can link to that article in the begining of this review.

I also wrote a story about Athens rapper, Ishues, who went to Zimbabwe earlier this year. This is my favorite thing I've written in this short career.

I'm heading to South By Southwest (SXSW) in two days. I'm not sure what to expect, but am excited to hear music in Austin, TX for four straight days. I know who I'd like to hear, but who knows what I'll make it to. And although I have no expectations, I will be elated if I finally get to see the Avett Brothers and a reunited Reflection Eternal.

I'm prepping for the festival/convention with a heavy dose of All Songs Considered. I recommend the latest podcast as well as the streaming Austin 100. It looks like you won't find better coverage anywhere else.

Nonetheless, stay tuned for blog postings on HaveYouHeard.net as well as an appearance on the next live cast. I'll be calling them later today to work out the details.

Finally, if you've been following this blog, you know I've kept a keen eye on the the fate of newspapers. Last week, David Carr of the New York Times wrote a call to arms and lists step by step what the papers need to do to survive. Step 1: No More Free Content. As of today, March 16, 2009, you can read this article for free.

What Mardi Gras Isn't, Crocs, Moon Landing, Blitzen Trapper, New AV Club Feature, God, and Ryan Adams

2009-03-08T13:51:00.000-04:00

1) A follow up to two posts ago: I ended up driving back home for Mardi Gras and had a great time. I forgot that it's my favorite holiday. It's reputation is nothing like the reality. I find that when people ask me how it was, I need to explain that it wasn't a Girls Gone Wild video.

2) Another follow up: the picture above is something of a follow up to the horse fetus photo from last month. Both are from National Geographic and remind me of the bizarreness of conception, and life in general. Here's the caption from the mag:

"Thailand - In a race to emerge at the Sriracha Tiger Zoo, one eight-Siamese crocodile wins by a head. Few such crocs exist in the wild, yet 20,000 are born each year during the zoo's May-to-August hatching festival."

You can find more photos like that here.

3) I had two articles published last week. One on an album by a band called We Landed On The Moon! The other was a feature on Blitzen Trapper, possibly my new favorite band. Not that it was an easy interview. Hopefully I keep writing stories like this, cause I think I could get better.

4) Another great feature on the AV Club. The last one I fell in love with was Popless, where the writer, Noel Murray, decided not to listen to new music for a year and instead revisit his lifetime collection in alphabetical order. In this one, a hip-hop loving writer, Nathan Rabin, decides to dive into the world of Country music and see what all the fuss is about. I love a few things about this initial essay on the ordeal, especially this paragraph were we find out an intense tidbit of personal information about the author which leads to a greater truth about the appeal of hip-hop:

"It was a natural fit. Hip-hop was the music that spoke most directly to me. It was the music I’d run home to listen to on Yo! MTV Raps and The Box after a long day of playing hooky. It was the music we gravitated toward in the group home where I grew up, the culture that spoke angrily and provocatively toward our collective anxieties, fantasies, and desires. It was the soundtrack of my tortured adolescence and marginally less tortured adulthood."

5) Lastly, a link to an article from Slate, "Good Book: What I learned from reading the bible." I'm tempted to cut and paste his second to last paragraph here because it come very close to summing up my own view on religion. Instead, I'll leave it as a link and highly recomend the reader follow up on it. I'll also print it out for my father. I think this is what he was trying to teach me during all those Friday night Shabbat discussions.

6) One more thing: I'm going to an accoustic Ryan Adams show tonight. I'm cautiously excited for this, as I am for most things in life, becuase last time I saw him he walked off stage 30 minutes in and I thought his last album was a complete dud.

Thoughts and Links On: Newspapers on the Internet, the Future of Radio, Late Night TV, Israel, Bono, and Wilco.

2009-02-28T18:37:00.001-05:00

A follow up to last weeks observation that all my links were to content you would have to pay for if you were not using the internet. Slate examines exactly what information people are willing to pay for online. The answer: Porn and Consumer Reports.

Also from Slate, a proposed business strategy for Sirius XM to embrace the internet, specifically podcasting. The article explains that the most convenient and satisfying ways to listen to music and talk shows is no longer radio. It started with Napster and the ipod, and now applications for the iphone are taking it to the next level. The piece also includes the nice tidbit that the man who first started Sirius (Martin Rothblatt) is now a woman (Martine).

Speaking of changes, for some reason I'm fascinated by the upcoming changes in late night talk shows even though I rarely watch them. This article from the New York Times explains why late night network TV is so resistant to change. This article anticipates Jimmy Falon's takeover of Late Night starting this Monday. I especially liked the part where he recognizes that every Will Ferral fan hates him because he was giggling the whole way through his "Best of SNL" DVD.

Also, and I forget which article this was in, but it's funny that on his last show, Conan gave a heartfelt monologue about what a huge comedic inspiration Letterman was, and then simply thanked Leno for being a nice guy. Here's a Rolling Stone interview with Dave Letterman from earlier this year (and one from 1993, and one from 1985). Good insight into a man who seems completely comfortable with being number 2. Who knew somenone who has nice things to say about everyone could be so interesting. And while we're here, here's Jimmy Kimmel's New York Times magazine feature from right before he started his show. He completely dismisses Jay Leno.

Moving on to the Middle East, an article a friend from Israel sent me this week that sums up my frustration on getting the straight story and forming what I want to be an objective opinion on the subject. It's another New York Times link that's online for free. If you wanted to read the print version, the Sunday Times would cost you $5. So are you a sucker if you buy the print version. Seems like it. But you're also contributing to killing off writers getting paid for pieces like this. And by "you", I mean "me."

Links about music:

Another free article from the Times, this one about U2 and thier new album out next week, No Line On The Horizon. I always find Bono fasinating. Here's a glimpse:

Bono added: “I feel as an artist that my job is to try and understand the forces that are shaping the world that our songs occupy. And maybe, if you get a chance, try to shape it."

What? You think he's arrogant? Or is just willing to talk about himself as an artist and not just a dude, which would come off a much cooler, but possibly less honest.

And finally, I learned on Pitchforkmedia.com that Wilco has a new album coming in June. This news item has a very funny response to the Rolling Stone reaction after hearing a few songs.

To Go, Or Not To Go

2009-02-20T06:48:00.000-05:00

To Mardi Gras, that is. Today I decide if a last minute drive to New Orleans is in my future. Here in Atlanta, my brother is having a child. But the question is: how much can an uncle really do? At the hospital this afternoon, I'll ask Ben if he needs my help this weekend. If he says no, besides two 7 hour drives, nothing is holding me back. If I go, I get to go to my favorite concert of the year, every year: The Wild Magnolia Indians at Le Bon Ton after Toth.

Here's a small link explaining these wild dudes.

On to more links that kept me interested this week:

Michael Lewis wrote his "Moneyball" for Basketball article for the New York Times Magazine last Sunday. It's caused quite a stir on the sports blogasphere. I first linked to it from The Big Lead. Then Deadspin wrote a defense of it. I didn't even know it was under attack. And my favorite podcast, Bill Simmons' The BS Repor t discussed it (it's the one where he interviews John Hollinger). Basically, the idea behind the article is that Basketball stats are useless in evaluating a players value to the team. Well, not completely useless, but you get the idea. And Michael Lewis is always a joy to read.

Did you know he went to my high school? Yes, his name is also Michael and he also went to Newman. But he went on write for the New York Times and marry MTV News harlot Tabitha Soren. Living the dream.

Another writer, and friend this time (at least on facebook), who went to Newman and writes for a national publication is Adam Kushner. He's rising in the ranks over at Newsweek and this week published an interesting interview with Mustafa Barghouthi. Who is Barghouthis? As the preamble for the interview says, he 's a "Palestinian cardiologist-cum-reformist legislator, would be a lonely man, having abandoned both Fatah and Hamas to form his own party." Lots of insight into the state of cardiology in the middle east here. Kidding, of course. This guy is is supposedly the only Palestinians talking with both Fatah and Hamas. The article sheds some light into what this possibly level headed Palestinian insider forecasts for the future. Surprise, it's gonna be rough.

But the most interesting link of the week is from The Atlantic magazine. First, I heard of Ta-Mehisi Coates when Terry Gross interviewed him on Fresh Air this week. Intrigued, I followed the link to read his article about Michelle Obama. Intrigued even more, I clicked play on the video I posted below. It's his father grilling him about the first line in the article: "The First Time I saw Michelle Obama in the flesh, I almost took her for white."

Isn't it interesting how the three above articles appear in publication that, supposedly, you have to pay for, but here they are for free. And you wonder why print Journalism is dying. It's because of people like us! Here's an article from The Huffington Post about it. And to make things full circle, it links to an article by Michael Lewis as well an article by another Newman alum, Walter Isaacson.

Interestingly enough, this 'death of newspaper' thing effected me personally this week. My article about Georgia rapper, Ishues, didn't get published in Flagpole this week because they cut the newspaper down 4 pages cause of lack of ads. Maybe it'll run next week. If not, my Blitzen Trapper article will run for sure. I feel like I'm in high school again, telling my parents that this week I'll actually get some playing time in the JV football game. Hopefully we don't get the same outcome.

Lil Wayne, Beastie Boys, Pearl Jam, 25 Random Things, Big Love, And That Picture

2009-02-13T13:47:00.000-05:00

I'll start with music and end with Lincoln. I'll explain that picture somewhere in the middle.

So, the Grammy's were earlier this month and I didn't watch. I usually try and catch at least a few minutes, but for whatever reason I wasn't interested this year. It's not the awards that intrigued me in years past, but I imagine it's a big deal for the bands performing and they see it as some sort of career high. So I like to see what they do. Except this year. I didn't even record it.

I did enjoy this Grammy related video I found on Pitchforkmedia.com. It's snippets from Katie Couric's interview with Lil' Wayne. Classic and surreal. I love it.

Speaking of pitchfork, they put up a well written review/retrospective of the Beastie Boy's Paul's Boutique today. It's in honor of the album's 20th anniversary edition. A perfect 10 out of 10. What other album's has pitchfork done this for?

That picture at the top of this post? A horse fetus. Could you tell? I'm not sure why I'm using this forum to throw up this picture. It's just something that stuck with me since I saw it earlier this week. It's a picture that reminded me of the bizarreness of conception. Pictures like that keep me subscribing to National Geographic.

More randomness: In the past few weeks I've found myself referring to this article about the scene at Lincoln's death bed in a handful of conversations. It's really about the connection between language and history and everything else I find interesting. It's from an issue of the New Yorker from two years ago. It's articles like that keep me subscribing to the New Yorker.

Speaking of magazines I subscribe to, I got the new Rolling Stone today and the big news is that Pearl Jam is back in the studio readying for a Fall release. Think PJ's best days are behind them? Then check out this article from the archive. Cameron Crowe spent time with the band while they were recording Vs. and documented this tumultuous but creatively rewarding time.

Here's a more topical link: Have you been getting that 25 random things about me note on facebook? Here's an explanation and exploration behind the whole thing.

Lastly, if you love the HBO show Big Love as much as I do, I highly recommend following this feature from the AV Club. Amelie Gillette (of Hater fame) is writing about each episode. It reads like a snarky book discussion guide.

And those are a few of my favorite things, from February 2009.

Looking to the future: the second half of February is going to be big month for my Flagpole features. Get ready to read about Ishues and Blitzen Trapper.

Animal Collective, A.C. Newman, and Modern Skirts: I Review 'Em All!

2009-01-28T11:19:00.000-05:00

I was invited to participate in this week's HaveYouHeard podcast. We went over music news and then reviewed the new albums from A.C. Newman and Animal Collective. Bradley asked me a simple question on each on album: would you buy it? I replied: how much? Conclusion: I would buy Animal Collective for under $10 and would be willing to spend over $10 for A.C. Newman. Want more details? Check out the podcast. I'm battling the urge to mention that I was fighting a bad cold during the recording session. Not that's it's an excuse, but the podcast was the only thing I did over the weekend besides sleep, take Niquil, and listen to those two records while trying to articulate an opinion. Don't know if this improved my voice or made me sound like a nerd.

I mentioned this in the podcast, so here's the avclub post about David Berman shutting down the Silver Jews and coming clean about his dad. I recommend hitting all the links and videos along the way here. It'll be a very informational, interesting, and entertaining few minutes of your time. And really, that's all you can ask for.

I also wrote a review of the new Modern Skirts album for Flagpole. This is actually the quickest I've ever written a review. I feel like I'm full of excuses today, but really, I'm proud of both efforts and will stand behind them. But I do want to complain about the mail in my neighborhood: My editor sent me the CD two weeks ago and I still haven't received it! So she sent me a digital copy on Wednesday and I sent her my final draft around noon the next day. I think a lot of people will be reading this because it's an Athens paper and this is "the" Athens band of the moment. That makes me excited.

On to some links:

Animal Collective, M. Ward, and Bruce Springsteen are all letting their albums be streamed for free on All Songs Considered website. Not sure when they're gonna take them down, but might as well enjoy it while you can.

Sasha Frere-Jones wrote a great piece about Bon Iver in the New Yorker a few issues ago. My brother Louis went to the second concert mentioned in the piece. I asked Louis if he agreed with Jones' account. He never replied.

UPDATE: Louis did respond. Here's our e-mail chain. If Louis asks me to take it down I will:

The venue wasn't that big. Mr. Jones describes the space as an August Space which means (i looked it up) a grand (marked by dignity) space. I thought it was a great setting, a beautiful old school classy small venue in the heart of the city . I do think that your suggestion that the critic liked it better the first time because it was his first time may be true.
I didn't read your post but I will

--- On Wed, 1/28/09, Michael Gerber wrote:
From: Michael Gerber
Subject: RE: Bon Iver
To: louis gerber
Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2009, 12:46 PM

Did you reply b/c of my latest blog entry? It sounded like Sasha thought the show was missing something until the very end, which was so magical it made up for it. Maybe he had a different experience than you because he saw them at that other venue first and that blew him away. Itʼs like every Wilco show I see isnʼt going to live up to the one we saw at State Palace, so I might not like a show as much as someone seeing them for the first time. Itʼs hard to like a band at a bigger venue when youʼve seen them at a smaller venue first. I guess. I canʼt think of another band Iʼve had this experience with except Wilco.
From: louis gerber
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 1:37 PM
To: Michael Gerber
Subject: Re: Bon Iver
I found his review of the show we saw a little cryptic. I loved the show from the first song. beautifull songs in a great space where everyone sat and enjoyed good music.

--- On Mon, 1/26/09, Michael Gerber wrote:
From: Michael Gerber
Subject: Bon Iver
To: louis gerber
Date: Monday, January 26, 2009, 12:41 PM
Louis, do you agree with this review of the show you went to? He talks about it in the last third of the article. Very good read overall. I havenʼt checked out the online only stuff yet.
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2009/01/12/090112crmu_music_frerejones

My First Post Under an Obama Presidency

2009-01-21T00:11:00.000-05:00

While I was inspired by our new President yesterday, I was surprised he took a shot at "those who prefer leisure over work." That's a pretty broad constituency he's talking down to there. And one that includes me, who was mildly offended for a brief second. Still, I'm cautiously excited and overall optimistic. We finally have a president who is intellectually curious, has an educated and conscious narrative of our history, and a reality based vision for our future.

Moving on, I wrote a piece for Haveyouheard.net about my final thoughts on music in 2008. No, not final thoughts as in summing it all up, but final as in I picked up three albums from 2008 that I heard great things about but never got around to. The albums were Ladyhawk's Shots (good album with great songs), Dr. Dog's Fate (great album with good songs), and M83's Saturdays = Youth (maybe great but not really my thing).

On to links:

1) Neko Case has a new song she's letting blog's post for free. And for every blog post, $5 will be donated to Best Friends Animal Society. It's a short song and seems to start off from where she left off with Fox Confessor, but happier.

People Got A Lotta Nerve - Neko Case

I hope that worked.

2) The blog "Monitor Mix" put together a nice post listing good music inspired by the Bush presidency. With actual songs in the post! An interesting listen and read.

-My favorite presidential song? Okkervil River's The "President's Dead." It's not topically political but rather about the interweaving of personal life and historical moments. If you like lyrics that are snapshots of a universal yet poetic moment, this is it for you. Musically it's also one of my favorite Okkervil songs.

3) Criminal Records posted an in store Beck performance from 1994 on their website. Wow, has he changed. I was at a coffee shop yesterday and they baristas put on Mutations. Wow, I forgot how great that disc is. Granted, this performance is pre-Mutations and from a much different Beck. Still a keeper nonetheless.

4) Because I can't let go of 2008, here's one last best of list from my favorite radio station (sorry WRAS), KEXP in Seattle. I also strongly suggest streaming their station for John in the Morning, weekdays at 9am.

Here's some interesting stuff I've been up to/will be doing:

1) I interviewed Eric Early of Blitzen Trapper yesterday for an article that will be in Flagpole before their early March show in Athens.

2) I'll be recording a podcast with Haveyouheard.net this Saturday.

Review of Band of Horses New Year's Show and Three Interneting Recomendations

2009-01-10T15:40:00.000-05:00

Last week HaveYouHeard.net published my review of Band of Horses' New Years show at Variety Playhouse. If you're in a rush, here's a three word long version of the review: I enjoyed myself.

Podcast recommendations:

Adam's top 10 of 2008 was also put up on HaveYouHeard.net last week.

I've started listening to All Songs Considered podcast again. Bob Boilen spent an hour fawning over The Beatles White Album with an author (from New Orleans) who wrote a few books on the band. The passion and curiosity these two have for the Beatles make for a great listen. I never really went through a Beatles phase myself and always wanted to hear more of them. I know, this doesn't seem possible. I still go in and out of Zeppelin and The Who phases, but I haven't really dealved into the Beatles catalouge. This podcast made me think it's about time.

Blog Recomendation:

And finally, a link to my new favorite blog. It's from a bench warmer on Ohio State's basketball team: Club Trillion. Funny stuff in the Paul Shirley mold, who happened to post his top albums of the year.

Michael's Favorite Songs of 2008

2008-12-31T15:39:00.000-05:00

Every year since 2004 (with the exception of 2005) I've made a mix CD with my favorite songs of the year. I wrote about my 2004 mix on a post earlier this month. When I started DJing at WRAS, the Georgia State radio station, I wanted to include so much music it became a two CD mix. Even then, I felt like there was more to listen to and was sure there were songs that I hadn't heard yet that would've been represented if only they got a chance. This process has made me realize that this isn't a list of the best songs of the year, but some favorites from the new stuff that came out in the past year.

Now that 2008's version is complete, I'm now giving copies to friends and family. Instead of putting a track listing on each CD, I'm posting it up here:

Michael's Favorite Songs of 2008
DISC 1

1) The Hold Steady - Yeah Sapphire
Rock and roll at its most fun. Great story telling, great music, phenomenal album.

2) My Morning Jacket - Aluminum Park
Adrenaline pumping space rock that MMJ seem to be able to do with their eyes closed. There were songs i liked better on the album, but this fits best on a mix.

3) Drive-By Truckers - A Ghost To Most
My favorite song of the year. But at different times I probably felt that way about most of these.

4) TV On The Radio - Golden Age
While this tune was better live (the recorded version sounds cleaner thus less exciting), it still demonstrates why everybody loves these guys and why they're so hard to describe with words.

5) Blitzen Trapper - God & Suicide
Simple ditty like our parent's rockers used to make. So easy going and entertaining that the album came in at 4th on my favorite albums of the year list.

6) The Black Crowes - Oh Josephine
Another gem of a road song from these guys. Wins my award for most overlooked album of the year. They're not doing anything new, but not too many do, or have ever done rock and roll better than the Crowes.

7) The Faint - Get Seduced
Wins for being more different than anything else on the mix and also more fun

8) Death Cab For Cutie - Cath...
Clean, emotional, and poppy rock with dark undertones. It was hard to pick one track from this album as the sum is greater than the parts.

9) Nada Surf - See These Bones
Clean, emotional, and poppy rock without the dark undertones. This is the best track from the most pleasant album of the year.

10) Fleet Foxes - Ragged Wood
Or maybe this is the most pleasant album of the year. It's hard to pick a song from this album as I usually listen to it the way through, without paying attention to specific songs. I picked this one cause it's kind of a two for one and I like the "lie to me" part at the end.

11) Bon Iver - For Emma
All the praise about this sad, lonely, and beautiful album is well deserved. I picked this track from the album because it's the least depressing. Yup.

12) The Avett Brothers - Murder in the City
Another sad one, only more so. This song wins for song most likely to bring me to tears. It's also the simplest song on here. Coincidence?

EDIT: I added these four songs in January '09 after exploring albums from the past year that I heard good things about but somehow missed.

13) Ladyhawk - S.T.H.D.

14) Dr. Dog - Hang On

15) Bloc Party - One Month Off

16) MGMT - Time to Pretend

DISC 2

1) The Raconteurs - Hold Up
In a great year for classic rock sounding new rock, this is the icing on the cake.

2) Okkervil River - Singer Songwriter
A catchy rock tune with lyrics full of insight and alliteration. While it's fun, the drone of the lead singers voice, as always, keeps it one step away from heartbreak.

3) Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
This slow song got me very excited for an album I was initially disappointed with. Still love this track and the album's growing on me.

4) Bark Hide and Horn - Grandfather
The first three songs on this album ended up being one of my favorite starts to an album this year. This is the third song. I'm a sucker for rock and roll with blasting dirty horns.

5) Conor Oberst -Lenders in the Temple
Not the best song for a mix, but I love it too much. It's slow, melodramatic, undeniably sad, and yet somehow comforting. Conor can be so un-manly at times I consider filing this under guilty pleasure.

6) The Mountain Goats - Sax Rohmer #1
The forgotten album of 2008. Heretic Pride is not The Mountain Goats best effort, but it contains quintessential Mountain Goat songs like this one. I'll always appreciate that. Yeah-hah!

7) The Secret Machines - Now You're Gone
This one builds slowly, so please, give it a chance. It turns into a classic full of drama and pop that make it addictive.

8/9) GZA - Intermission: Drive In Movie / GZA - Life Is a Movie (feat. RZA and Irfane Khan-Acito)
I heard this and immediately bought the album (Pro-Tools). I love RZA's ultra-grimy/sloppy production and rapping along side GZA's straightforward and pitch perfect imagery and story telling. To put it simply, it's an exciting song.

10) The Roots - Criminal feat. Truck North and Saigon
Now that we're in the hip hop grand finale of this mix, we get three of the best verses of the year. I've done lots of rewinding on this track.

11) Nas - Hero feat. Keri Hilson
From an ultimately disappointing album that had incredible hype but only a few moments that deserved the hype. This is one of those moments. I'll never understand why this single didn't make it to radio. Nas actually recorded this one after he handed in the album because the label wanted a 'hit.' So Nas took a rock and roll beat (heavy on electric guitar) and put together a stream of clever mindlessness that can be embarrassing ("Young rich and flashy / Young bitch, I'm nasty") but usually present in hip hop's radio hits. It also has a great third verse where Nas gives us the scoop behind the trouble he ran into while trying releasing this controversial album. "Hero" has a motivational spirit reminiscent of Eminem's "Lose Yourself." It's a complete pop song that transcends. I have trouble writing about Nas and keeping it concise.

12) Wu Tang Clan - Take it Back
Clever, addictive, raunchy, laid back, confident . . . these guys know what they're doing at this point. Basically, it contains most of what I love about the Wu. This song is a highlight of an ultimately disappointing album that came out too late in 2007 to include in last year's mix.

13) Wale - The Opening Title Sequence
The most pleasant surprise of the year: a concept hip-hop mix tape where the concept is Seinfeld. But it's much more interesting than that. You can listen to the whole thing here.

*you can find additional blurbs I wrote for The Hold Steady, My Morning Jacket, Blitzen Trapper, Conor Oberst, and The Fleet Foxes on Flagpoles Top National Releases of 2008.

Manchester United / Dead Confederate Concert Review

2008-12-30T09:09:00.000-05:00

This went up on Crib Notes yesterday. I'm embarrassed by having two sentences in the beginning of this piece start off "right away". I've got to read these aloud before I send them off.

Here's the story behind the review: At first I wrote a sprawling 700 word piece that was sent back to me for being too long and too much like a diary entry. In other words, it wasn't right for the Crib Notes blog format. Which is funny, because I initially took the approach in including myself as part of the piece because it was a blog entry, thus a little more informal. Maybe this would have been a better piece for HaveYouHeard.net

Anyway, I received Chad's email on my drive back home on Christmas Eve. I edited it from my parents house when I got into New Orleans on Christmas day. I don't know, I'm just thinking of excuses as to why I so poorly edited it.

I'm tempted to post my original entry here for posterity sake. Here that is:

I stepped into the theatre at Variety Playhouse midway through Dead Confederate’s first song. My favorite spot to catch a show at Variety, up close in the orchestra pit, was out of the question. It was already packed with the throng of kids oozing out into the aisles. I arrived in a group of four, and we uncomfortably tried out a few vantage points on the ground level before we moved up to the balcony.

It may have had something to do with the unhappiness of Dead Confederate’s music. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes the cathartic world of guitars banging away in dark corners is more exciting through headphones, when the listener has control over the external world. At a crowded concert, it sounded intimidating and made this listener a little uneasy. I couldn’t help but feel like my dad when I used to play him the latest grunge CD, “Why are they so angry?”

I became much more comfortable when we moved to the balcony and observed the show from a distance. I was excited to see the double bill of Dead Confederate and Manchester Orchestra, two Georgia bands I had heard so much about in the past year. Now I could appreciate the Nirvana comparisons the Dead Confederates garnered with their latest release, Wrecking Ball. From a distance, I could appreciate their mastery of losing themselves in messy and hopeless dark rock. This combination has a unique power to take over the senses. What wasn’t inviting upon arrival, made for better company as I found myself with more personal space. This chaotic sound is sometimes more suited for solitary moments, like right now as I’m typing this. I’m at a desk listening to their MySpace page and think I’m enjoying this moment with the band more than I did at the concert. Maybe it would’ve been different if I got closer. Or maybe it’s part of the process of turning into my dad.

The headliners of the night were Manchester Orchestra. Right away, it was the cleanliness of the sound that stood out, a drastic contrast to the Dead Confederates. These were nice guys who opened with a joke (a tongue in cheek ode to 50 Cent) and went on to play youthful anthems primed for popular embrace. Lead singer Andy Hull’s bearded and flannel exterior may resemble a young Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers, but there wasn’t too much Southern about this rock. Instead, they play something more suburban, with songs dreamed up in an Alpharetta bedroom, shared for the first time with friends in a basement, and finally fleshed out as independence replaced high school and parents. I’m guessing. This is all based on the little that I know of where they’re from, their ages, and the undeniable emo hand stirring their songs.

Lead Singer Andy Hull reminisced about seeing Death Cab for Cutie at Variety Playhouse, pointing to the exact spot where he was standing and, apparently, “shit (his) pants.” So it was really something special to see the crowd singing along to his lyrics, when he was doing the same thing with Ben Gibbard a few years ago. Their set played like a triumphant homecoming, only getting better as they went along. It’s always surprising to hear an entire audience sing along to songs you’re hearing for the first time. This was me in this case. I was delightfully surprised and happy for such an earnest band.

The role of comfortable observer fit me well on Friday night. I came into the night looking forward to seeing what was behind the hype of two bands who rarely get mentioned without the ‘up and coming’ preface. I can definitely see Manchester Orchestra grabbing some time in the national consciousnesses. They’ve already had their ‘Death Cab in The OC / Flaming Lips on 90210’ moment when they were featured in a Gossip Girl episode. After an inconspicuous start, both bands won me over and I‘ll most likely pick up their latest albums. Maybe I’ll even try to get to their next Atlanta shows early, and move from observer to participant. Unless I’m getting too old. After all, I just referenced 90210.

Best Of the Best Of 2008

2008-12-26T13:02:00.000-05:00

With only 4 more days to go in 2008, most publications have put out their best albums of the year lists. I love reading these (I even contributed to one). And now, with the internet getting more addictive by the day, you can listen to at least one tune from each album. In this post I'll put up links to some of my favorite sites' lists and even give a little commentary. A best of best of lists, if you will.

The Onion's AV Club
Number One is TV On The Radio and Number Two is a band called Fucked Up. Why would you name your band that? What you gain in bad ass points you lose by being unmentionable in so many circles. To me, without hearing a note, it's kind of a turn off. What are they compensating for by having a blatantly controversial name? But then again, it did get my attention. CDs on this list that I want to listen to but haven't heard in full yet: the new Wolf Parade and Los Compesinos albums. HaveYouHeard.net reviewed both of these discs with unenthusiastic "OKs." But what I've heard I've liked. And every so often I revisit that first Wolf Parade CD when I can't think of what else I want to listen to.

NPR's All Songs Considered (Bob Boilen / Listener)
This is the list that has the most in common with my own, which I posted in my last post. Number One: Fleet Foxes. Number Two: Vampire Weekend. I think this says a lot about the age and place in life of the audience for this podcast . Both CDs are pleasant and unchallenging. That came off as criticism but isn't. It's tough to do music that's so enjoyable from the first listen. CDs on this list I'm enticed to explore: The new Beck, Modern Guilt. For a CD that got such luke warm to negative reviews, it sure made a lot of best of the year lists.

Rolling Stone
I'll begin by defending the uncooler with every year, Rolling Stone rag. If your a music journalist at the top of your game, where is there a better job? You could argue for other newspapers or magazines, but Rolling Stone has to be in the argument. So, almost by default, it's got some of the best music writing. I wonder if anyone who started at Pitchforkmedia.com is now at RS. And they have a reverence for classic rock to many newcomers lack. They'll put a Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd on the cover still. I love it. So what if they also put the latest teen pop sensation on the cover, it's a necessary compromise of being an established entity in a capitalist system.

They also put TV on The Radio at number one. And then, of course, Bob Dylan at number two. I may not agree, but I do love it. Also, John Mellencamp is in the top five! No matter how much they want to stay relevant, they're stuck worshiping classic rock. In many ways, so am I. But it doesn't go to John Mellencamp levels. CDs from this list I haven't really listened to yet that I want to check out (and haven't mentioned earlier in this post): Lil Wayne's The Carter and The Knux's Remind Me In Three Days. Both of those are rappers from New Orleans. Just like me. Or like I would have been if MJG hadn't stolen my moniker.

Pitchfork
I was surprised to see Fleet Foxes at the top of this list. Hmm, so far we've got two lists with TVOTR at number one and two with this one. And I've got to say, I don't get how Fleet Foxes could be your favorite album of the year. I respect it, as it is a great CD. But don't get how there could be no other CD that excited you more. And these are people who have listened to a lot more music than me from this year. I guess it's that appealing. There's nothing wrong with this self titled album. It's just not very, well, rock and roll. It's not very adventurous. Now, I still like it a whole lot and consider one of the best of the year, but it didn't blow my mind. Which is what a best album of the year should do. Number two is Portishead. From what I've heard of this band, and a lot of people love em, I have no desire to listen to this in full. CDs from this list I haven't mentioned earlier and that I want to check out: Deerhunter, M83, Eryka Badu, and Beach House.

Flagpole (National / Local)
Ah, one list I had a vote in. I sent Michelle my top 15 that I posted in the last blog entry. And a few of them made the list (I wrote the blurbs about Fleet Foxes, My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst, Blitzen Trapper, and my favorite: The Hold Steady. Two that I didn't vote for topped the list, MGMT (at #1) and Deerhunter (#2). TVOTR and Fleet Foxes were three and four, respectively. They also did a local list with Dead Confederate at number one and Drive-By Truckers at number 2. I haven't heard the Dead Confederates album completely yet, but I did rank DBT as my number 2 of the year and saw both bands live recently. And I gotta say, this is a pre-mature crowning of Dead Confederates. Granted, I've only heard the Wrecking Ball tracks that are posted on their myspace page. But still, don't DBT deserve a little more than to be usurped by the DC whippersnappers. I guess that's the Rolling Stone side of me coming out. CDs from this list I haven't mentioned earlier and that I want to check out: MGMT and TI. Lots of capital letters there.

HaveYouHeard.net (Bradley's list / Adam's isn't up yet)
I'm trying to remember what I heard from listening to this two days ago. I will say this has the least in common with the other lists. Bradley listens to more music than anyone I know. In fact, I was over at Big Ralph Studios last week and asked to hear a sampling from Bradley's top ten. I hadn't heard of any of them. Does this discredit my top ten list? In so many words, yes. That's why I like to call it Favorites of 2008 rather than Best Of. And since it's not up in writing, I'm at a coffee shop without earphones (the big Ru on Magazine St. as I'm back in nola for 10 year high school reunion tonight), and I can't recall the details other than it was a refreshing listen and two albums I want to check out from this list are Dr. Dog and the number one album whose title and band I can't remember. I believe there was a bird in the band name. I'll fix this up once I can revisit this list. Hey Bradley, how about putting this list up in a text version? Thanks.

Metacritic
Metacritic is a web site that takes a variety of reviews of an album (or tv show, movie, game, ect) and gives each review a number from 1 - 100 based on the the opinion of the review. The website gives a better explanation I'm sure. The site then takes the average of these scores to give an album a metacritic rating. Based on this, the two best reviewed albums of the year were Welcome to Mali by Amadou and Mariam followed by London Zoo by The Bug. Can't say it's likely that I'll be listening to either one. More interesting is their list based on multiple year end lists:

Artists Appearing on Multiple Top Ten Lists
Dear Science, by TV On The Radio
Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes
Third by Portishead
For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver
Tha Carter III by Lil Wayne

So, that's what the critics like.

Favorite CDs of 2008, Blitzen Trapper - Furr, The Postmarks - By The Numbers

2008-12-20T13:51:00.001-05:00

Two reviews made it to the internet in the past few days, with one even becoming an actual printed article. The one in Flagpole, Blitzen Trapper's Furr, made it to number four on my top 15 list of 2008. Here's my final list I sent to my editor at Flagpole earlier this week:

1) The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

2) Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creations Dark

3) Bon Iver - For Emma

4) Blitzen Trapper - Furr

5) TV On the Radio - Dear Science

6) The Roots - Rising Down

7) Death Cab - Narrow Stairs

8) Nada Surf - Lucky

9) My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

10) Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst

11) Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

12) The Black Crowes - Warpaint

13) The Faint - Fasciinatiion

14) The Raconteurs - Conselors for the Lonely

15) Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue

and I'll add 15b) Okkervill River - The Stand Ins
-Both 15s are albums that I highly anticipated, disapointed at first, and now I listen to for the highlights. I would have rather given my top 14, but that's kind of a wierd number to stop a list at.

The other review is on Haveyouheard.net: The Postmarks' By the Numbers.

Secret Machines and Curse of Company

2008-12-14T20:35:00.000-05:00

Two reviews up on Have You Heard (HYH). One, Secret Machines, is an album that hasn't gone near my top 20 of 2008 list that I submitted to Flagpole last week but will remain in my rotation for years to come. The Pink Floyd vibe gets me every time. The other one, The Curse of Company's Leo Magnet's Joins a Gang, was pleasant enough but I don't think I'll ever listen to it again. If you want to hear expanded versions of those previous sentences, click the album titles.

2 Music Links That Interested Me Last Week:

1) My favorite running feature article of the year ended strongly. If you haven't checked out Noel Murray's Popless feature, I highly recommend you give it a chance. Epilogue 1 Epilogue 2

2) An interesting interview with the band Parts and Labor about creating their most recent album. See Adam and Bradley, looks like you made it on.

What's Next:

My review of the Postmark's By The Numbers will be up on HYH later this week. Here's Pitchfork's review from a month ago: link.

I'm also finishing the blurbs on The Hold Steady, Fleet Foxes, My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst, and Blitzen Trapper for Flagpole's top 20 albums of 2008. When that goes up I'll put up my own top 15 either here on on HYH. In anticipation of that, here's a link to my top 8 in 2005.

Conor Oberst, Whatarockin, and Guns 'N Roses

2008-11-18T22:01:00.000-05:00

N ew blog post/concert review up on the Creative Loafing blog: Crib Notes. It's my review of those guys in the picture above. You may recognize the guy in the middle as Conor Oberst. In my review of the show I talk about the CDs that introduced me to him. It was actually a combination of a friend giving me those CDs (unsolicited) and then Sashe Frere-Jones writing about him in the New Yorker a little while later.

I just finished re-reading that article and man, Jones does the music writing thing well. Sparked by the Rebecca Martin incident on haveyourheard.net last week, I had a conversation with Adam about the purpose of music criticism. For me, it's all about continuing the conversation that the musician started.

When a great writer and a great artist who just released two of my favorite CDs converge like they did for that SF-J article, it's a great thing for me. At first, in early 2005, the article inspired me to give the records a listen. Now, a few years and many listens later, it's putting into words things I've felt and thought while listening to them as well as introducing me to new takes on them. Anyway, the point is, one day I hope to write like that. Two things I could use: more knowledge about music and an understanding of grammar. Until then, I'll learn by trial and error.

Along those lines, and as a follow up to my last posting, I found a bunch of my old writing for the old website: whatcharockin.com. I found the articles using the way back machine on internetarchives.com. Here's what I wrote about my top 10 of 2004 in April 2005.

I ended up rummaging around the old site last night and thought this was interesting: I kept a Mardi Gras blog in 2005 and then went back to New Orleans post Katrina for Mardi Gras 2006. I also had fun comparing what I wrote about my first TV On The Radio concert to my second, three weeks ago. After reading my old and newer stuff ad naseum last night all I can say is, god, I hope I become a better writer. It would be fun to do this on a more professional level.

Two more links for the hell of it: Will Leitch (the deadspin guy) wrote about his excitement over the release of Guns 'N Roses Chinese Democracy next week. I strongly suggest you follow his link to the Rolling Stone article. I think I'm gonna ask Flagpole to send me a copy of the new GnR.

Also, and this is linked to in my review of Conor's show as well, but he was the latest in All Songs Considered's Concert Series.

Revisiting 2004

2008-11-11T22:54:00.000-05:00

Haven’t gotten published in a while, or even written much in the past two weeks at all. But I did stumble across my first favorite songs of the year CD from 2004. Something which has since become an annual tradition for me. Listening to it brought me back to when I first started writing about music seriously.

I thought it would be fun to go through the track listing and write about what I think of the songs 4 years later. But first, two links from this week, 2008:

An artist answered back to a reviewer on Have You Heard this week.

Artie Lange was on Fresh Air with Terri Gross. Gotta love when two of my favorite radio shows interact.

On to going through the CD I called "Best of 2004" way back in, well, 2004. It might surprise you how hip-hop centric it is, especially in the beginning:

Nas – "Street’s Disciple" from the double album Street’s Disciple. I still feel like skipping through the best tracks from this one every once in a while. Way too many duds to be a double album though. But whatever, songs like this find Nas at his best, spitting over a beat of minimal piano heavy bass and some subtle records scratching in the back. Nas, as he keeps doing in the second act of his career, keeps coming out with unique albums, sometimes hitting the mark, and always keeping it interesting or entertaining. Can’t ask for much more, right?

Ghostface - "Biscuits", from the classic (we can safely call this one a classic now, right?) The Pretty Toney Album. "I said a banana nutrient, man!" And so begins our glimpse into Ghost's madness. Piano and lots of brass, this my favorite place to find Ghost. The most fun songs with the most violent lyrics. The question is, is Ghostface nonsensical, or do we just not get it. Even the no name guest rappers step up their game and give us memorable lines.

Talib Kweli - "Ghetto Show" from The Beautiful Struggle. This CD has some gems like this on it, but often gets overlooked because the duds are that bad. As good as the good songs are, the bad ones are worse. Maybe that's being a bit too harsh. But it's too bad there's a song like "We Got The Beat" on the CD, cause is means less listens to this song. Common gets the first and last verse on this one.

The Roots - "Guns Are Drawn" from the fabulous album The Tipping Point. This album has aged amazingly well. Criminally underrated in my opinion. I realized Black Thought was one of my favorite MCs on the CD before this one, "Phrenology", and he doesn't slow down here. Musically, the roots are at a comfortable place here. ?uestlove has a snappy drum beat, there a reggae type hook, and a simple guitar riff.

Kanye West - "Two Words" from The College Dropout. Remember when you first heard this album? This was a very exciting time. Everybody loved it. Kanye might have been full of himself, but he wasn't over exposed. Talent and hunger, and one of my favorite songs to hear on the radio back then, "Through The Wire." Unbelievable that Q93 was blasting that. I think I actually meant to put that song on this mix, but it was mislabeled on my ipod. Who knew 2004 was going to be such a rich year for hip-hop.

Mos Def - "Life is Real" from the, wow did I overrate this album, The New Danger. I really did love this disc for a few months. But I haven't listened to it in years. It's a shame, I really like what he was trying to do and the album before this, Black on Both Sides, is nothing short of a masterpiece. Still a good listen.

And thus ends the hip-hop portion of the Best of 2004, which doesn't even include a track from what ended up being my favorite album of the year, The Foreign Exchange - Connected. Here's the first song on the album, "Raw Life"

TV On The Radio - "Staring At The Sun." Actually maybe Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes was my favorite album of 2004. It's the one I still listen to the most from this list at least. And this was the song that blasted them into our consciousness that year. Here's the video:

Wilco - "Muzzle of Bees" from A Ghost Is Born. Can't believe I picked this song from what is still one of my favorite albums from one of my favorite bands. It's not bad, but it's not intense either. It's very pretty, with some hurt, or disillusionment at least, in there for good measure. I like that, the song is innocence fighting back cynicism. "When dogs laugh some say they're barking. I don't think they're that mean" Here they are performing it on Austin City Limits:

Air - "Surfing On A Rocket" from Talkie Walkie. For whatever reason, this songs brings me back to 2004 more than the others. This was something new for me. I still dabble in this more bar groove type genre. I especially like the count down at the end.

Steve Earle - "The Gringo's Tale" from The Revolution Starts Now. White man's blues at its best. Dirty, western, specifics, story-telling, and great combination of acoustic guitar strumming/sweeping violin/gravelly voice. Too bad I couldn't find a YouTube clip for this one. The is a great song I probably haven't heard since last time I listened to this CD in 2005. I highly recommend. Obviously.

Pearl Jam - "Man Of The Hour" from Live at Baneroya Hall, a live acoustic double CD they released that year. This CD is a gem that easily gets lost in PJ releasing all of their live shows. But this was special in that it was at a new state of the art symphony hall in Seattle and was mostly acoustic. This song is what the did for the movie "Big Fish." Simply put, it's beautiful. It works towards Vedder's strength in belting out power ballads. But keeping the music minimalist and not being such a young man anymore, it's no where near bombastic. In fact, I hate that I resorted to using the term power ballad in this. Focus on beautiful. The lyrics are also quintessential Vedder: "Nature has it's own religion / Gospel from the land." You either buy it or don't. I buy it. Listen for yourself:

Jay Farrar - "6 String Belief" from the live album, Stone, Steele, and Bright Lights. I listened to this CD a lot, probably more than any other in 2004. Quality political anthems for the working man. Farrar is one of those artists who may not be doing anything new, but man does he do it well. The clip is of him doing a version with Son Volt that was released on the Okemah and Melody of Riot CD. I prefer the more acoustic version from 2004.

Elliot Smith - "A Fond Farewell To A Friend" from From a Basement on the Hill. This is how it ends. I finally discovered Elliot Smith and it was too late. I know this has become a bit of a controversial album, people saying it's too polished and not what Elliot would have wanted. Whatever, I'm glad they released it the way it is. I still listen to it regularly. I even heard it at a dentist office once. And I bet, even though it'd be pulling teeth to get them to admit it (pun intended), that every musician dreams of eventually getting played at the dentist office .

That took a while. And I was going to go to sleep early tonight.

2008-11-06T20:34:00.000-05:00

Election Day Nears

2008-11-03T22:53:00.000-05:00

9 hours till the polls open. I'm getting nervous. For now, here's my review of the great Hold Steady / Drive-By Truckers show from this past Saturday. Second show in a row at the Tabernacle where a girl standing next to me threw up. What can I say? I'm special. I'm still not gonna shower.

Moving on, here's a link my brother sent me yesterday. I also suggest heading down to the Colbert Nation website and taking a look Colbert's interview with Tweedy.

Back to Creative Loafing, I've been checking out their website lately since I've been posting on it. Here's an article on Criminal Records. I didn't realize how high the stakes were in the new digs. I was very impressed when I went in the other day to pick up the new Ryan Adams CD. So far, I am not as impressed with the CD as I was with the store. Lots of space, very classy, it's a good place for "affordable luxuries," as owner Eric Levin calls it in the article.

As far as new music, I'm still enamored with Blitzen Trapper's Furr. And my next review for Have You Heard is gonna be The Secret Machines new one. I've listened to the first few songs and I liked what I've heard.

Of course, if we find out tomorrow that we're gonna get that Palin smirk and wink in the background of the State of the Union addresses for the next four years, it may be a while until I ever write again. I may just have to shut off my brain.

Come on, you know want to vote for Obama.

TV On The Radio - Live In Atlanta

2008-10-28T13:17:00.001-04:00

That's a picture of Tunde Adebimpe from TV On The Radio. I wrote a review of their show at the Tabernacle for Have You Heard. If you don't feel like reading it, here's a short summary: I really enjoyed myself.

The night before I saw Ben Kweller at the Earl. He has a new album coming out early next year and from what I could tell, it's gonna be good. Right up my ally, with more of a twang then we're used to from him. It was nice to see a pretty established artist in such a small setting. Maybe he's not as popoular as I thought.

And this Saturday: The Hold Steady and The Drive By Truckers at the Tabernacle. I'm very much looking forward to this. And since I don't celebrate Haloween, I should be well rested. I plan on writing about this one, so stay tuned.

One last note, I think the new Ryan Adams CD came out today.

The Faint: Live In Athens

2008-10-27T08:48:00.000-04:00

Last Tuesday I took an excursion to Athens, GA to see The Faint and write up a review for Flagpole. It's online only. Click this sentence to read it.

A few words about Athens: I really enjoyed working from there on Wednesday. Because I have the luxury of working out of office, I set up shop at a coffee shop with wireless internet and was able to spend the day there. I forgot how busy Atlanta is. I mean, Athens isn't that small of town, but it still felt like there was a little more breathing room. And I also noticed how much every one reading. I'm sure it was for school, but it makes me a little more optimistic about our future when I see kid after kid reading these dense text books or classic literature. People are learning. I forgot. And they also know how to have a good time and to become irrationally passionate about thier football team.

Hopefully there will be some more random visits there in the near future.

Today's assignment: Finish up writing about TV On The Radio's show at the Tabernacle on Saturday and organize my notes of the new one from Blitzen Trapper into a review. Oh yeah, and work too.

Ryan Adams Dissapoints, But It's Part of His Charm

2008-10-22T15:49:00.000-04:00

Now I can put Creative Loafing on my resume. Kind of.

I wrote a review of the Ryan Adams show from last Friday that was posted on creativeloafing.com as part of their Crib Notes Blog. I feel a little like I cheated on Have You Heard, but I'll give em something else. A review of the TV on The Radio show, which is this Saturday.

Well, Ryan left after less than an hour and not too many people were happy. Access Atlanta also did a blog post about this. Despite the let down of last Saturday, I'll be first in line when he releases his first album as just "The Cardinals" later this month.

Flagpole Article About Hip-Hop

2008-10-15T10:54:00.000-04:00

The guy on the right is Mon2. I interviewed him for my first feature article for Flagpole. The article was supposed to be on the 3rd Annual Hip Hop Homecoming in Athens, GA. I ended up including a little history lesson on Hip-Hop as well as some of Mon2's personal journey. It was supposed to be 850 words. It ended up closer to 1500. It's a good start and I hope the next feature isn't too far away.

More about the article: I saw someone commented with some disparaging remarks about hip-hop so I commented a response. It'll be interesting to see where this goes.

Boo And Boo Too And Lots Of Love For The AV Club

2008-10-14T21:53:00.000-04:00

These are the guys from Boo And Boo Too. Their new album, No Tempo, is my latest review for HaveYouHeard.net.

What else . . . well, I've started putting together the playlist for my "Favorite Songs of 2008" CDs. Yes, it looks like it's going to be two CDs again this year. I spend way too much time on this, and I don't even get to play it on the radio this year.

So there's a few CDs I bought recently that I'm liking a whole lot. Like the rest of the world, the new TV On The Radio is growing on me. I'm actually listening to it right now as I type. And as I typed that last sentence, the first song ended. Now the second one is beginning. Enough of that.

I was inspired to listen to it after reading an interview Tunde Adebimpe gave to the AV Club. Tunde not only talks about the new one, Dear Science, he also says some enlightening things about the recording of Return To Cookie Mountain. Apparently the band fought throughout the recording. Which doesn't surprise me. If I ever talk to you about the band, I'll eventually get to my story where I ended up hanging out with them for a few hours after a show in 2005. They acted like guys who had spent entirely too much time around each other. And apparently that dynamic made for a great album. I think I'm just going to soak the new one in without reviewing it. So that's the last you'll hear of it here.

Speaking of the avclub, I especially liked the opening essay in Noel Murray's Popless feature. Have I mentioned I really like that website. They also have an interview with Jenny Lewis.

The other albums I want to give some love to: The new Blitzen Trapper, Furr. Review of that one will be coming soon. And an LP (or EP, whatever the shorter one is) from The Avett Brothers, The Second Gleam. It's only 6 songs long and starts off as strong as a minimalist folk album can. My favorite song off it, "Murder In The City" is posted on their myspace page . This one's definitely making the "08" CD.

One final link. I posted last week about KEXP's countdown of their listener's top 903 albums. The final list is out. I disagree with the order strongly, but the albums included on it as whole make for one kick ass radio station. And I've got to give the OK Computer and Kid A albums a chance. Shockingly, the Radiohead CD I've listened to the most has been the newest one, In Rainbows. I always figured one of these days I'll become a fan.

And I think my clothes are done in the dryer, so it's time to call it a night.

Racontuers Show Review

2008-10-07T22:33:00.000-04:00

Not the most exciting picture. But it gives you an idea of how crowded the Raconteurs at the Tabernacle show was. These are the two balcony levels, the ground floor which was more of the same. The review from last Wednesday's show went up on Have You Heard this past weekend. It's also got an actual picture of the band.

It's interesting to compare to the crowd from the Black Crowes show on Sunday. I actually won tickets to that show from Criminal Records and didn't plan on going until I got a phone call form them on Saturday afternoon. It was the fourth Crowes show I've been to and they haven't disappointed me yet.

I saw the opening act from the lawn of the amphitheater. And it wasn't just any opening act. It was Phil Lesh and Friends. And it was what you'd expect from the Gateful Dead offshoot. Lots people dancing by themselves in that jam band/hippie strut/dance. I was able to move up for the main act by getting my hands on a friends' ticket. A much better view of the band, but the crowd was much less interesting.

Possibly more on the show later. Now what I'm excited about is the article I wrote for Flagpole that should be getting published in next weeks issue. More on that later for sure. Also expect more on the TV on the Radio last release as well as the latest from Jenny Lewis and Okkervil River.

These United Seven Bells

2008-10-02T14:41:00.000-04:00

Two new reviews on HaveYouHeard.net this week. The guys in the picture above are These United States. I gave thier new CD, Crimes, a pretty favorable review. And then there's the School of Seven Bells review. While I enjoyed listening to this CD last week for my review, I had a feeling that I wouldn't be listening to it again. Not sure why. I tried to explore that in the review.

And I've got a great link for you if your reading this within the next few days. I listen to KEXP.org at work. Today they started counting down thier favorite 903 albums. 903 because they're 90.3 on the dial in Seatle.

Some interesting things I'm working on: A review of the Racontours show I went to last night. And for Flagpole, I'm working on my first feature article. And the Saints play on Monday night. Who Dat!

Conor Oberst

2008-09-24T07:58:00.000-04:00

The review got published in Flagpole today. It's the fifth one down. I've been listening to this CD pretty regularly for the past month or so. Although, if I'm paying attention I'll usually skip a few tracks. The last song, "Milk Thistle" is an embarrassing low point, but strangely necessary. That is, if he didn't let it all hang out, the lows and the highs would both be missing. The appeal of Conor is his vulnerability, which I've also heard criticized as melodramatic naval gazing . Bottom line: I recommend it. It's a nice addition to his catalog. I like where he's going.

Link for the day: I've really been enjoying Noel Murray's "Popless" feature at The AV Club. His latest entry touches on Smashing Pumpkins, Sinead O'Connor, and Simon and Garfunkel amongst others.

Ani DiFranco Review And Anticipating The New TV On The Radio

2008-09-22T11:25:00.000-04:00

New review published on Have You Heard today. It's on Ani DiFranco's new CD, Red Letter Year.

There's a few albums which may be next. For Have You Heard, I've got three CDs of artist I haven't heard of. Nothing spectacular. But nothing horrible either. And for Flagpole I'm still waiting for the Calexico and TV On The Radio to come in.

I'm very excited for the new TV on the Radio CD. This weekend I revisted Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes and man, I forgot how good it was. When I was blown away by the second album, Return To Cookie Mountain, I kind of forgot about the first one. And although I highly recomend these albums, I did not recomend them to Louis, my brother, when he asked me if I had any suggestions for him to use an i-tunes gift certificate on. I told him it was a little too intrusive for him. They're a very noisy band, finding beauty with harmony in the midst of chaos. Here's an interview Pitchfork did with David Sitek of TVOTR did in 2006.

An excerpt:

"Pitchfork: All the way through to Cookie Mountain, a lot of the songs you guys write and produce are built on loops and repetition.

DS: Well, I think it's kind of like life. Through the trauma of birth we're thrown into these repetitions, everything from our heartbeat to our routines, and I think it's identifiable. When you look at commercial music, it has created all these different jolts-- but if you look at a lot of the music that we listen to, and particularly Afrobeat and highlife and a lot of music from like Mali, it's based on repetition.

This guy named Fegun who played with Fela Kuti for a while was telling me about the hypnotic effect of music. He's like, "The most important drum in Afrobeat is not a drum, it's the hi-hat. Because it hypnotizes. And that's what people identify with. It syncs with their heartbeat."

And he said, "When you're grandstanding, there's no consciousness in your music." And that's why I'm allergic to guitar solos for the most part, because I just picture this guy with a leather sleeveless jacket playing a flying V in the air. I just think that the whole idea of repetition is more inviting. "

I like that. Repetition as inviting, good description of the sound by the man who makes it. Who woulda thunk? And it looks like PF gave the new album a 9.2. Does that mean that the band is now officialy hip or that it's actually good. I can't wait to find out. I'm also looking forward to hearing what Bradley and Adam thought of the new Okkerville River. I'm going to ask them to burn it for me either way.

Back to the Ani CD: Do I recomend it? If you like the calm coffee shop vibe with an edge, go for it. I found her lyrics interesting and music enjoyable. It's not the most exciting CD at first, but there are some great moments. We'll see if I keep on listening to it. So no, I can't recomend it quite yet, but it's worth a listen.

Boys Will Be Boys and Eddie Vedder will be Eddie Vedder

2008-09-22T09:37:00.000-04:00

Nothing new published, but some above average sports and music links:

First, two simple folk songs (possibly the same chords) about two drastically different topics. One light. One heavy. Both by Pearl Jam front man, and personal favorite, Eddie Vedder. It seems he's figured out the folk formula. Insert any topic and put in sing-a-long lyrics that keep it simple yet powerful. I'm not disparaging this process. That's what folk music is. Music for the folks. That is, something anyone can play or sing. Folk songs are community property. Not unique or complex, but simple truths put in a catchy tune.

Here's his anthem for the Cubs playoff run: http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/thebigblog/archives/149090.asp

Here's his anti-war song he did for a recent documentary about a veteran returning home in a wheelchair: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fAY5Ik4WaY

Back to sports, Jeff Pearlman (you might remember him from his 1999 article on John Rocker in SI ) wrote an expose on the Dallas Cowboys 1990 glory years. I read two excerpts last week. Highly entertaining stuff.

From Deadspin, here's the part where coach Barry Switzer makes his friend pee on himself and Michael Irvin has a limo of prostitutes drive from Dallas to Tempe: http://deadspin.com/5051649/excerpt-boys-will-be-boys-by-jeff-pearlman

From ESPN, this part is more for the sports fan. Good insight on how the team got so good they were able to party like they did in Tempe: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=pearlman/080918&sportCat=nfl

And it looks like ESPN posted another excerpt. This one about Neon Deon. Haven't read it yet, but I might as well post it: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=pearlman/080919&sportCat=nfl

Anthem In Review and

2008-09-18T16:21:00.000-04:00

The guys and girl in that picture form the band Anthem In. I recently wrote a negative review of their album, Anthem In, for HaveYouHeard.net. You can read it by clicking here. Although, it's not as bad as The Veronicas, the second album Bradley and Adam reviewed in their podcast. At one point the conversation went something like, "if you see this album at a store, grab it, go to the bathroom, and hide it behind the toilet."

I'm going to keep that line in mind when I'm listening to a bad album. Not only is it hilarious, but a good baseline for a bad album. You can say an album is bad, but before you dismiss it completely ask yourself: is it so bad that you need to hide it so others don't pay for it. And not only that, but hide it in a place that's so degrading. Anthem In is not that bad. In fact, I don't know if I've ever heard an album that bad. But in a strange way, I hope I do one day.

Anyway, I came down with a nasty cold in the beginning of the week, but some solid reviews are on their way. Finally, the Conor Oberst review should be in Flagpole next Wednesday. And I'm putting the finishing touches on my review of the new Ani DiFranco CD for Have You Heard. Bunch of new music on the horizon as well, including Calexico and three more for HYH.

These Guys.

2008-09-08T13:05:00.000-04:00

The phrase "hipster douchebag" is getting tossed around a lot these days. At least it is on two websites I get a good amount of my music news/reviews/media from: pitchforkmedia.com (ooh, it looks like they recommend the new Okkervil River, interesting) and avclub.com. Well, now we have a photo to help with the definition (see above). The avclub actually attempted to answer the question of what is a h-dbag once. It's something no one wants to be called, but a good way to dismiss pretentious music you don't like. Anyway, the photo is of The Dark Romantics. I reviewed their new album, Heartbreaker, for "Have You Heard." It got posted today, so I'm posting a link here. Enjoy. Since I began writing reviews again this year, this is the quickest that I've written one. I hope it doesn't show. I think it might.

Fascincation or Fasciinatiion, Either Way I'm Fascinated

2008-09-03T22:39:00.000-04:00

My review of the Faint's Fasciinatiion (the whole time I was reviewing it I thought it was Fascination - thank you editor) is up on Flagpole now. I'm surprised how much I'm still enjoying this CD. A friend e-mailed me yesterday asking for new music recommendations. After giving a strong recommendation of the Hold Steady album (Stay Positive) that came out a few months ago, I had to include this one. Based on the review I handed into Flagpole you wouldn't think that this CD would be in contention for my top 10 of the year. But it is, and I can't seem to get enough of it. Yes, it's weird, industrial, sci-fi, and philosophical. While it includes those familiar (and oh so close to lame) elements, it's also new and exciting. I read a review somewhere (forgot where, oops) that put down this album by saying, this is the downside of giving the band complete artistic freedom. Yes, there is a "I don't give a shit, I'm gonna feast on my indulgences" vibe, but that only adds to the listening to a complete experience aspect. I'm not too familiar with this band besides this album. They comprised most of the backing band behind Conor Oberst when they were touring as Bright Eyes on the Digital Ash in a Digital Urn tour. I really enjoyed that album and that concert. I think I said that was my favorite CD of 2005. If only watcharockin.com was still alive we could check the archives.

Besides composing new reviews, a project of mine for the weekend (or sometime in the near future) is to post the archives of my Flagpole reviews up on here. It's just very hard to find old reviews on that site.

And since I linked to two metacritic listings, I'll include a link to the Faint's Fasciinatiion. Both Fasciinatiion and Digital Ash got scores in the low 60s (the site looks at reviews of the album, estimates 1-100 how each review would rate the album, then gives the average score). This makes sense. There are times when I think I could be crazy for liking those two CDs. They're not for everyone, you've got to have an expanded definition of what music can be- that is, any noise that resembles a melody. Beeps, bloops, and buzzes included. As my Bubby would say when I play her something in my collection, "so, this is what they're calling music these days." I'm fine with this blow off, at least it gives it credit for being something new and pushing the boundaries of what music can be.

Nas' Untitled reviewed, what's next, and MMJ, the next day

2008-08-28T18:07:00.000-04:00

My review of Nas' latest was published in Flagpole magazine. This was a tough one to review and I'm OK with how it came out. I'm basically saying the same thing as everyone else: Nas has something interesting and complicated to say, but he picks horrible beats. I think his lack of an ear for music makes him better as an MC. What's hypnotic about his flow is that it doesn't compliment the music, but exists along side it. I've read that his delivery was innovative because he goes against the beat, or maybe it was that he stays beat behind the music. I don't know. What I do know is that he's not rapping in the music. That is, his delivery isn't determined by the music, it's just his thoughts going at the rhythm of this unique individual speaking for the people. The music is almost inconsequential and it's a lot easier to listen to a man rhyming if there's something more to the scenery. I don't know. I'm rambling now, Nas is a fun artist to start rambling about. This is what made condensing the review to 250 words so difficult. But it's done, and I'm moving on.

I plan on starting to write to Conor Oberst review after composing this post. In other words, I'm procrastinating now. I also have two CDs that the HaveYouHeard guys gave me that i haven't yet written about. I would like to get all three of these done tonight (at least a rough draft) in time for Obama's speach.

I saw My Morning Jacket at the Fox last night. Great show. There were some lulls, but the highs more than made up for it. It made me think that Z might be one of my favorite CDs. Like I said in my review of Evil Urges, the last two songs on that CD blew my mind with beauty, darkness, and all those epic words you use for bands that trancend. On Z, MMJ were able to this for an entire album. This is a band that could do the hard rock thing, but that seems to easy for them. The could go around making different version of "One Big Holiday", and that works for them (see "Alluminum Park" another highlight of Evil Urgers). But they want to try new stuff and be wierd and inclusive and operatic. I'd like to write a review of this for Have You Heard and go on a rant about thier question they ask bands "What are you're anti influences" and about how bands that aren't self concious can reach another level that band's preoccupied by how they are percieved can't achieve. Of course, like anything, there's plusses and minuses on both sides. A lack of self awareness can result in the ultimate chease, think David Lee Roth. And I'm not sure if the motivations betweens James and Roth are that far off. James wouldn't be parading on stage with a cape on if he was worried about being cool. He's a man with grand and at times bizzare vission. I'm glad he lets it all hang out without regard for the consequences. So "Highly Suspicious" is a crappy song and the consequenes of an artist having free reign to do whatever he pleases without the thought the he's sounding too much like shmaltz. But it did kind of rock at the show.

Looks like I'm in the writing mood (thank you Aurura iced coffee), let's see if I can put this towards something publishable"

Thoghts while watching the closing ceremonies

2008-08-24T21:50:00.000-04:00

This picture could make me laugh for days. I had to post it.

I really enjoyed watching the Olympics this year. Now the flame has just gone out. Or at least on tape delay it just did. 16 days of just about the most pleasant distraction imaginable. Entertainment of the highest order, if you like sports and melodramatic spectacle. And I do.

I had a review posted on flagpole last Wednesday. Its of the Wale mixtape I wrote about here on this blog.

My review of Bark Hide and Horn's first album went up on HaveYouHeard.net earlier today. They're a new exciting band from Portland, OR. Their new album, National Road is available now. The song isn't working on haveyouheard.net right now. Hopefully that'll get fixed soon.

I had an interesting run of bad luck the other night when, on my drive from Savannah to Atlanta I was pulled over and then my car wouldn't start. I had an hour an a half wait for Progressive to come and give me a boost. Good thing I had my i-pod and an i-pod boom box with me. I took this as an opportunity to enjoy the last two haveyouheard podcasts. As always, I recommend subscribing, and not just because I write for them, but I enjoy listening to it. And it helps pass the time really well, trust me.

And The Sound of Young America had a great interview with Craig Finn and the guitarist from The Hold Steady (scroll down to the Aug. 19 podcasat). This is a podcast I don't listen to regularly, but whenever he has on a good guest, or at least someone I'm familiar with. I also recommend his interviews with Kenny Mayne, Chris Panell, and Jay Smooth. The archives can be found here or by subscribing on i-tunes.

Another Review Up And Trouble With Nas

2008-08-16T14:41:00.000-04:00

This review is up at haveyouheard.net. Its about a CD that didn't do anything for me. It might be good if you like ska and punk. I don't. Let's move one.

I'm in a kinda sour mood because I can't seem to finish my review of the new Nas CD. At one point it was 3 pages long. I'm narrowing it down to 250 words and still have it say what I want. Not so easy. I decided to take a small break and post that another review went up.

Aviary Ghost - Memory Is A Hallway

2008-08-11T11:07:00.000-04:00

Yesterday my second review on "Have You Heard" was posted. It's Aviary Ghost - Memory Is A Hallway. I'm not sure if how much I enjoy the CD comes across in the review. It's just not as good as the CD it reminded me of, Bon Iver's For Emma, For Ever Ago.

I finished the Wale (there's an accent on the 'e' but I don't know how to put it there on the computer) and That Handsome Devil review yesterday. One's for "HYH" and the other is for Flagpole. You'll have to stay tuned to see which is for what.

And Louis, thanks for commenting on two of the reviews so far.

Lee "Scratch" Perry - Repentance

2008-08-09T15:33:00.000-04:00

The Lee "Scratch" Perry review is now up on Have You Heard.

This was a fun review to do. I like the idea of getting handed or sent random CDs with the assignment of putting together a review. When I choose to review a CD I'm anticipating, I put pressure on myself to find my definitive opinion (I just got the new Nas and expect to spend a lot of time with that one - same with the Conor Oberst one, which I should be getting in the mail today). With the artists I'm less familiar with, I'm giving something closer to an unfiltered reaction. I'm going in with no pre-conceived notions that are being tested. It's simpler.

Repentance is an extremely absurd, vulgar, and creative CD. I say as much in the review. I'm not recommending it, but I'm glad that I'm now familiar with this reggae legend. I recommend at least listening to the track available above the review on the above link. If you actually enjoy it as something more than a novelty song, you'll absolutely love the full album. While "scouring the net" for a bio on Lee Perry, I thought of a post I read recently on Deadspin (yes, the sports blog) about Hunter S. Thompson. Is this album a caricature of his once greatness, like Hunter's ESPN Page 2 articles (which where actually my intro to Hunter, so I have a more lenient opinion of this work than Will Leitch)? I definitely felt I was laughing at the artist at times while listening to Repentance. But there are clips of Perry himself laughing after a particularly absurd and vulgar track. I get the feeling he knows what he's doing, but he can't help himself. While I don't recommend Repentance, I can't deny that I was fascinated by it.

2008-08-06T21:12:00.000-04:00

My second review on Flagpole is now up: link (this week its the second one down).

A few notes on this one, like I promised last post. One, replace The Eagles with Elton John. That is, "it resembles a strange combination of Elton John and Spoon." I had a hard time with this album and feel much better equipped to expound my opinion on Evil Urges a few weeks later. Simply put, they do achieve what they had on past albums ("epic adventures that transcended whatever genre you initially placed them in. With healthy doses of jam band catharsis and Southern rock charm, songs became something bigger. MMJ seemed primed to fill arenas someday, unleashing their grand rock operas à la The Who, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin." as I say in the review). I say they don't do this again with Evil, but in hindsight, I think they do. It's just that there's simply a small handful tracks I skip. Maybe three of the tracks. Overall, I see myself still listening the Evil many years down the road. Also, I think a few songs from this CD may even become highlights of their live show.

Thirdly, my editor replaced a lot of my "their"s with "its" (even capitalizing one, which I hope gets fixed soon) which I'm not sure I agree with. But my grammar's terrible, so I concede this time.

The difficulty I have writing reviews about bands I love is that I'll get overly critical and respond by getting overly defensive. And I'll end up doing ridiculous things like comparing My Morning Jacket to the Eagles. Oh well.

One last thing on the review: Obviously flagpole is more of a print thing. This means getting to the archive of reviews online is no easy task. I don't know why they don't have a search function, but they don't. The link I put up last week to the G-Unit review will put you to the same page I linked to this week. Maybe this'll get fixed in a couple of years. The good thing is I'm getting paid 15 bucks a pop for these reviews. My next three reviews for them will be the new one from Conor Oberst, I'm trying to get them to publish a review of that Wale mixtape I wrote about in my last post, and the new Nas. I'm listening to the Nas album The Lost Tapes right now and can't recommend it enough. So much better than some of his albums. I'll be picking up the new one tomorrow or Friday. Heres a clip of him on the Colbert Report:

And some other links I've forwarded to my brothers last week (which I'll start posting up here):

The Hold Steady on Morning Edition

Hear the new Conor Oberst album on line right now

Cameron Crowe spends time with Pearl Jam from the Vs. era. A must for any PJ fan.

One last thing: My reviews on Have You Heard should be up this week. Now that's a good looking website!

Published! Recomendations = Wale and The Hold Steady. And Read As I Dance Around a Dangerous Topic

2008-07-31T15:54:00.000-04:00

Well, it's begun. The G-Unit review was published in Flagpole. Hopefully this is the beginning of a longish relationship. I think my My Morning Jacket Review should be in next week. While I'm happy with how the T.O.S. review ended up, I had real tough time with the Evil Urges one. When/If it gets published I'll post my further thoughts on here. Bottom line is, I'm still listening to the CD and there are some truly magical moments on it, but I am skipping around. I listened to Z again today and I'm not sure its as much of a departure from their previous stuff as I make it seem in my review. Oh well.

But right now, I'm pretty enamored with something I downloaded from the net. It's my first "mixtape" experience. It's Wale - The Mixtape About Nothing

I found out about through pitchfork and followed the links to here. Its free, so I thought why not. Never thought two of my favorite forms of entertainment, Seinfeld and hip-hop, would come together and actually result in something this good. I highly recommend it. It won't turn a Seinfeld fan on to hip hop or vice versa, but if you like lyricism you are in for a treat. If you're a Seinfeld fan, that's just icing on the cake. It's not really a mixtape about nothing, just like Seinfeld wasn't really a show about nothing. The show is just a springboard to take on associated topics.

It begins with a mix of the Sienfeld theme where he begins each line with "What's the deal with . . ." Love it. Next up is his verse from the latest Roots CD. Wale raps over some the better beats put out there in the past few years, Jay Z's Roc Boys (from American Gangster) and The Roots "Star" (lead off track from the highly underrated The Tipping Point). Lots of good introspection and clever observations here, with the highlight coming in on "The Kramer" his response to Kramer's outburst last year. Wale's take on the N word is right up there with A Tribe Called Quest and Mos Def's songs that take it on as well (I still need to check out the new Nas CD to see how he does it, which I'm sure he does on the album where that's what he originally wanted to call it). It's scary, honest, hopeful, depressing. He's not judging or really serving his opinion, he just explains how its used who gets offended and it ends with a story where there's no judgement but its hard not to have an opinion. Not sure how to edit myself here (I have a book by Kool Mo Dee where he lists his top 50 MCs, it's called "There's A God on the Mic", and he replaces the n word with nukka, so I'll try it that way), but here's that story:

"A nukka write 'nukka' in a lyric,

Expect the white boy to omit it

The white boy spit it like he spit it

Recite it to his friends, who by the way, aint nukkas

He say 'nukka nukka nukka, my favorite rapper did it'

And non-nukka friends got it with em

Incorporate this lyric to they everyday livin

Until a black friend kinda heard just a tidbit

He thinks 'aw forget it, it's so insignificant and little.'

The white boy sees this as a clearance

Now its 'nukka nukka nukka' every single day

And that little nukka nukka thinks its ok

And he's the only one in this particular grade

And it begins to phase him more each day

The things they say went a little too far

He couldn't tell the difference between the 'a' or 'er'

But they just keep going saying nukka in his face

There's nothing he can do, he let it get away

It came to the point he couldn't look them in the face"

The rest of the mixtape isn't as heavy, but it's just as creative and interesting. And there's clips from Seinfeld. Perfect. Well, not really perfect b/c at 19 tracks its a little bloated. But aren't mixtapes about quantity over quality? I'm really asking, don't know. And it's free so I'm not complaining.

And while we're on music recommendation. I also recommend having at least one summer drive while blasting the new Hold Steady CD, Stay Positive. Fun Rock and Roll heavy on story telling. Like all their other stuff, feel free to make you Bruce Springsteen and E Street band comparisons. The thing is, it holds up right up there with the best of the Boss. I think. Not sure if I willing to stand by that statement quite yet actually, but I'm considering it.

Next up on my review schedule in an assignment from the Have You Heard guys. I stopped by Bradley's place during my lunch break on Tuesday and he gave me three CD's, none that I was familiar with (Aviary Ghost, Lee "Scratch" Perry, and That Handsome Devil). So far only one of them is really catching my ear. He asked me to have something written up in the next five days. I've written about 10 words on the Aviary Ghost CD and haven't even listened to the other CDs yet. Not sure when it'll get done, but it'll happen. Instead I keep listening to the new ones from The Hold Steady and My Morning Jacket. And now that I've just discovered Wale, it's gonna be hard to fight through the procrastinations and listen to CDs I may not even like. So it goes.

So that's the plan for this blogspot now. I'll put up a link when something gets published followed by random music thoughts. My brother asked me yesterday how he'll know when something of mine gets published. I guess that's the purpose of this site. I wrote about this in my last entry I think.

One more thing. I was out with a few friends last night and someone asked, has there been any CD that's blown you away this year? He asked because he thought it's been a disappointing year in music so far. I thought about this and . . . blown me away? . . . I'm still listening to the new ones from the Roots and Drive By Truckers. Lots of good CDs from consistent artists. I'm gonna have to think about this one some more. Bon Iver, forgot about him. I'd like to hear more of the Fleet Foxes as well.

That's it for now. Until next time.

An Assignment and Speaking to Myself

2008-07-15T20:33:00.000-04:00

As of this writing, the italic underneath the title of this blogspot reads: "My continuing effort to review albums and maybe get published." Well, it appears that this half baked strategy may be working. I sent my past two reviews to my friend of a friend at Flagpole (the free weekly in Athens, GA) and she replied back with an assignment. First up, G- g- g-g -g -g g- G-Unit! Well it should be interesting. My review that is, I'm skeptical going into the CD.

The other thing is, and this one I might be jinxing, but I talked to the guys over at haveyouheard.net. I randomly met Bradley, one of the guys who does this podcast, at a goodbye dinner for a friend. He told me about his podcast and blog and I told him I'm looking to write about music. He asked me to send him an email if I was really interested and we exchanged numbers. After a back and forth of emails and a phone call, I went to check out a recording session this past weekend and I was introduced to everyone as a new writer for their blog, but I'm still waiting for a phone call to knock out the final details.

I also went on a bit of a CD splurge this past weekend and picked up three choice selections: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago, Lupe Fiasco - Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, and My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges. The first two I had been hearing good things about for a while and the beyond favorable responses the guys at haveyouheard finally inspired me to lay down some cold hard cash for the tunes.

But before my response to these new discs, I want to think out loud for a while about the purpose of this blog now. I was reading the guidelines Flagpole sent me and it included the following about plagerism: "This includes cribbing from any source, Flagpole archives or your own published work." At first my idea was to post rough drafts on this blog so I could see how the stuff read in a more, well, formal setting. But does putting stuff on the internet equal publishing. The button I click to put this up reads, "Publish Post." So there's one answer. I remember asking someone who wrote for a blog once if they considered that being published. I forgot her answer. She wasn't that interesting of conversationalist. I've decided not to risk it and keep this blog and things I send to Flagpole (or haveyouhear.net for that matter) separate. I still want to keep this up cause the more writing I do the better I get at it.

I'll post links to reviews I get published, so if someone asks me where they can find my reviews I can give em this address. Which got me thinking of a blog I used to read on a somewhat regular basis: http://sashafrerejones.com/. Sasha Frere Jones writes music reviews for the New Yorker but keeps a quick hit, artsy, and somewhat cryptic blog. Beyond random thoughts and pictures from him, it's also helpful because he'll notify you when he gets an article published along with a link to it. So what am I gonna do with my thing called michaeljgerber.blogspot.com?

I'll keep it as an exercise to keep me writing. A place without guide lines. I'll post my initial reactions to albums as well as recommendations. Basically all my writing about music which doesn't have a chance of making it to the other places. Which brings me tothe three CDs I picked up.

I'll do this in quick hit style and then maybe post something lengthier later if inspired.

The new My Morning Jacket: I was warned that I'd be disappointed. But I really liked the opening track, "Evil Urges" which made me think that other people were simply not getting it. Well, my first reaction ranged from disappointment to severe disspointment to, maybe it's not that bad. Not a promising start. I listened to it a second time today and it was much better. Why? How? While It Still Moves, Z, and the live album Okonokos are mind blowing, Evil Urges is simply very good soft rock. I don't mean that in a condescending way. I have a, well, a soft spot for soft rock and know I'm not the only one who appreciates the music selection at CVS. Really, I implore you to pay attention to the music while at the convenience store, it's a best of soft rock that'll get stuck in your head. I'm talking Eagles, Sheryl Crow . . . not that I own an Eagles or Sheryl Crow record (on second thought, I'm sure there's a copy of Tuesday Night Music Club somewhere in my apartment) and I desperately hope My Morning Jacket isn't turning into that. But it's not that bad and I'll give it a few more listens until I have a more definitive opinion. I expected something great. This was not that. On the haveyouheard podcast they described it as a transitional record. God I hope so.

Lupe Fiasco's The Cool is an interesting album. Not so much musically but in terms of his lyracisim. Unfortunately since I bought the album on Sunday it hasn't engaged me enough to listen to all the way through. Another album I thought I was going to fall in love with. So, I'm disappointed as of now but I really shouldn't be commenting before I hear the whole thing.

The Bon Iver one . . . Absolutely beautiful. Not quite the summertime album, but play it once the sun goes down and it will take you to that place that maybe Pink Floyd has been able to achieve in the past, but never this personal. This makes my disappointment in the other two CDs I got easier to digest. It really is fantastic to discover new music like this. It's lonely, poetic, catchy, subtle, sparse and complete. Better descriptions have been written and I'm getting tired so I'll leave it at that.

Root Down (Pt. 2)

2008-07-05T20:33:00.000-04:00

A few days later, here's the edited version. We'll see what happens. And because I like the album cover so much, I'll put that up again

The Roots – Rising Down

“Rising Down” is book ended by private conversations between Roots leaders Amir “?uestlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter. First, we hear an argument from 1994 about “the Roots product” no longer being fun because of label impositions. The argument barely remains civil and in seconds inevitably escalates into genuine “losing it” grown man screams. This echoes into the next track, "Rising Down", where, after a surprise opening verse from Mos Def, Black Thought spits environmental doomsday raps followed “I don’t want to floss I done lost my passion” and, a few lines later, “I’m working while the boss relaxing.” This is not a fun album. The Roots haven’t been fun for two albums now, but that hasn’t kept them from staying interesting.

For most of Rising Down a haunted minimalist combination of drums, sparse guitar notes, and heavy synth groves provide the backdrop for inspired explorations of exhaustion from a Okayplayer-centric all-star collection of lyricists. As exhaustion is the theme of the night, all invited guests give their take on being fed up with work, jaded by race relations, frustrated with politics, and weary from a poverty stricken world infested with violent crime. Mos Def, Malik B, Talib Kweli, Styles P, Peetey Pete, Dice Raw, Common, and newcomer P.O.R.N. all bring their specialties to the table that Black Thought and ?uestlove have set. While the steady array of head nodding beats with non-stop rhymes may not seem special at first, every MC provides a few lines that call for rewinds to make sure you caught it all. Everyone has raised their games and contributes insights to chew on using clever wordplay and in your face vulgar with a purpose rhyming.

With Rising Down the mighty Roots crew once again turn their frustration into entertainment. And while consistent from start to finish, it doesn’t contain the urgency or social enlightenment of its predecessor, Game Theory. That’s because this is a more personal and dark album, a perfect example being the excerpts from the over ten-year-old conflict that begin and end the record. In the end we hear the resolution, and with their guard down we hear how scared the Roots are of being dropped from the label. And just when it seems like they got it figured out, in mid sentence we hear, “oh shit, someone just hit the fuckin’ rent-a-car,” Befuddlement is followed by laughter and a “as if shit couldn’t . . .” By the end of the album not only has the listener been entertained, we understand and relate to the frustration of these artists.

Root Down

2008-07-03T21:46:00.000-04:00

After about seven drafts . . . the first draft of my rising down review! I'll take a look at it later, edit it one more time, and send it off to flagpole with the death cab one and ask for any freelance opportunities . . . gotta start getting these done quicker.

The Roots - Rising Down

“Rising Down” is book ended by private conversations between Roots leaders Amir “?uestlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter. First, we hear an argument from 1994 about “the Roots product” no longer being fun because of label impositions. The argument barely remains civil and in seconds inevitably escalates into genuine “losing it” grown man screams. This echoes into the next track, "Rising Down", where Black Thought spits environmental doomsday raps followed “I don’t want to floss I done lost my passion” and, a few lines later, “I’m working while the boss relaxing.” This is not a fun album. The Roots haven’t been fun, or even uplifting, for two albums now, but that hasn’t kept them from staying interesting.

For most of “Rising Down”, a haunted minimalist combination of drums, sparse guitar notes, and heavy synth groves provide the backdrop for inspired explorations of exhaustion from a Okayplayer-centric all-star collection of lyricists. Exhausted with work, jaded by race relations, frustrated with politics, and weary from a poverty stricken world infested with violent crime. Mos Def, Malik B, Talib Kweli, Styles P, Peetey Pete, Dice Raw, Common, and newcomer P.O.R.N. all bring their specialties to the table that Black Thought and ?uestlove have set. While the steady array of head nodding beats with non-stop rhymes may not seem special at first, every MC provides a few lines that call for rewinds to make sure you caught it all. Everyone has raised their games and contributes some thoughts to chew on using clever wordplay complex rhyming.

Death Cab and The Past

2008-06-16T21:55:00.000-04:00

I edited the review I put up yesterday. So this could be an entertaining exercise in reading. The before an after type thing. The first and last sentences are the same, but the middle -I hope- is much improved with the fat taken out and better adjectives put back in (edit - since writing that I added another sentence - 348 words now). Here's what I'm going to send to Flagpole:

Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs

In an essay he wrote for Paste Magazine, Death Cab for Cutie’s front man Ben Gibbard explained that he purposely began Narrow Stairs with the lyric, “I descended.” Much like Plato’s The Republic begins with “I went down,” so does Death Cab’s exploration into, well, the purpose of it all (Gibbard’s essay was titled “The Meaning of Life”). Whoa there, was that a comparison between a popular for the time being indie rock band and history’s preeminent philosopher? Well, this over reaching bordering on absurd comparison actually has some logic to it, as the band takes their exploration of the human soul, or at least relationships, seriously, perhaps over seriously. Death Cab always seemed more comfortable as an artsy pop band with philosophical aspirations rather than the rocking kind. At their best they combine the two worlds, engaging both the mind and body, which they do here in the heavier and more experimental (read distortion) moments. These moments don’t last too long though, as there are more important and darkly juvenile self-deprecating insights to sing about. With an unrushed savoring of the sadder moments, Death Cab manages to keep those indulgences beautifully painful and not embarrassingly emo.

Death Cab’s grand artistic ambition with pop palatability makes for a mellow and dramatic album with some harder edged moments that don’t compromise the quintessential rock wimpiness that makes Death Cab Death Cab. The album succeeds in feeling like one continuous song rather than a collection of the best they could come up with between albums. Their previous effort, and first on a major label, Plans, was a collection of catchy, sad, and meaningful pop tunes but unfortunately forgettable. This one is more reminiscent of 2003’s Tranalatasism in that there is an overriding theme and time is taken out for musical digressions, which ultimately makes it more memorable. Purposeful, theatrical, and moody melodies seamlessly flow from track to track until the gunk of perpetual adolescent males aging past young adulthood is brought up to the surface from wherever Mr. Gibbard descended. With output like Narrow Stairs, this is a good thing.

Death Cab and The Future

2008-06-15T10:57:00.001-04:00

May came and went without a post, but I've got a quick one for mid June. The goal now is to get published. I've got a friend of a friend over at Flagpole (a free weekly rag in Athens, GA) and I'm gonna send her a sample. This one of Death Cab's newest and maybe one from my whatcharockin.com days if I can find a good one on my computer somewhere.

I'm trying to get this one down to 275 - 300 words and it's 375 in its present form. The plan is to post it here and come back to it later tonight. Maybe I'll even send it to flagpole on Monday. A quick review without any forethought - I like this album a lot so far. Mellow and dramatic with some experimental moments without any compromise on the quintessential wimpiness that makes Death Cab Death Cab. Without further ado . . .

Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
In an essay he wrote for Paste Magazine, Death Cab for Cutie’s front man Ben Gibbard explained that he purposely began Narrow Stairs with the lyric, “I descended.” Much like Plato’s The Republic begins with “I went down,” so does Death Cab’s exploration into, well, the purpose of it all (Gibbard’s essay was titled “The Meaning of Life”). Whoa there, did I just compare a marginally popular pop band to world’s preeminent philosopher. Maybe a better reference/comparison would have been to the Steve Miller Band’s “you’ve got to go to hell before you get to heaven” line from the woo-hooing of “Big Old Jet Airliner.” No, the over reaching comparison makes sense here as the band takes their exploration of the human soul, or at least relationships seriously, perhaps over seriously and Death cab have always seemed more comfortable as an artistic pop band rather than a rocking one. The point is, they’re getting down to the nitty gritty and letting us know what they find. It can be embarrassing, dark, and juvenile. But in order to be honest about these topics, those other adjectives are necessary. It’s about awkward feelings that cause stalker-ish behavior and severe self-deprecation, the histrionics of puberty at its worst. Prime examples are the lyrics “gotta spend some time with me and I will possess your heart” from “I Will Possess Your Heart” and “You can do better than me, I can’t do better than you” from “You Can Do Better Than Me”.

But what about the music? Enough feedback for an edge, enough pop for palatability. The album succeeds in feeling like one continuous song rather than a collection of the best they could come up with between albums. Their previous effort, and first on a major label, Plans, was a collection of catchy and dramatic sad and meaningful pop tunes but unfortunately forgettable. This one is more reminiscent of 2003’s Tranalatasism in that there is an overriding theme and time is taken out for musical digressions, which ultimately makes it more memorable. Purposeful, theatrical, and moody melodies seamlessly flow from track to track until the gunk of perpetual adolescent soul of males aging past young adulthood is brought up to the surface from wherever Mr. Gibbard descended.

Black Crowes - Warpaint, But First, A 'Traction

2008-04-07T19:21:00.000-04:00

Second entry in a row where I'm beginning with a retraction. I roundly dismissed The National's "Boxer" a few months ago. Now? I've been playing it non-stop for the past few days. It all started with the rain last week. I needed solemn music for a gray and rainy day and I remembered the "Boxer" was pretty low key. It was perfect.

So, how do I come to terms with the fact that I gave the album a bad review. If I was a real (published) music reviewer what would I do in this situation. The fact is, The National's "Boxer" is simply too subtle an album to be listened to with a critical ear. If you sit down and wait for the brilliance to blow you away, like I did, you'll be left bored. If you put it on because you want your mind to drift while your doing something else, this will do the trick. I guess it's kind of like meditation chanting. The 'hummmmmmmm' of the yogi sitting indian style doesn't come across as anything special, but people really trip out to it.

But the album I'm going to listen to now isn't subtle. It's "Warpaint", the new one from the Black Crowes. Their first three albums were near perfect snapshots of rock and roll. Or southern rock if you prefer. Already legends after those super star albums (Shake Your Money Maker, The Southern Harmony and Musical Compnaion, and Amorica), is there a need for any new music from them? What a ridiculous and out of line question that is. A better question to have in the back of mind while I give my impression of Warpaint was asked on a past 'All Songs Considered" podcast after a new Rolling Stones album came out: If you feel like listening to the Rolling Stones, are you going to put on their latest effort, or go back to the classics? Same question for the Crowes at this point. They've now put out three albums since Amorica and not a one is in my current listening rotation. And for the record, Amorica and Southern Harmony get a few plays per month, especially now that it's Spring (in other words: put away the moody indie stuff and get ready to rock). And while we're on the record, let me say that "Sometimes Salvation", from Southern Harmony, is one of the best rock songs ever. There. I said it.

On to Warpaint:

It begins with it's most radio friendly track, "Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution," and it's the one that gets stuck in my head. Rollicking fun with bending guitar notes which wiz past you while the top is down on this dusty road. Chris Robinson has a perfect rock voice: buttery soul with scratchy weariness from life on the road. At the same time you can tell he is enjoying his job as rock band front man but also yearning and doing something important which at times can be painful. Hell if I know what he's talking about half the time, but the emotion that oozes from his vocals is irresistible. A lot of things that are great about the Crowes are in this song.

But the next song, "Walk Believer Walk" is boring. The accomplish what they set out for. A swampy repetitive down and out blues standard. There is some beauty to it, but there is much about it that's skipable in our digital CD age. Who wants to be stuck in a swamp on a humid day. Everything about this song says beer run / bathroom break. The good part about this song. That scream singing yearning that cuts to the heart, which is what makes "Sometimes Salvation" a favorite of mine, is there in full force.

"Josephine" is next and it's a slow ballad with slide guitar picking while an acoustic strums lazily. Piano keys kick in and Chris and Rich are harmonizing, make the laziness serene. Did I mention a twang when I was describing Chris' voice earlier. No, doesn't look like it. Add that in as well. I could see naysayers naysaying that this song is trying too hard to sound like "She Talks to Angles." I strongly disagree. This is the Crowes playing to their strengths and belting out a slow jammy ballad about a messed up girl. Have I mentioned that I love rock bands with keyboards. Cause I do. If you're a Pearl Jam fan, then you'll know what I'm saying when I state: I fall into the fan base that thinks adding Boom was pleasant surprise that I hope stays for the long term. Or maybe the Hold Steady is better reference point for you. I love that stuff.

Next up is "Evergreen." "Evergreen, Evergreen / Prettiest Thing I Ever Seen", the Crowes are keeping it lyrically simple for this one. To me, this song sounds a great band doing something mediocre. Like "Walk Believer Walk", it has a paint by the numbers blues rock structure. Like I said for that song, this one is also skippable. In fact, I have this CD for about a month now and lately I've been skipping to the fourth song on the album and letting things ride from there.

The beginning of "Wee Who See Deep" is also pretty standard rock riffing, but the passion is back in this one and lyrics are cryptic, big, and philosophical. The basic riff chugs along joined by piano and Chris letting it hang out:

"Put forever in your mind
Let go of space and time
Yeah say it is we who see the deep
It is we that the less earn teeth"

But the song becomes something of note at the end, after a solo made for head bobbing lost in space moments, where Chris repeats "No Where Is Nothing At All." The instruments try and fade away to end the song, but those bleeding vocals pump it back to life. I'd love to this song live and let them really air it out.

So far "Locust Street" is my favorite song on the album. The voice is twangier here. The music is on the slower side with typical Crowes fare. And I quote here again because it really is the quintessential Chris Robinson lyric:

Sad eyes, weeping willow
Black cat blues, blacked out window

And the way he sings "crying" at the end of "Can't you hear the sunrise crying" in the chorus is addictive. He doesn't quite lose it but is more emotionally keeled on this track. A knowing outsider this time rather than a man lost.

The reason I've been skipping to track four lately when listening to Warpaint is because the song after my favorite song on the album is followed by the most fun one, "Movin' Down The Line." The songs feel changes throughout. He begins by chant signing "It's allright brothers, it's allright sisters" until the music slowly builds around him, then it becomes honky tonk back porch party, and then it transitions a more radio friendly pop chorus that is pure pleasure.

Now we're on a roll. The next, "Wounded Dove" track keeps the upbeat churning alive. It's got a dirty crusty mud stomping feel for the verses followed then a clean uplifting chorus. I have no idea if that image is going to conjure up what the song sounds like for you. Let me know if it works.

A pit stop to reload is a good way to look at the next track. It's a traditional gospel that is not as tight as the previous three tunes but more and simple more laid back. Chris is slappin away as his tambourine while he belts out the repetitive lyrics:

If you need it
God's got it
He's got everything that you need.

They know where there roots lie. But I'd be lying if I said I haven't skipped past this one on most of trips through this album. What I do like about this track is that it gives the album a free spirit feel to it. That is, it's band having fun who take this music stuff pretty seriously, in that they're talented and it's their spiritual outlet but they're not afraid to let loose and keep it on wax.

Next up is a sad slow ballad, "There's Gold In Them Hills". Great change of pace. It let's us know that this good time is coming to end. Images of old west outlaws sitting around speculating about future adventures, past tribulations, with an overriding theme of regret and trying desperately to find some hope. Again, there's some honky tonk moments here which only add to it and keep it interesting.

The last song, "Whoa Mule" begins a-capella then lets bongos a harmonica and slide guitar take over to find a groovy rhythm. When the singing and music join together it's something traditional and laid back. I don't know if it's the cover art manipulating the imagery that comes to mind or if the old western feel of the last song is still in my subconscious, but here's what I'm seeing: Night time on the open range, horses are tied up, and a camp fire burns ferociously . The fire, along with the moon and stars provides the only lighting needed for these shadowy traveling band of troubadours. It's laid back, it's exciting, and it's all encompassing. It's tradition tearing up (in a good way) the open range.

And the answer is yes. Is this album I'm going to reach for in a few years when I want to hear the Black Crowes. That doesn't mean I won't be skipping around, but I will be listening to this album years down the road. At least I think so. We all know how misleading first impressions can be - see the first paragraph of this post.

DBT - LTCD, sides 3 and 4

2008-03-27T21:17:00.000-04:00

Before I begin, let me say that "The Opening Act", a song I pushed aside in the first part of my review, is now one of my favorite sad ballads with steel guitar (along with Jay Farrar's best). That's the hazard of music reviews, you never know what's gonna grow on you. I'm trying to think of an album example of something I dismissed when I first heard it only to embrace later on. mmmmm, I'll get back to you on that. For now, side 3 the Drive By Trucker's "Lighter Than Creation's Dark."

First, let me say if the CD ended after the first 10 songs, or the first record if you insist (and I kind of do), it would be an undeniable classic. Tight, cohesive, everything I love about rock in 10 varied songs. Second, let me say I hate "Lisa's Birthday", the 11th song and first one on the second record (side 3). But that's how it is when your overwhelmed with 2 large vinyl plates. I feel it's more acceptable to have a simple and traditional honky tonk throw away when you look at it that way. This is where Cooley's country tendencies drag everyone down. Fortunately he more than makes up for it with his other efforts. We're not even to his standout contribution to the album, "A Ghost to You." Of course, the song could grow on me. But I doubt it.

One song that could grow on me is "That Man I Shot." Straight forward dirty riff with ominous lyrics. But because it's nothing special, it's a bit of let down after the stellar first 10 songs. I like it more after hearing the story behind the song, which can be found on Patterson's Hood's interview with Pitchfork. I believe this is also the article that got me thinking about 'what is southern rock?' I think the interviewer actually says are you southern rock or a rock band from the south. It's been about a month since I read it and don't feel like going back. But it's worth reading. Once. Basically, the song is the result of a conversation with a pro-war Iraqi war vet. Does the song reach the goal of bringign you into the front lines? I don't know, it's a pretty lofty goal. Jimi Hendrix did it with "Machine Gun." Once again, only time will tell if "That Man" can be put up there with Jimi's classic, but probably not. Sometimes I feel I'm not opinionated enough to be a rock critic. I missed a perfect opportunity to go, 'Patterson Hood, you're no Jimi Hendrix.' You know like the zinger Benson threw at Quayle and now is almost mandatory when comparing a contemporary personality to a legend from the past.

Ohhh, I like the smooth transition into Shonna Tucker's "The Purgatory Line". Switching up between singer and songwriter with each track makes it a little less boring, but these three past tracks are pretty forgettable. It could be that this slow ditty is just too subtle to listen to with critical ear. The next song, "The Home Front", is more slow and subtle, now with added harmonica. Although I really like the way Patterson says "quagmire." It sounds like the band is getting tired. But this isn't really a put down, since that seems to be the atmosphere they're going for, it's about wives and girlfriends being left behind while their signifigant other go off to fight "a quagmire." It's short and sweet.

With "Checkout Time in Vegas" the album gets it groove back. Speaking of groves. If I had the vinyl version, I probably simply put the needle on the grooves of the last track (this one) everytime I put on side three facing up. Again, Cooley goes for traditional ballad. Like, the other standout tracks on LTCD, Cooley sings harmony with Shonna. This time, unlike the other slow ones on side 3,the slowness and sadness reach tangible melancholy which is beautiful.

Side 4 begins with antoher slow number. I like what Patterson goes for here, a genuine and real anti drug (ugh, I'm gonna use the word again) ballad. But it just doesn't go anywhere. At least he has the right mind to keep it short. Another Patterson misfire follows: "Goode's Field Road." Again, I like what he's going for with this angry modern blues riff with pop rock sensibilities. But there is something forgettably 70s southern classic rock about it. And it goes on too long. I feel unclean badmouthing what so far is my favorite CD of the year, but I gotta be honest. If I was in charge, and thank god I'm not cause I've got now musical talent, This would be a 13 song album. The first ten, plus "Checkout Time in Vegas" and then the two closers.

"A Ghost To Most" is about as fun as a rock song with integrity can get. Again, this highlight is due to Cooley and his traditional minded songs with vocal drawl. It's a sing along defiant declaration of detachment and independence. It's the song most likely to get stuck in your head. Strange song to put at second to last of this epic output. There's a good story about why and how it was originally going to be the second song on the album. It's in that interview I linked to above.

For the closer, Patterson goes for slow and sad with lyrics painting a picture of the lost optimism of old men and their horses, whose time has passed them by. He harmonizes with Shonna here, and of course I love it. Slide guitar, check. Acoustic and electric guitar, check. Male and female harmony, check. Perfect closer.

And that's it. A dissapointment after such a strong start? Nah. Rather than a concise album, LTCD is collection of songs with limited genre hopping -classic, rock, southern rock, modern rock, alt country, country, sad folk ballads- where they inhale the best of their influences and regurgitate them all over the room with chunks of their own uniqueness in each splash of musical vomit. Wait, that metaphor didn't end up like I anticipated. Not really sure what I was going for anyway. It's a work in progress. And hey, I'm the one criticizing here. The point is, I highly recommend this album, well worth your money.

PS- I just found this link while looking for a pic of the album work to put at the head of this post: Here's the link I'm referring to. It's Patterson going song by song giving his take on what it's all about. I feel crappy about being so critical about art he put his heart and soul into. Music that he created and that I've appreciated countless number of times in only about a months worth of listening so far. Such is life. I'm sure he'll never find out what a dick I am. Also, I love his input into the meaning of "A Ghost to Most." I'm gonna go listen to it again.

Two New CDS and What Is Southern Rock

2008-03-13T23:00:00.000-04:00

Got two new CDs recently. Looking at both covers now I'm seeing some similarities. Both are in the cardboard style of CD cases and the art work on both is aggressive pencil sketching with an almost similar font with fuzzy outlines identifying the bands. Also, both bands are typically described as Southern Rock.

Is this a real genre? What I mean is, do rock bands from the South really sound different from Rock bands in the rest of America, or even classic rock bands decedent from the British Invasion? Are Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones a different rock genre than the Allman Brothers Band? Yes, but what is difference? They were all influenced by early American Blues. Thinking . . . thinking . . . maybe it's the relaxed jamming. Zep and the Stones are great rock bands but hardly relaxing the way an Allman brothers tune can take over a summer afternoon and make time disappear. Well, I guess there's your starting point, if it sounds anything like the Allman Brothers Band it's classified as Southern Rock. But what about the Grateful Dead, are they Southern Rock? Let me do a quick wikipedia search to see where they're from . . . . Of course, they're from San Fransisco How could I forget.

But what about modern rock? Is there a clear distinction from Southern Rock and the rest of modern rock. I don't mean 'modern rock' as in 'modern rock radio', which I think includes what I consider the crap of Nickleback, Creed, and the not so crappy but still not my bag Lincoln Park. By modern rock I'm including established rock bands who survived -their music if not themselves- the 90s and still get some radio play and some excitement when something new comes out: Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, you know, the grudge stuff. Or should I call these bands alternative rock. Who knows? I'm also including what I guess what is now called indie rock. Let's give a quick list of example of what I consider indie rock: Built to Spill, Bloc Party, The Arcade Fire, Band of Horses. OK, now I'm not sure where I'm at, besides listing bands whom I like and who are covered by Pitchfork (pitchforkmedia.com).

What I'm getting at is that I find it fascinating what genre label gets put on what band. While I appreciate the exercise b/c it gives you some sort of an idea what a band sounds like before you hear them, I also realize it's meaningless and many times has more to do with image. Which brings me to the regional genres. Are all bands from South inherently Southern Rock. Well, I wouldn't call Better Than Ezra (form Baton Rouge) Southern Rock. Let's put it this way: is there a big enough difference between Pearl Jam, U2, The Black Crowes to label them under different genres? I still feel dirty spending so much time deciding what genre these bands belong in. Like I said, I'm aware this is meaningless and quite contrary to idea that good music is supposed to transcend classifications and break down the walls of the establishment. For some reason I like thinking/discussing/writing about this topic. And hey, isn't writing about meaningless stuff I think about the point of a blog.

So, what's the southern rock sound? Is it rock with a country twang? I liked this definition, but Son Volt and at times Wilco let their twang hang out never get classified as southern rock. It could be because those guys actually aren't from the south. But the similarly influenced and sounding Ryan Adams is never called Southern rock, which is interesting because he is actually from the South (North Carolina). No, these acts are dubbed 'alt country.' So, what's the difference between between alt country and southern rock? A harder edge? More heavy jamming?

Maybe I'll figure it out after listening and giving my response to the two albums I plan to review in this post. Let's get it started. The first album is . . . the new Drive By Truckers Album.

Drive By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark

I'm not as well versed in the Drive By Truckers history as my peers from big schools around the SEC who swear by them. I did burn Decaration Day while i dj'd at WRAS and it never stood out to me. But this disc, this had me after a brief listen to the first five songs. There are a genrous handful of great songs on this disc, enough for me to call it the first great album I've heard so far this year.

The band reminds you twice (once on the back of the case, once on the liner notes) that the songs should be thought of as if it were a double LP on vinyl. That is, it's divided up into four "sides" with about four or five songs per side. In practice, it's still a 19 song long CD that will play from start to finish uninterrupted. I like this artistic statement (or is it more of a listening suggestion) and I'll play along.

This is a band that's always been considered a throw back to the vinyl classic rock days. The fact that "Three Dimes Down" could be considered one of the better Rolling Stones cuts reinforces this point. And it's easy (and usually my first response to a new album) to play the 'sounds like' game, so lets give it a go:

The first song "Two Daughters and A Beatiful Wife" is in the alt-country vain so I'll give it a: sounds like Wilco during the 'Being There' phase. I already compared "Three Dimes Down" to a Rolling Stones Rocker, but it deserves to be reiterated. Next up, "The Righteous Path", which I'll give the Neil Young stamp of sounds like. We're going with a female vocalist for the next track, "I'm Sorry Houston," and to stay in the tradition of lazy journalist my first instinct is to compare it to Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley. Rounding out the first five tracks which I earlier raved about: "Perfect Timing" sounds like an Allman Brothers tune with acoustic plucking in the vain of "Blue Sky." OK, enough of that. The point is, this album reminds me of a lot bands/artists whom I already love.

The song writing and singing duties on "Brighter Than Creations Dark" are divvied up three ways. You've got the youthful yearning Patterson Hood, who is the 'band leader' so to speak and has composed and sang a great majority of Drive By's library. His songs are good, but I feel greatness is reached when Mike Cooley takes over. The aformentioned "3 Dimes Down" and "Perfect Timing" are penned and voiced by Cooley. His other songs:

"Self Destructive Zones" is an ode to pop music from the 90s on with his prose shoved to fit in structure of the verses. It feels perfectly hurried with bitter lyrics, but roll-with-the-punches and so-it-goes delivery. Here are a few of the endings of the verses which I especially like:

The radio stations all decided angst was finally old enough it ought to have a proper home
Dead, fat or rich, nobody's left to bitch about the goings on in self destructive zones

and then,

When the dream and the man and the girls hang around long enough to make you think it's coming true,
It's easier to let it all die a fairy tale, than admit that something bigger is passing through

and then,

Till the pawn shops were packed like a backstage party, hanging full of pointy ugly cheap guitars
And the young'uns all turned to karaoke, hanging all their wishes upon disregarded stars

and then (And yes, please read 'and then' in the voice of the drive through cashier from "Dude, Where's My Car. And yes, it's slightly embarrassing to reference this move while assuming you've seen it. But you have and you've loved it. Come on, admit it.)

They turned what was into something so disgusting even wild dogs would disregard the bones
Dead, fat or rich, nobody's left to bitch about the goings on in self destructive zones.

Cooley also took care of the next song, "Bob" which seems like a great slow ballad for country radio . . . and it's lovely. It's a portrait of a throw back good dude with a boring and set in his way life. The steel guitar playing selective notes in the background complete the picture. Cooley who was displaying his rock voice earlier is now in full country drawl. This is the type of country music I like. But what is country music? Just kidding, I'm sick of that conversation my self at this point.

"Home Field Advantage" is a good enough rock song. But at 19 songs, this seems like filler on what could have been a tighter album. Same feeling I get with "The Opening Act," which is a good enough alt-country song, has a lazy, nostalgic, regretful, and even has a part where Hood puts his singing aside and speaks to the listener directly. I like all this stuff in music. But still, side two crawls to a finish after crashing through the gates on fire.

We're on Side 3. And it's Cooley's first misfire, "Lisa's Birthday." I hate to be so critical, but I was really blown away by side one and the first part of side 2, especially his songs, but now we're graced with an average honky tonk sad country bar tune. Maybe it's fatigue - and it's Saturday and I feel like getting out from behind the laptop- I'm gonna take a break and continue this later on. Oh, and the other CD I got, the new Black Crowes.

Wu Tang - 8 Diagrams

2008-02-25T21:02:00.000-05:00

Eventually I'm going to review the newest Wu Tang tonight. Right now I'm listening to it's polar opposite - Josh Rouse. A little more appropriate for my upbringing. There's always gonna be some baggage when I, a white guy with a middle class suburban upbringing (private high school for crying out loud) review a rap CD. But I love rap. Not all rap. I love the street lyricist, as I like to call em. And why not, I love writing, and a lot of the time these dudes are boasting about their writing skills, and making it look bad ass. Remember when Nas first came out the gate:
Hieni dog drinker, represent the thinker
My pen rides the paper, it even has blinkers.

Then there's the classic Rakim line:
I start to think and then I sink
Into the paper like I was ink
When I'm writing, I'm tapped in between the lines,
I escape when I finish the rhyme.

On paper the Rakim line looks 100 times better. In the spirit of being honest I say this: I actually came across the Rakim line from Mos Def quoting it on "Black On Both Sides" and was a bit let down when I saw it wasn't Mos' line. How and when did I find this out. About three years ago on a VH1 special. Embarrassing. Anyway, back to the point: I like rap. The whole culture of: "give me the mic, I got something to say!" The point is, there is obviously a heavy focus on lyrics on good rap music, and that's probably why I gravitate towards the rap I do.

Mix in substance, ego, violent and misogynist tendencies, struggling with those tendencies and even falling prey to them, detailed story telling . . . sounds like a Sopranos episode, right? Good rap mixes escapism and harsh realities. Add in that it's uniquely American Black music and you got a damn good and sad and meaningful story. It's look into a life I never experienced. Through it all I find a way to relate to this culture I remain on the outside of, and most likely always will. It's a great thing when music can do that.

Enough preamble, lets turn off the pussy white boy shit (I'll be back Joshy) and enter the Wu-Tang:

Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams

Their fifth proper album begins with kung fu /philosophical narration over soul samples and simply, there's no denying who this is. What follows is a slow beat with methodical rhyming. Method Man starts things off and the overall mood behind the lyrics seems to be comfort, even for Ghostface. The beats are hypnotic bangers, head nodding ear phone music. But are they doing anything they haven't done better in the past? Well, for one thing, they seem to be minus the urgency from the early days.

The first few songs are low key and grimy with chorus' that sound like chants of a scavaging street gang creeping in back alleys. Perfect. Sleepy but not in a fatigued kinda way. More like a bass heavy effortless syrupy style. Kung-fu movie excerpts keep it thematic.

The voices are so familiar now. Nostalgia is now my first response when Rae hands it off to GZA, who spits his verse and passes it to RZA. I'm glad they're still doing it. But then it goes back to questions that will haunt them forever: What are they doing different? Did they do it better way back when? Why am I listening to this and not re-exploring Wu Tang Forever or 36 Chambers? Sometimes it feels like they have more room to explore (and do things different) when they go about it solo.

The first four songs give me an idea of their present direction as a collective. Everything seems to extend from the confident comfort level that oozes out of Meth once he leads the way with a stride onto RZA's newest musical landscape. This makes sense, since the moment they came out Meth was the comfortable superstar. The rest were yelling to be heard. It took over a decade in the spotlight, but it seems like the rest have gravitated more towards Tical's style (by the way, I love the nicknames and folklure the Wu have built, it makes it that much more fun to listen to and write about) Sometimes the cobwebs are ruffled out by old Wu Tang standards like theatrical strings which give it more of a climactic feel. Cobwebs . . . cinematic elements . . . I like this dark horror flick.

"Unpredictable" The fifth track shakes the routine up with an infusion of a very well placed screeching guitar and a sing talking chorus, which is not as well placed and in fact seems like a haphazard addition. During the chorus this song fall into chaos. I'm sure this is what RZA was going for, but it's gotten to the point where the song is struggling to stay musical. But that's inherent in grimy rap. Head nodding more than booty shaking. Of course, it's possible the song "Unpredictable" is just plain bad. Just a little too much at once.

The centerpiece of the album is the Beatles cover/sample heavy "Whily My Heart Gently Weeps." The sadness and despiration remain from the George Harrison penned original. But that seems to be the result of how RZA mixed it. The musical aspect is the most exciting element here, especially Erikah Badu. And while it's exciting, something about it doesn't seem natural. For example, take how Jay-Z took to the Annie song. It seemed natural, like I can't believe this hasn't been done before. Effortless is another adjective I'd use for that classic. This remake seems like a whole lot of effort went into it. Lyrically, there's not much, except for Ghost, who murders it. But something about it falls flat. It could be that it will take time for this song to grow on me, as I'm so familiar with the original and had such high expectations. Maybe I'd rather hear a RZA produced Erikah Badu cover without the rest of the crew.

Then after a Kung Fu interlude it goes from George Harrison to George Cliniton. They feel much more comfortable here. U-God and Meth bring a much needed infusion of energy. Not that a tired Wu Tang can't be great, they play the desperation card great, the first couple songs pulled it off, but that last one felt like they were trying to get somewhere they never arrived at.

On the 8th song now. Raekwon's rapping over a minimalist grimy/creepy/soulful beat. I'll use this down time on the album to share some of my views on the Wu infantry:

Rae's never done anything for me. To me, he's boring. Not distinct enough and, well, I just always got the impression he thought he was cooler than he actually was. I'm well aware this is blasphemy to the "Only Built For Cuban Linx" crowd.

Method Man shines and the first half of the album spotlights how he can take control of a track effortlessly. Not a real range here. Can't make it through his solo albums but he's always a shot of quality entertainment.

GZA, the genius, the thinking man's rapper. He shines more on solo albums than with the crew. Why is this? He's the most lyrical, each word is a conscious decision, which goes the against the let it flow whatever comes out comes out attitude of other members. At least it appears this way. His story telling really requires full songs to appreciate, one verse every once in a while just doesn't cut it.

U-God: Every time there's a verse that blows me away but I don't know who it is, I look it up or ask someone and it usually ends up being U-God. So why hasn't he distinguished himself yet? Why is his only instantly recognizable to me when I'm in one of my seriuos Wu Tang phases? I guess he's underrated. At least by me.

Masta Killa and Inspecta Deck: To put it simply, I'm not a big enough Wu fan to know anything about them or quote one of their verses of the top of the dome. Generic and indistinguishable in my book.

Ghostface: Brilliant. The Pretty Toney Album blew my mind. He picked up the slack on "The W" and made it what I consider a classic. He's instant melodramatic incoherent madness on the run. Oh, he makes sense in his own world of slang, but the rest of us aren't up to speed. Instantly recognizable, he was getting better on each album for a while. I think his latest solo effort was the beginning of his decent on the other side of the mountain.

RZA, my favorite. In my humble opinion, the best in the Wu-Tang family of albums is his latest solo effort: "Birth of a Prince." I know, sacreligious. What can I say? The closest track on this one which could be at home on "Birth" is "Sunlight," where RZA goes off on a religious and philosophical rant. And it's only him on this one. He a has the second most emotional range when he's rapping in the crew behind Tony Starks (Ghost) cause he's not as melodramatic. When RZA's at his best, it feels honest and vulnerable. Sometimes it feels as though he's a tick behind. It's like the music is inspiring his thoughts rather than him keeping up with the flow. The fact that he's producing all the music though probably means this style is done on purpose. It's difficult to describe RZA's flow because he has so much range. He can switch it up better than anyone on his crew. I think it's because as leader and producer he spends the most time listening and studying the others. As a result, he takes what they do best and incorporates it into his delivery, choosing whatever style fits the moment best.

After a lull in the album and a few unremarkable song, "Windmill" brings it back to that midnight back ally sleepy hypnotic comfort zone that I'm enjoying the most from this album. Seven Wu members get their shot on this one and it sounds like a laid back rhyme session where the mic is going in one direction and the joint the other. Doing what they do best.

"Weak Spot" is saved by GZA going off at the end and an adventurous beat where RZA refrains from the chaos that marred "Unpredictable."

The album ends with a tribute to Old Dirty Bastard, "Life Changes." A sad song for a tragic figure by people who really cared about him. ODB never did it for me. I often found him distracting. While he brought it and had his place on Wu's first two albums, his contributions to later (and less critically and commercially successful) albums seemed obligatory. Until the intro to this song there was no mention of ODB, and frankly I did not notice/miss it. That's harsh, I know. But it was getting to the point where I was dreading his verses on the newer stuff. This probably isn't the time or place for this. Especially during a song where his comrades are spilling their guts over missing him. I feel like a creep. Moving on.

Now that the albums ending I guess it's time for my overall thoughts. There are some really good creepy grimy songs that highlight this 14 song collection. I've listened to this album maybe five times in total since I got it in the beginning of the month. And still, I'm not sure. I know every time I listen to it there are a hand full of tracks that get me going, but nothing that stays with me after the music stops.

Post for February: The National - Boxer

2008-02-18T21:54:00.001-05:00

Obviously my goal for this was for more than one post a month.

So it goes.

The idea was just to write about albums as I listened to them. Easy enough. And it's actually something I like doing. Or at least I write reviews in my head while I'm listening to music sometimes . . . a good bit of time . . . more than I'd like to admit.

About a month ago I purchased 2 cds in one visit. I got the newest Wu Tang and The National CD - The Boxer. This CD made a bunch of year end best of lists from publications I respect and the one song I heard from it seemed like it was up my alley. (On a side note, right now I am listening to clips from the new Mountain Goats cd on thier website: http://www.4ad.com/features/hereticpride/. I didn't know they had a new one coming out until I saw the review on pitchfork tonight. They gave an 8. not bad. The other new cd I have my eye on is the new Nada Surf, which I really like the song you can hear along the review on theavclub.com. here's the link: http://www.avclub.com/content/music/nada_surf. I also can't believe I haven't picked up the newest Lupe Fiasco cd after i loved his first one so much. What happened with his latest effort? I have not heard word one about it.) Just pushed play on The Boxer, time to write:

The National - Boxer

The description that keeps running through my mind, like with most new bands I'm trying to get a grasp of, is a comparison to another band. This time it's acoustic Interpol. Perhaps 'Interpol meets Jack Johnson' if I'm selling the movie rights to the album. Maybe it's the deep drony unemotional vocal and simple unobstrusive music. I dont' know. This is my usual starting point with new music: What does this sound like which I've heard before?

I've listened to this CD now quite a few time, but have I really heard it? Usually it easily falls into the background. That's a good thing. I think it means it's catchy but not in a smack you over the head with bubble gum pop kinda way.

The cover of the cd is simple, mostly black, with a black and white photograph towards the bottom with band standing still on stage at a prom/wedding/bar-mitzvah formal type event with the sparse crowd slow dancing. I bring this up because it appears the band is trying to be ironic. This can be a problem with music because genuineness is held as such a premium. When the lead singer deadpans his lyrics I have to wonder was any thought put into this? Does he really care? I'm sure this isn't the case. But these are the types of questions that never got brought up when Robert Plant was belting out his British blues power ballads. Needless to say, it's kind of a turn off and unexciting.

But there is some appeal to his devil may care attitude as the music swells and dips. The piano is a nice touch. This combined with sad acoustic strumming can be quite melancholic. In fact, maybe it's not a flat affect, but a whisper with his eyes closed as he tries to get to the bottom of whatever issue is at hand, which, if it wasn't for the microphone, would barely be audible. It's the sound of a man being brought back to life form despair or possibly facing and accepting death. The emotional deadness is the emotion.

But I do keep going back to the description of "unexciting." Catchy but unexciting. Easy to digest. Unique but familiar enough to fade in the background. The overall atmosphere of unexcitedness makes any slight change or build up that much more monumentous.

Does it sound like I'm trying to force myself to like this album? I could see that. On the surface the album does nothing for me. But I do enjoy listening to it, it's calming and sad, and those are things I like in my tunes. The question is, do I recommend it? For now, I'm going to go with no. But if I'm still listening to this months later (I'll check back in after the spring), the answer could be changed.

Which brings to a point no body cares about. You may have noticed I put together my usual mix CD of favorite songs from the past year but no 10 best albums list. This from a person who holds complete albums dear to his heart (I recently lit a fire, dimmed the lights, and spent the next hour or so on the couch absorbing Pink Floyd's The Wall, did something similar a few nights later with Pearl Jam's No Code, and when I woke up early this past Saturday morning I killed time by listening to Bright Eye's I'm Wide Awake It's Morning from start to finish.) The point is, I love complete albums that, for lack of a better term do it for me. So why no fav. album of 2007, but a cd of singles instead? Well, at first it was laziness and fear of having incomplete list. Then I had an idea, every year I'll put together my top ten for the previous year. Cause really, you need like five years to really tell if an album passes the test of time. So this is my compromise/idea. We'll see.

I'm at the 10th song now, "Guest Room" and it's getting a bit boring, but still a relaxing and just enough depression and melody to give some sort of emotion and likability.

Now that I've been paying attention for the majority of album I'm not sure how I feel about the Interpol comparison. Maybe it's really just the second track, "Mistaken For Strangers" but the description doesn't really do justice to the overall "Boxer" experience. Well, like I said, it's a starting point. After all, how do you really convey the sound of an album with word, especially the written word (as opposed to spoken). There needs to be a point of reference to get things going.

The second to last song is about to end. I think i'll use this time to restate my goal of this blog. It's album reviews. But the hook is I write it while listening to the album in full, from start to finish, with no editing after words and no notes written before hand. And I want to avoid a merely track by track rehash. I guess the means it will be vague ramblings about music (with bonus terrible grammar and typos added in at no extra charge). That could actually be the title for this blog instead of the present one: listening then writing. We'll see.

The last song on "Boxer" is called Gospel, and there's nothing gospel about it. More of same actually. Some strings. Otherwise stripped down with all the other descriptions used above. And just when I want to write off, I find myself swaying in front of this keyboard really getting into it. A good song to zone out to. Slow, simple, sad, catchy . . . kinda. And it ends.

My Favorite Songs of 2007 part 2

2008-01-14T21:22:00.000-05:00

One month later, lets begin part 2. I'd eventually like this thang to be updated at least once a week. So it goes . . .

Disc two of my favorite songs of 2007:

1) Talib Kweli - Hostile Gospel
Disc 2 starts right off with a bang. Talib is back, or so the reviews of Eardrum had me believe. It took me a few months to finally snag my own copy. I've listened to it a few times. Yeah, Talib's great, he spits knowledge and changes up flow as needed. Skills have definitely improved with each album. Not so much lyrical content. Talib takes on this accusation on this track as well a wealth of other topics, which seem to be spit out of a simile machine constructed in a independent book store from an inner city Black neighborhood. Talib (or is it a machine?) crams in as much as much rebel politics, street wisdom, cultural references, and personal reflections as he can into the pop sounds of his current phase. But the album hasn't grabbed me and shown me the light while keeping me entertained, like his Reflection Eternal - "Train of Thought" album. Talib also brings up this typical fan reaction in this song. The laid back simplicity of Hi-Tek's mid to late 90s beats are gone. Talib's done that. Now he's trying to recreate "I Try" (from his fist solo album, "Quality") on his best tracks, like this one. This isn't such a bad thing. This is a very good song from an album, which for some reason I haven't gotten that into yet.

2) The Sea and Cake - Too Strong
From Sea and Cake's latest effort, "Everybody." Simple diddies with a breathy vocalist. Whenever I can't figure out what to listen to, The Sea and Cake fill the void. Nothing jarring here, pleasant tunes with just enough excitement to have you calmly drumming on the desk, steering wheel, or whatever surface you've got while chilling. I hate that term (mostly because I over use it) but I've got to use it here - it's impossible not to be "chilling" while listening the Sea and Cake, especially this track. I don't know if I'd ever actually buy a Sea and Cake album. The album before this was given to me by friend. And without really noticing it, I would choose to listen to it during moments like ones described above. I listened to it enough that I was interested to hear their new album when we got it at the college radio station I used to DJ at. I liked this one enough after first listen I decided to burn my own copy. But when my own hard earned cash is on the line, I'm just not sure it's enough more than pleasant.

3) Stars - Take Me To The Riot
Once I heard this on the "Paste Sampler CD" from the issue with Ryan Adams on the cover, I had to get the album. The album disappointed. This track though, my goodness, I've yet to listen to it and not turn the volume up during the first chorus. For the second track in a row on this mix we've got hushed vocals. But this has much more pop and complexities than Sea and Cake. I spoke (wrote actually) about the importance of the third track on a mix on my last post. There was no way this track wasn't going to get the third track treatment. Just a pounding pop song.

4) Galactic & Juvenile & Soul Rebels Brass Band
Two bands I've seen live probably more than any other, Soul Rebels and Galactic, along side a New Orleans rap legend who should be bigger than he is, Juve. I've never owned a Juve record. If 400 Degreez didn't get me, nothing will. A little too gangster for me (said in the whitest voice I have). But I've always enjoyed hearing him on the radio. He's got control of a song once his words punch in. And he makes the grimiest and incoherent of rhymes sound playful with just a pinch of anger thrown in for motivation (and passion) - remember "Huh". The song sounds like controlled chaos with Juvenile reigning everything in with merely the power of his voice and flow. I mean, Galactic and Soul Rebels, thats a lot of instruments. A lot of banging away, a lot of brass. The music on this track is able to capture the groove that the best New Orleans bands get into when on stage. Usually (what used to be called) Brass Hop kills these grooves. Back in the late 90s the Soul Rebels used to have two rappers on stage come out with them. Thankfully they were dropped after many complaints of "please shut up so we can hear the music." This song is the best Brass Hop (which some claimed was going to be the next big thing - remember that Wycleff produced Coolbone CD? I didn't think so) has to offer. Now please, lets not go back again.

5) Blitzen Trapper - Wild Mountain Nation
I heard this for the first time while writing the first post on this blog. Yes, the NPR podcast "All Things Considered" introduced me this band and song. I'll repeat what every other review of them says - their sound is of the Greatful Dead / Creedance Clearwater mold. This is a countrified rockin' out twangin' out jam. Great song on a little less than mediocre album. I'm looking forward to what Blitzen Trapper puts out next.

6) Robert Plant and Allison Krause - Please Read The Letter
Beautiful vocals on top of a down home nothing fancy minimal backdrop of acoustic guitar, bass, drum, and the occasional fiddle. It builds then gets quiet again all while remaining hypnotic, a little spooky, and a lot lovely. This track continues the trend of songs that I love on albums that I like. That's pretty much the theme of the second disc of my year in music review.

7) Romantica - The National Side
A camp fire indie rock tune. I know nothing about this band. Nothing about this song, not even what album it's on. But it's fun acoustic light rock (I use the term light rock not as a put down. Think typical singer songwriter fare. Once again I don't mean for that to come off condescendingly). There are some horns and I think I detect a little accordion here and there. The song ends with the singer joyfully yet calmly sining "ba ba bada da da da." Like I said, it's fun, nothing serious, just a joy to listen to. Like the Stars track, this was a standout on the "Paste Magazine Sample." Paste is a music magazine and each issue comes with a mix CD.
I put in the CD enough times just to hear this track, a Robert Plant and Alisson Krause track, and the Stars song enough times that they all had to be included. Note: The RP AK song on the Paste CD is a different track than the one that I picked for here.

8) Bright Eyes - I Must Belong Somewhere
From the flaky lyrical content of Romantica to lyrics that you either mock because of self seriousness or find amazing, true, sad, and beautiful. I'm obviously on the latter side. Embarrassingly so. I'm not too cool for Bright Eyes. They (I'm trying to stop using Bright Eyes and front man Conor Oburst interchangeably, so I'm stopping my habit of referring to Bright Eyes as 'he') get a bad rap. Conor's early comparisons by critics to Dylan as well as becoming a favorite of middle school girls didn't help matters. His fragile pre puberty voice along with heart on his sleeve lyrics also don't help. But I love the honesty and simplicity. I love the country rock sound. Writing about music here keeps me noticing what words I use over and over. Simple is one of those words. This song is basically simple sounding, so I like that. It also keeps things exciting with build ups and resets. This song is the exception to the rule on Disc 2. I also love the entire album this song's found on, Cassadega.

9) The Avett Brothers - Prety Girl From Chile
One of the last CDs I burned during my days as a college radio DJ. Its a fun banjo pickin up beat fold album with indie rock cred. Lots of male vocalist harmony. The song has three parts which sound completely different. I didn't realize thier were three parts until I added it to this mix. This is one of those albums I usually listen to the whole thing at a time. The first of the three sections is the part of the album that stuck out at me when I was thinking of what to include here. Everything else is just icing on top. There's even an anwering machine message from the girl who the song is about followed by a frustrated hard rocking minute that seems out of place on first listen. An interesting song. I'm glad I gave this album a second chance.

10) Art Brut - I Will Survive
This song is from another album I gave a second chance. Sure, I liked the album, but didn't really appreciate it until I saw them live this year. God, what a cliche that was. Anyway, I wonder about the staying power of Art Brut. The lyrics are talky, witty, matter of fact British snotty sounding. The music is guitar centered garage rock. The bottom line is I like the lyrics better than the music, not that I don't like the music, especially on this song. I love the stories the lyrics tell, but once I've heard the story, why listen to it again. So how much staying power does a band like this have (with me I'm talking about, not the public at large)? We'll see, I know this is thier second album while I like it, I'm not heavily anticipating the next one. But this song here. This I like.

11) Little Brother - Dreams
Another song where my appreciation lies mostly in the lyrics.

12) Interpol - Pioneer To The Falls
I don't necessarily love this song. I definitely don't love the album. I don't know what it is about Interpol. The lack of passion in my feeling for them might be reflective of their seemingly lack of passion in the music. Interpol is just a band that I put put on every once in a while and surprisingly think to myself - damn this rocks . . . as much as droney new wave can . . . but somehow this is catchy. I listened to this album in full enough times that I wanted to include a song from it on my faves of 2007, and I don't regret it at all. Like The Sea and Cake, Interpol usually comes in handy when I want to listen to something but have no idea what. Interpol can easily fade in the background, or if it needs stand its ground, take center stage, and rock out while barely moving a limb.

13) Neil Young - Ordinary People
Back to Songs I love from albums that I like. Back to song's which lyrically fascinate me.

Michael's Favorite Songs of 2007 Part I

2007-12-19T21:09:00.000-05:00

Since December 2004, I've listed my top ten favorite albums of the year and put together an accompanying mix CD, which I cleverly titled "Michael's Favorite Songs of 2004." At first it was because I wrote for the now defunct website whatcharockin.com. Last year I was able to justify putting together the list and mix CD, because I was a DJ at 88.5 WRAS in Atlanta (the Georgia State station) and I played the CD on air on Christmas day. This year I have no such justification, but I'll be burning the CDs (yes, for the past two years it's been a double disc collectors item) for friends and family alike, and I had the bright idea to give a guide to the songs and why I like em. Heeeeere we go:

1)Spoon - The Underdog

It's impossible not to have at least a little bit of fun listening to this song. "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"(I think that's the right amount of ga's) is one of my favorite albums of the year. It switches from upbeat full songs like this one, with horns, snaps, the usual rock roll instruments, and a snarly voice, to more naked and repetitive hypnotic songs which straddle the line between rock and something kind of electronica.

2) Eddie Vedder - Rise

We began with a rocker and now we slow down with a man and his ukuele (perhaps). Typical Vedder lyrics, and I love it. By "typical Vedder" I mean: meaning of life nature based metaphors that detractors call corny, over dramatic, and, well we all know what the Pearl Jam detractors say . . . cause you're probably one of em, or were at least one at one point in their now 16 or 17 year career. But this album was a godsend for me. Now that PJ is getting older, I wish they'd act like the dads they are and slow it down, but no they keep on rocking. Here is the quiet PJ, sans Mike McCready and the rest of his rock band chums.

3) Arcade Fire - (Antichrist Television Blues)

I guess you could call this the most accessible song on Arcade Fire's "Neon Bible" album. The most traditionally rock and roll. And I love it. I love all these songs obviously, but especially this one. The third track on a mix holds a special place, opinions are starting to be formed. You may be willing to forgive 2 tracks that don't get you going, but if the third one disappoints, it's lights out, no more for me.

This song builds up to a musical climax and then stops right in mid step after the narrator asks if he's the Antichrist. A moment of clarity, uncertainty, and a full stop of the great momentum that had been building up over the past four minutes.

While grounded in Spingsteen-like acoustic guitar strumming, electric riffs and other layers keep piling on, such as clapping hands, piano, and a children's choir. The lyrics present a grand story which is challenging but not ambiguous or too difficult to decipher. For example, towards the end he warning his daughter (presumably), "Do you know where I was at your age? / Do you have any idea where I was at your age? / I was working downtown for the minimum wage." This, when three minutes earlier he started the song by repeating "I don't wanna work in a building downtown."

In between he asks God if there's a plan and also for a daughter to put on TV so people will love him. Or something like that. It's a fun story to interpret while jamming out. Please, have at it.

4) Band of Horses - Ode to the LRC

At first listen I thought My Morning Jacket Light. It's got the basic rock chords and the nasal going for gusto singer. So it makes sense I hear a little bit of another one of my favorite bands in here as well: Built to Spill. But there's something more whimsical about these guys. "The World is such a wonderful place," is repeated followed by "Ladi da, Ladi da, La La di da da" and it works. It's playful and grand and light and the sum of its parts is an arena-rock sized song performed by a band packing clubs instead. A lot of space is filled up in this "ladi da" simplicity. Even magical perhaps.

5) Okkerville River - Unless It's Kicks

Now we're in the basement. This grinding guitar is not afraid to go into a few seconds of feedback. The droney rock singer doesn't have much range, but carries a hefty weight of emotion, drunk off the rock and roll lifestyle. The drums pound away and it looks like we've got a rock and roll classic. It's just for kicks, man, as they sing. It rocks more the Okkerville has ever rocked before, and really it was the only place they had to go. There's howling desperation, all instruments pounding down on simple progressions then finally elevating and going somewhere when you can't take it anymore. It's a fun one. Originally the starter of this mix CD/playlist, but I came to the conclusion the voice just isn't quite accessible enough.

6) Son Volt - Highways and Cigarettes

A Son Volt song about driving through the states and being tired. Who knows were they'll go next? Yes, I'm being facitious. It's what Jay and his crew have always done, but it's so damn beautiful. Grab your nearest sliding guitar and female vocalist to harmonize with Jay's nasal country rock twangy drawl. "Still out there, with coffee stains and putting miles on shoes, can't escape the smell of cigarettes, still living that American midnight blues." It was either this one or "Methamphetimine" from this album. Both are downers about lost time. There are also some rockers on The Search, but the slow ones are what have me buggin out.

7) Wilco - Side with the Seeds

I just had to follow up Jay Farrar's latest effort with Jeff Tweedy's. Couldn't resist. But here's why I picked this one from the latest Wilco effort (which is excellent by the way, not boring as the naysayers naysay): The guitar solo. Wilco seem to be done with tearing their songs apart between choruses. Now it's more straight forward. More jamming. Like a cleaned up more tightly polished Crazy Horse. Tweedy's fragile voice keeps the music from ever becoming to corny. A slow beat with hypnotic guitar picking building to solos that go from the corn fields to MiR and back. It's a good one.

8) Bruce Springsteen - I'll Work for Your Love

Speaking of coming painfully close to being corny. But isn't that the Boss' expertise. We are fully into the Americana portion of this playlist. I feel like calling this a "playlist" rather than a "mix" is much like my insistence that I keep a "journal" not a "diary." Anyway, I'm going off topic, which is fitting. The song is great, but not captivating, which is perfect at this point in the, yes, playlist. This track contains everything the Boss does well: bar band fun loving working man blue collar vagabond rock and roll. Alright, I think I got all the Springsteen cliches in there. His new album plays like a Springsteen Greatest Hits albums but without the songs we all know already, if that makes sense. I guess what I'm trying to say, is there's nothing new, but that's OK. It works, it's fun, and if he wants to go deeper he'll release a deeper album a la Nebraska or Devils and Dust. For now it's Born to Run redux.

9) Ryan Adams - The Sun Also Sets

What a pleasant album Easy Tiger turned out to be. Not to say the songs don't dig down toward emotional depths. For this song, the cringing of Adams' voice during the verses is transparent and raw and makes me think this has to be personal. Ryan Adams is at his best when he's not afraid to let it all out, whatever that means. No, maybe I mean Ryan Adams is at his best when he stays in the lines of traditional alt country structures, whatever that means as well. No, no, maybe what I mean is that what Ryan does best, and what he does here is combine his gravely rock vocal with his country twang and build towards an effeminate howl. The point is, this song builds, releases, then starts over. During the chorus he belts out "We were only one argument from death" then the verses cringe out his regrets. It's all very cathartic. A full song, to put it another way.

10) Rilo Kiley - Close Call

A late addition to the playlist. There are a handful of songs on the new Rilo Kiley album I like. This is one of them, and it's pretty damn catchy. "The funny thing about money for sex / you might get rich, but you'll die by it." Fun, true, and dirty. A song that has gotten stuck in my head, and I've loved every minute of it. This concludes our country rock / Americana / alt country / accessible indie rock (take out the indie for the Boss) portion of the CD.

11) Common - Misunderstood

Common rapping is a relief. The calmest MC out there. It's got a soul beat, with guitar and flutes and male vocalist singing blues/r&b/neo soul melancholy. Common tells the stories of people who meet their death while doing things that some would consider "sinful" activities, like stripping or drug dealing. Common brings God into these "low class" scenarios. Something ominous in the whole atmosphere of this narrative. Common lends a voice to the vulnerable and give us a peak into the human condition from various perspectives. Neil Young will do this at the end of the second CD. For now, Common shows current musical artists are up to task as well. A beautiful song on many accounts. Relaxing and thoughtful, it's why I like Common's current phase of his career.

12) Nas - Let There Be Light

I've never loved drums so much in a hip hop song (that wasn't a Roots song). I especially love the top hat and snare combo here. Nas does what he does best over the this drum loop (or maybe it was live, but probably not) and the result is one of the musical highlights of 2007. Nas is in his 'remember the old days, they were terrible, but they were simple, and now whats happening is even worse' frame of mind. He reminds us that he's got a healthy ego, he's human, and that he comes from a world where drugs and violence are the norm. It's personal, you can tell by the slang and the specifics. It's like he's hovering over the ghetto, wait, actually Nas says it best as he begins the song: "It's like I'm hanglinding over the hood . . ." And then hits what has got to be one the most quintessential Nas doing what he does best verses in the second go round:

"This ain't to glorify just painting a street picture
There’s no goddess or bibles just blunts and swishers
Gillette’s cut caine in the kitchen
Now every rapper wanna claim he hang with Kenneth “Supreme” Griffin
It’s like the same difference except when nigga’s get arranged
They don’t want the same sentence, nigga’s get to snitching "

I know he toots his own horn enough, but he really does paint a street picture so this kid from the burbs has an idea of how the other half lives, and really, thinks.

13) Jay Z feat. Nas - Success

The thoughtful raps are over. Now Jay and Nas get their chance to complain about living so lavishly. Sounds horrible, right. But somehow this is what Jay Z does best. With an organ providing the beat, or as Jay keeps reminding the producer, "let that bitch breathe." Yes, this song is full of curses, clever word play, and vulgar metaphors. How can I like song where Jay boasts "Such dummies / Even if I fell I'd land on a bunch of money." And the content of Nas' verse is ehh . . . but it's in the delivery where these guys make a classic.

Yeah, both these last two songs are hidden towards the end of these two rap legends latest releases. Not sure if the hip hop nation at large will see these as classics to there repertoire . . . yet. Just remember who told you about these hidden gems first.

There you have it. Disc One over. An hour of your life well spent. 13 of my favorite tracks from 07. 13 more coming in Part II.

Writing While Listening to 2007: The Year in Review from All Songs Considered

2007-12-12T20:29:00.000-05:00

2nd post, so I may actually keep this up.

Presently I'm listening to All Songs Considered 2007: The Year in Music (here's the link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16974916) and I'm realizing how uncomprehensive my own list will be.

What have I heard so far on this show which sound like albums I could love? Good question
The Robert Plant and Allison Kraus record, Iron and Wine, even the new White Stripes. Why do I say "even" the White Stripes album. I never especially love their other albums. They were fun to listen to, but too rackety, which, when I'm looking for pleasant music, came across as annoying. I love doing something while playing a White Stripes album. It revs me up. But host Bob Boylen said it well in this podcast, "it makes me want to put on some Zeppelin." I agree. The song they played reminded me of Led. Nuthin wrong with gettin the Led out.

Iron and Wine have bored me in the past. What I heard was more interesting. The Plant Kraus album I've heard a bunch of tracks from- through interviews on various NPR shows and the sampler CD put out by Paste magazine. This was a new one, and yes, I loved it. Out of the songs I've heard so far on the show, this is the one must get for me.

They just finished talking about the new Radiohead album. This is a band I've never gotten into. I appreciate what people who like them say about them. I like what I've heard Thom say in interviews. I've simply been bored every time I put them on. Actually there was one time I was able to get into "Hail to the Thief" on a listen in 2003 or 4. But I've havent' heard it again since that fateful night.

They're playing the new MIA album. My lord, she is so annoying. How and why do so many people like her. She's like the popular kid who I find extremely annoying and can't understand why so people like her, but they do.

I got two albums last week which def. will not make my top ten list. The new Neil Young, Chrome Dreams II and the Star's album "In Our Bedroom After the War." I'll write more about those albums while I listen to them and don't have half my attention on the "All Things Considered" podcast.

2007-11-26T19:42:00.000-05:00

I wanted to start writing about music again, so here goes.

Basically, I love top ten lists. Especially end of the year top ten lists. And for the past few years I've put great pride in putting together my top ten albums of the year lists with accompanying CD entitled "Michael's Favorite Songs of (fill in the year). " I've put em up on a website I used to write for, the not defunct (but still alive in our hearts) "Whatcharockin.com." Last year was probably my most comprehensive list. I worked at a college radio station (WRAS Atlanta) and had access to most of what I wanted and then some. It cumulated in me playing a track from albums ten through one and then some on air on Christmas day. This year I have no such outlet. So here I am.

I've spent the last few weeks figuring out what CDs to buy and trying to burn what I can in order to make this as comprehensive as I want it to be. Since this is a blog, the approach I'm taking is stream of thought. I'm not sure if that what a blog means, but thats what it means to me right now.

CDs in the running so far:
Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild Soundtrack
I'm listening to this right now.

Common - Finding Forever
I just got this yesterday as a birthday present. After two listens I can safely call it amazing. But it's a tad premature to call it a lock for top 5.

Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
Good. And a good Ryan Adams album is a mainstay is my listening rotation for years down the road. It's nice to have an album like this come out.

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Took me a few listens. Even took me longer to get. I was turned off by all the good press. After a few listens I knew I'd have to do a top ten list so I could declare this number one. A big album, with grand songs and even grander lyrical themes.

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
I could see this rounding out a top ten merely cause no other album could cut it. It's not my favorite Wilco Album, "Ghost is Born" is the Wilco style that I prefer, but a solid album from a favorite band is a treat nonetheless. Pitchfork attempted to dismiss the album as dad-rock. I tend to think of that as an inadvertent compliment. I mean, that's who they are: dads. So it's honest, not terribly exciting, but insightful and time of personal exploration through the mundane things in life.

Bright Eyes - Casadega
At this point I'm scrolling through my catalouge casue these albums didn't jump at me right away. Still, I remember enjoying this for a few months this year. Simply too many lulls for a complete great disc.

Spoon- Ga Ga Ga Ga
Can't believe I had to look through to remember this one. Whenever I'm not sure what I want to listen to, this usually does this trick. Simple rock with a few outbursts (highlights) with horns.

Okkerville River - The Stage Names
A good album with great songs? I know I like this album a lot, not sure if it'll crack to top 5 though. And I'd like to have my top ten consist of albums which I had to struggle to kick out of the top five.

Son Volt - The Search
I like Son Volt. I like their new album. Could it be so simple. You know what your getting with Son Volt. Dreary country rock (in a good sense) with a soul and cigarette butts filling up a car ashtray as it makes its way across the highway system of Americana. This I like, bordering on love.

Other Albums I Have Which May Make the Cut(to be followed by albums i want to get before the year ends)
Bruce Springsteen - Magic
I got this last week. I like it. But does it just want me to check out his earlier stuff? Shouldn't I familiarize myself with more of his old stuff firts? I haven't even heard Nebraska for crying out loud. But still, I've already listened to it from track one through 12 a couple of times and could see doing it a few more times before the week ends.

Talib Kweli - Eardrum
Also just got this one (I had a birthday recently). Haven't even listened to it all the way through. But Reflection Eternal - Train of Thought is one of my favorites of all time and so far I've heard lyrics that surpass the great moments on that one.

Interpol - Our Love to Admire
Just like the other two Interpol albums, every once in a while I just need my dose of non-invasive hard rock.

The Avette Brothers - Introducing Emotionalism
I've given it a few listens. I like it every time. Could even love. I just forget I have it in between listens. Some blue grassy rock if I remember correctly.

Art Brut - It's A Bit Complicated
I liked this when I first got it. Then forgot about it. Then I recently saw them in concert and it inspired me to check it out.

OK. I'm going to save the albums I still want to check out. The new Neil Young and Little Brother are gonna be on there. But my roommates just started watching 300 and Iwant to see what all the fuss was about. Anways, welcome to my music blog: Listening then writing.