Not a review post at all, but more of a problem that I figure I'll work out here instead of in my head, where it probably belongs. After in alphabetical order in my collection, after The Band, (and sure enough, they weren't separated in my most recent move), lies my collection of Beatles albums. There are 9 of them, 10 if you include "Love" the remastered, re-imagined album that came out last year, and which is actually quite good. But they are all solid because they are, well, the Beatles. You'd be hard pressed to find "bad" Beatles music, with the few exceptions of obvious filler and songs to spite the other members of the band that speckle the otherwise legendary "White" album. So my conundrum is thus: how to approach an artist whose work I own so much of? In the B section of my list alone I have two such artists (Billy Bragg will also be a tough nut to crack in a few posts) and I am not sure whether or not I should cover each album individually, or approach the catalog as a whole and come at in terms of themes and ideas that their music inspires. My friend Matt, an avid reader of this here blog, suggested I cover each album in a small-ish write up, basically just straight forward reviews that cover the music, then finish off with a bigger post about the Beatles as a whole, their influence, their impact on my taste etc.., and I think this is probably the approach I will take. But I will have to be forgiven if I end up going off on long winded posts about "Help!" or "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band." We are dealing with the Beatles after all. So I guess I settled my own problem, didn't I? Starting with my next post, which will be on "Help!" I will work my way through the Beatles. And that should send shivers of excitement down the spines of all three of my loyal readers.
One other thing: if anyone reading this has a blog of their own, or knows people with blogs, feel free to link to this, and I will return the favour in kind. I'm starting to get a little twinge of pride about my posts and wouldn't mind expanding my readership to more than my three buddies who have told me they enjoy. And again, feel free to post comments with requests, or thoughts of your own on the bands covered. Hopefully some bands I'm not familiar with are brought to my attention, and I hope that I can do the same as this little catalog expands. I've got some interesting stuff waiting in the wings, let me tell you.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
(5) "The Band" - The Band
And so we come to the first album that I can confidently say, without a shadow of a doubt, is in my Top 5. What the other five are, we will have to wait and see, because I am not sure. I bet "Blood on the Tracks" will be in there, but other than that, I'll probably be as pleasantly surprised as the next fellow (or whatever the term for a female fellow is, if I have any female readers). But to get back on track, The Band's self titled second album is pretty much as close to a perfect piece of music as you can get. That is how good it is. If the only people reading this blog are my friends, that you probably know this album pretty well, and you probably agree. For those of you who are not familiar with this album, I recommend you buy it. I have only met one person who didn't like it when I played it, and she was an idiot who thought Disturbed where the best band of all time. Clearly we were not dealing with someone with a brain. So other than less than clever ex girlfriends, I think it's safe to say that this CD is on a lot of people's top 5. Or at least 10. But why? Well, lets find out together, shall we?
The album starts out strong with a rag-time feeling tune "Across the Great Divide" which is, as I said, very old timey. But here is where I depart with some people when they talk about this album. Like "Music from Big Pink" before it, "The Band" is an album that went against musical currents when it was released, abstaining from all the pomp and bombast of psychedelia etc etc, and if you want to read about this, see my last post about The Band. What they did on this record to an even greater extent was hearken back to old timey music, bringing that Appalachian, back-woods pure American music feeling to what is still, in essence, a rock record. And this is that company parting I was talking about earlier. While most people are content to call it an "old-timey" record, I think of "The Band" as more of a "timeless" record. It isn't pure bluegrass or hillbilly music, or Appalachian gospel or traditional folk record. It's all of those things, and because of this, it becomes it's own thing. A record made at the end of the '60's, shortly after Martin Luther King was assassinated, the ant-Vietnam protests were in full swing, student radicalism and all that other '60's bullshit that my generation has had to hear about endlessly (did you know that until the '60's, nothing ever actually happened? The baby boomers are the first generation that did anything other than eat, work, poop and die, dontcha know) and the most political it gets is in a song that paints a sympathetic portrait of a Confederate soldier putting his life back together after losing the civil war. This was not a band caught up in the fads of the day, but a band that really and truly could capture the essence of good music, plain and simple. The fact that it's got an "old timey" sound could be incidental. If The Band existed today, they probably would sound much different, but i think that they could still create music as powerful as the music they created.
To get specific for a moment, why not break down a few songs? The above mentioned "The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down" may be one of the best songs ever put to tape. It is pretty much a gut wrenching study of how well a group of musicians, firring on all cylinders, can make a piece of music as moving as any movie or book or painting, and just as real. No wonder there have been rumors of a movie based on the life of Virgil Cane (god I hope they never make this, it will be bad) since the song came out. Then of course there is "Up On Cripple Creek," which may be the funkiest song a group of entirely white people ever created. Actually, it definitely is the funkiest song white people ever wrote. Period. I could probably talk about every song on this album. "Unfaithful Servant" has possibly one of the best guitar solos ever, one that if you are listening, you can actually hear Robbie Robertson exhale after he is finished. Its such a well played, delicate solo that he had to hold his breath to execute it. Obviously, I could go on and may even be putting some people off with my endless praise, but is that good of an album. If for some reason you don't own, or haven't heard it, do so. I realize that much of my musical taste does not suite everyone, but The Band's self titled album is easily one of the most accessible albums I own. And the reason for this accessibility is the point of the second part of this little write up, which I know is running on. But bear with me.
The second point I wanted to make about The Band is the danger of flattery. The Band are easily one of the most influential groups of all time, a group whose influence far outstripped their actual record sales (though they were still a pretty marquis rock group in their day). And the problem with this is thus: you can't control who you influence, and music has the ability to take on Frankenstein levels of uncontrolability. For every decent act your influence brings into being, you will probably get ten more who take your musical philosophy and re-interpret it without any knowledge of what you are actually doing. So for every Uncle Tupelo, or Ryan Adams (to name two modern day artists with huge debts to The Band) you get, oh, I don't know, The Eagles. The fucking Eagles. To this day, every band with some sort of country pretense, or throw back to an "old time" sound, owes some of it to The Band. For better or worse. (And for the record, I definitely think the Eagles and all new country are for the worse. That's just where I stand.)
So that in a long winded nutshell is "The Band" to me. One of my all time favorites, a band whose influence for better or worse can be heard in almost all forms of rock and roll and country music to this day. So go out and buy "The Band" and listen to it straight through, without any interruptions, or without doing anything but listening. I guarantee you wont be disappointed.
(Note: I realize that in my desire to capture my thoughts on the Band, I probably used the expression "old-timey" far too many times, but fuck me if you can find a better way to describe such a sound. Also, I do in fact realize that I am prone to making up words. Lets just consider it one of my many charms and not a reflection of my lack of vocabulary. Sound good? Excellent, now lets all listen to "Rag Momma, Rag.")
The album starts out strong with a rag-time feeling tune "Across the Great Divide" which is, as I said, very old timey. But here is where I depart with some people when they talk about this album. Like "Music from Big Pink" before it, "The Band" is an album that went against musical currents when it was released, abstaining from all the pomp and bombast of psychedelia etc etc, and if you want to read about this, see my last post about The Band. What they did on this record to an even greater extent was hearken back to old timey music, bringing that Appalachian, back-woods pure American music feeling to what is still, in essence, a rock record. And this is that company parting I was talking about earlier. While most people are content to call it an "old-timey" record, I think of "The Band" as more of a "timeless" record. It isn't pure bluegrass or hillbilly music, or Appalachian gospel or traditional folk record. It's all of those things, and because of this, it becomes it's own thing. A record made at the end of the '60's, shortly after Martin Luther King was assassinated, the ant-Vietnam protests were in full swing, student radicalism and all that other '60's bullshit that my generation has had to hear about endlessly (did you know that until the '60's, nothing ever actually happened? The baby boomers are the first generation that did anything other than eat, work, poop and die, dontcha know) and the most political it gets is in a song that paints a sympathetic portrait of a Confederate soldier putting his life back together after losing the civil war. This was not a band caught up in the fads of the day, but a band that really and truly could capture the essence of good music, plain and simple. The fact that it's got an "old timey" sound could be incidental. If The Band existed today, they probably would sound much different, but i think that they could still create music as powerful as the music they created.
To get specific for a moment, why not break down a few songs? The above mentioned "The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down" may be one of the best songs ever put to tape. It is pretty much a gut wrenching study of how well a group of musicians, firring on all cylinders, can make a piece of music as moving as any movie or book or painting, and just as real. No wonder there have been rumors of a movie based on the life of Virgil Cane (god I hope they never make this, it will be bad) since the song came out. Then of course there is "Up On Cripple Creek," which may be the funkiest song a group of entirely white people ever created. Actually, it definitely is the funkiest song white people ever wrote. Period. I could probably talk about every song on this album. "Unfaithful Servant" has possibly one of the best guitar solos ever, one that if you are listening, you can actually hear Robbie Robertson exhale after he is finished. Its such a well played, delicate solo that he had to hold his breath to execute it. Obviously, I could go on and may even be putting some people off with my endless praise, but is that good of an album. If for some reason you don't own, or haven't heard it, do so. I realize that much of my musical taste does not suite everyone, but The Band's self titled album is easily one of the most accessible albums I own. And the reason for this accessibility is the point of the second part of this little write up, which I know is running on. But bear with me.
The second point I wanted to make about The Band is the danger of flattery. The Band are easily one of the most influential groups of all time, a group whose influence far outstripped their actual record sales (though they were still a pretty marquis rock group in their day). And the problem with this is thus: you can't control who you influence, and music has the ability to take on Frankenstein levels of uncontrolability. For every decent act your influence brings into being, you will probably get ten more who take your musical philosophy and re-interpret it without any knowledge of what you are actually doing. So for every Uncle Tupelo, or Ryan Adams (to name two modern day artists with huge debts to The Band) you get, oh, I don't know, The Eagles. The fucking Eagles. To this day, every band with some sort of country pretense, or throw back to an "old time" sound, owes some of it to The Band. For better or worse. (And for the record, I definitely think the Eagles and all new country are for the worse. That's just where I stand.)
So that in a long winded nutshell is "The Band" to me. One of my all time favorites, a band whose influence for better or worse can be heard in almost all forms of rock and roll and country music to this day. So go out and buy "The Band" and listen to it straight through, without any interruptions, or without doing anything but listening. I guarantee you wont be disappointed.
(Note: I realize that in my desire to capture my thoughts on the Band, I probably used the expression "old-timey" far too many times, but fuck me if you can find a better way to describe such a sound. Also, I do in fact realize that I am prone to making up words. Lets just consider it one of my many charms and not a reflection of my lack of vocabulary. Sound good? Excellent, now lets all listen to "Rag Momma, Rag.")
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
4) "Music From Big Pink" - The Band
It hasn't taken long for me to hit one of the bands/artists that are in my collection that I hold in the highest esteem. Everyone has those few artists in their collection, or maybe just opinion, that are above and beyond their regular appreciation for music. I may like the Arcade Fire a lot, possibly even love them, but The Band? The Band is one of those artists that transcend music for me. Their albums, and i only own two full albums, and the live soundtrack for the Last Waltz, are to me two of the most perfectly crafted pieces of music made. And that's saying a lot. The Band is one of those artists who rarely inspire casual fans, almost all of the people I know who are "real" fans and not just casually aware of them, would rank them in their top 5-10 favorite artists. It can easily be said, then, that The Band makes some pretty fuckin' good music.
And it all started with "Music from Big Pink," their debut album. I've read just about everything I can about The Band. If you want any recommendations, the beginning and end would be "Across the Great Divide" a masterpiece portrait of the Band, from their start to finish. The story of The Band is as compelling as their music- a group of young, cocky musicians from Canada (and a good ol' boy from Arkansas) start backing up a rock-a-billy nut named Hawkins, tour on their own as the Hawks, manage to back up a small, relatively unknown folky named Dylan (a little sarcasm), and then retreat to the mountains, grow beards, pick up a bunch of non-traditional rock and roll instruments, and start recording music that basically offers a big "Fuck You!" to the over blown psychedelia that was all the rage at the time. More or less. As I've said, their story is almost as good as the music. I've always felt that if I could be or be in any of the bands/artists I listen to, I would want to have been in The Band.
So what about "Music From Big Pink"? It starts off slow, and then flows in waves for the rest of the album. At a time when epic jams and other assorted psychedelia were the rave, opening their debut album with "Tears of Rage," a slow burning lament, showed a profound disinterest in music that wasn't what they felt like creating. For all the hype of the 60's, "Music From Big Pink" and "The Band" are probably two of the best, and least 60's-ish, albums from the decade. there is no obnoxious hippie undertones, or the naive "love everybody, man" vibe that define the most overrated decade. Instead, there are songs about love and death, religion, history, and a feeling that "America" or more specifically "North America" given that these fellows were predominantly Canadian, wasn't some evil empire, but a complicated place, full of all the themes i mentioned above and then some. "The Weight," probably their best known song, sums this idea up. if you listen carefully. Set in Nazareth, and with cameo's from the Devil and an elusive Miss. Fanny, its a song about hope and redemption, and the real consequences of decisions. "The Weight" is everything that is great and possible in rock music in every way that a song like, say...."In a Gadda da Vidda" is pretty much the worst thing ever. Two songs from the same era, two very different outcomes. And this example is the best i can come up with to demonstrate all that is good about The Band- they are subtle and nuanced where others are aggressive and overt, loud and in your face. The Band is a deep, textured painting, while most of their contemporaries are simply at best prints, and at worst doodles, not serious, but self important. The Band easily rises above being a "60's band" or "protest music" or any other easy label, and become, quite simply, music. There is really no other way to describe The Band.
So while I was short on specifics for "Music From Big Pink," I think I got my point across about how The Band sounds, and just as importantly, feels, to me. My next review will be 'The Band," the self titled magnum opus of The Band, and I'll probably focus on the album more specifically, though I think I'll definitely talk a little bit about the influence of The Band, and "influencers" in general, and how it isn't necessarily always the best label to receive.
And it all started with "Music from Big Pink," their debut album. I've read just about everything I can about The Band. If you want any recommendations, the beginning and end would be "Across the Great Divide" a masterpiece portrait of the Band, from their start to finish. The story of The Band is as compelling as their music- a group of young, cocky musicians from Canada (and a good ol' boy from Arkansas) start backing up a rock-a-billy nut named Hawkins, tour on their own as the Hawks, manage to back up a small, relatively unknown folky named Dylan (a little sarcasm), and then retreat to the mountains, grow beards, pick up a bunch of non-traditional rock and roll instruments, and start recording music that basically offers a big "Fuck You!" to the over blown psychedelia that was all the rage at the time. More or less. As I've said, their story is almost as good as the music. I've always felt that if I could be or be in any of the bands/artists I listen to, I would want to have been in The Band.
So what about "Music From Big Pink"? It starts off slow, and then flows in waves for the rest of the album. At a time when epic jams and other assorted psychedelia were the rave, opening their debut album with "Tears of Rage," a slow burning lament, showed a profound disinterest in music that wasn't what they felt like creating. For all the hype of the 60's, "Music From Big Pink" and "The Band" are probably two of the best, and least 60's-ish, albums from the decade. there is no obnoxious hippie undertones, or the naive "love everybody, man" vibe that define the most overrated decade. Instead, there are songs about love and death, religion, history, and a feeling that "America" or more specifically "North America" given that these fellows were predominantly Canadian, wasn't some evil empire, but a complicated place, full of all the themes i mentioned above and then some. "The Weight," probably their best known song, sums this idea up. if you listen carefully. Set in Nazareth, and with cameo's from the Devil and an elusive Miss. Fanny, its a song about hope and redemption, and the real consequences of decisions. "The Weight" is everything that is great and possible in rock music in every way that a song like, say...."In a Gadda da Vidda" is pretty much the worst thing ever. Two songs from the same era, two very different outcomes. And this example is the best i can come up with to demonstrate all that is good about The Band- they are subtle and nuanced where others are aggressive and overt, loud and in your face. The Band is a deep, textured painting, while most of their contemporaries are simply at best prints, and at worst doodles, not serious, but self important. The Band easily rises above being a "60's band" or "protest music" or any other easy label, and become, quite simply, music. There is really no other way to describe The Band.
So while I was short on specifics for "Music From Big Pink," I think I got my point across about how The Band sounds, and just as importantly, feels, to me. My next review will be 'The Band," the self titled magnum opus of The Band, and I'll probably focus on the album more specifically, though I think I'll definitely talk a little bit about the influence of The Band, and "influencers" in general, and how it isn't necessarily always the best label to receive.
Monday, October 20, 2008
#3 "Neon Bible" - The Arcade Fire
The Arcade Fire are a couple of things that I love and hate about bands, but almost all of which has nothing to do with their music. This is a pretty weird statement for anyone who is not an enormous music nerd, and given that the only person that I know of who actually reads this is my buddy Casey in Korea, who is also a huge music nerd, then I think my reader will understand. The Arcade Fire's music, which I will get to in a moment has everything I like about a band: they push the boundaries of what is conventional pop, they use different instruments and arrangements, and they are not overtly reliant on one formula for song writing that allows you to identify them a mile away. Though you would be hard pressed not to pick an Arcade Fire song out of a lineup. So what bothers me about these guys? Well, they do, I suppose. More to the point, what people (including the band itself) think of the Arcade Fire bothers me. In any interview I've read with them, they are serious people. Serious in an incredibly unfunny, uninspiring way. For a band that makes "inspiring" music and takes themselves seriously enough to think they can change things "with music" they are amazingly uninspiring, to the point of apparently lacking emotions and personalities. Perhaps they leave it all on their records, and therefore can't be bothered to have things like a sense of humor or basic social graces in the real world. Who knows? I know that people are going to disagree, and i have read interviews that would seem to contradict this point, but over all, the impression of the band i get is that they may be a group of self-serious musicians who really want to inspire you with their awesome music and bland personalities. And so the fans...............
The problem I have with the people who rave about Arcade Fire is that they are not nearly as good as people are trying to fall all over themselves to convince the world that they are. They are a great band. Soon, i will actually write about how much I like their music, but they are not the future of Rock and Roll, or the great saviours of music. They are an exceptional band making exceptional music, but they aren't some modern day musical messiahs. They will no more "save" or "re-invent" music in general and rock an roll in specific with pipe organs and hurdy gurdy than Radiohead did when they decided to make everything with bleep, blips, and robot voices. Its interesting music, even great music. But genre saving? Doesn't happen.
So after all that, what about the music of "Neon Bible?" The theme of this blog seems to be that I am writing about the band or artist and what i think of them and their place in music, or my relationship with their music, more so than i am actually writing about the music itself. If i were a record reviewer, I would probably be fired. So the music:
"Neon Bible" is the follow up to "Funeral" which was an unexpected hit, and "Neon Bible" was that much more hit-ier. And for good reason. It's an album that opens strong, and pretty much stays strong throughout. The album has an ominous feeling to it that kicks off during the opening track "Black Mirror" and never really recedes, just shifts around, like the uneasy feeling you get in your stomach when you know something is wrong, but you don't know what. After the ominous mood, the next thing I noticed about the album was how much it reminded of Bruce Springsteen. So much so that when i heard Arcade Fire had opened for him and played with him on his last tour i thought that it made a lot of sense. The leader singer, Win (Wyn?) Butler sounds a lot like the Boss if the Boss were more Boho than Hobo. Listen to "Keep The Car Running" and especially "(Antichrist Television Blues)" to see what I mean. Both great tunes. I haven't read much about the album, except for scattered reviews, so I'm not sure if the band were trying to create a concept album or just focus on a particular theme, but there is a definitely a theme to this record. What it is I change my mind about almost every time I listen. Sometimes I think its about the erosion of small towns, especially through the eyes of children and adolescents in those towns, or maybe its just about being a young adult and all the bullshit that goes with that. Who knows? (unless someone actually does know and would like to enlighten me in the comments) The last two things i will say about the album are: The fourth song, "Intervention" may be one of my favorite songs of the last five years. A pipe organ? Oh, Arcade Fire, how did you know my weakness? The pipe organ is almost guaranteed to get me to love a song, but the whole structure of "Intervention" appeals to me. Its like a sprawling U2 anthem, but incredibly dark (and possibly about sexual abuse in the Catholic church). Its an anthem that appears to be an anti anthem. The last point? The female singer of the band, i believe she is a french Canadian from Montreal, I was happy that she only sings lead vocals on one song, and its a two parter. But i cant listen to her part. That was my main problem with "Funeral." Her voice is just too cutesy, it drives me bananas, as both back-up but especially when its thrust out into the lead. It makes my skin crawl, so the fewer vocal contributions from her the better.
So that's my take on Arcade Fire and "Neon Bible." A great band who are not as great as everyone wants them to be. I don't think its really possible for a band to be that great now that most things have been done. When i get to the Beatles, i will probably explain this when i write about them, Elvis, Dylan and a few others who i think of as "Originators." Its very difficult to do now, and the Arcade Fire are just not in this category. They do, however, make incredibly lush, intricate, layered music that really plays with the notions of what is possible in a pop song.
*Final Thought: I am also really bothered by the people who say the Arcade Fire are Canadian. As a fairly proud Canadian, it bothers me when we reach for these things. The two driving forces in the band, the brothers Butler are Texans. They may have adopted Montreal as a creative home, and married one of very own lovely lasses from la belle Provence, but that still makes them no more Canadian then I think Neil Young is American. Why cant we be happy that Montreal is such a kick ass place that it nurtures these kinds of creative pairings, why do we have to attempt to make bands that really aren't Canadian? Are we that desperate? I hope not.
The problem I have with the people who rave about Arcade Fire is that they are not nearly as good as people are trying to fall all over themselves to convince the world that they are. They are a great band. Soon, i will actually write about how much I like their music, but they are not the future of Rock and Roll, or the great saviours of music. They are an exceptional band making exceptional music, but they aren't some modern day musical messiahs. They will no more "save" or "re-invent" music in general and rock an roll in specific with pipe organs and hurdy gurdy than Radiohead did when they decided to make everything with bleep, blips, and robot voices. Its interesting music, even great music. But genre saving? Doesn't happen.
So after all that, what about the music of "Neon Bible?" The theme of this blog seems to be that I am writing about the band or artist and what i think of them and their place in music, or my relationship with their music, more so than i am actually writing about the music itself. If i were a record reviewer, I would probably be fired. So the music:
"Neon Bible" is the follow up to "Funeral" which was an unexpected hit, and "Neon Bible" was that much more hit-ier. And for good reason. It's an album that opens strong, and pretty much stays strong throughout. The album has an ominous feeling to it that kicks off during the opening track "Black Mirror" and never really recedes, just shifts around, like the uneasy feeling you get in your stomach when you know something is wrong, but you don't know what. After the ominous mood, the next thing I noticed about the album was how much it reminded of Bruce Springsteen. So much so that when i heard Arcade Fire had opened for him and played with him on his last tour i thought that it made a lot of sense. The leader singer, Win (Wyn?) Butler sounds a lot like the Boss if the Boss were more Boho than Hobo. Listen to "Keep The Car Running" and especially "(Antichrist Television Blues)" to see what I mean. Both great tunes. I haven't read much about the album, except for scattered reviews, so I'm not sure if the band were trying to create a concept album or just focus on a particular theme, but there is a definitely a theme to this record. What it is I change my mind about almost every time I listen. Sometimes I think its about the erosion of small towns, especially through the eyes of children and adolescents in those towns, or maybe its just about being a young adult and all the bullshit that goes with that. Who knows? (unless someone actually does know and would like to enlighten me in the comments) The last two things i will say about the album are: The fourth song, "Intervention" may be one of my favorite songs of the last five years. A pipe organ? Oh, Arcade Fire, how did you know my weakness? The pipe organ is almost guaranteed to get me to love a song, but the whole structure of "Intervention" appeals to me. Its like a sprawling U2 anthem, but incredibly dark (and possibly about sexual abuse in the Catholic church). Its an anthem that appears to be an anti anthem. The last point? The female singer of the band, i believe she is a french Canadian from Montreal, I was happy that she only sings lead vocals on one song, and its a two parter. But i cant listen to her part. That was my main problem with "Funeral." Her voice is just too cutesy, it drives me bananas, as both back-up but especially when its thrust out into the lead. It makes my skin crawl, so the fewer vocal contributions from her the better.
So that's my take on Arcade Fire and "Neon Bible." A great band who are not as great as everyone wants them to be. I don't think its really possible for a band to be that great now that most things have been done. When i get to the Beatles, i will probably explain this when i write about them, Elvis, Dylan and a few others who i think of as "Originators." Its very difficult to do now, and the Arcade Fire are just not in this category. They do, however, make incredibly lush, intricate, layered music that really plays with the notions of what is possible in a pop song.
*Final Thought: I am also really bothered by the people who say the Arcade Fire are Canadian. As a fairly proud Canadian, it bothers me when we reach for these things. The two driving forces in the band, the brothers Butler are Texans. They may have adopted Montreal as a creative home, and married one of very own lovely lasses from la belle Provence, but that still makes them no more Canadian then I think Neil Young is American. Why cant we be happy that Montreal is such a kick ass place that it nurtures these kinds of creative pairings, why do we have to attempt to make bands that really aren't Canadian? Are we that desperate? I hope not.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
2. Ryan Adams "Gold" and Ryan Adams and the Cardinals "Follow the Lights EP"
So with Ryan Adams I decided to write up the two albums of his that I own in one go. This probably wont be the trend with other artists who take up 8-15 albums in my collection, so don't expect a 20,000 word write up on the Dylan albums of my collection. But with Ryan Adams, i only have two, and they contrast in such a way that I feel like it would be a disservice to my loyal (non-existant) readers to not post about them both.
"Gold" is the album that came out in 2001 and made everyone who is into such things as "music" or more to the point "good music" aware of Ryan Adams. He was supposed to be the next big thing, a moniker that is probably only a little less jinxing than.....well, it might be the worst thing you can be labeled. Because of this, the pressure was retardedly high on Adams to produce, and from what I gather he ain't exactly stable as a rocking chair. in fact, I gather he can be bat-shit crazy, but that is neither here nor there. What "Gold" showed was a talented songwriter who had a pretty solid grasp of his craft, and who could make an albums worth of decent material. But isn't that really what it was? An album of decent songs, well written, well performed, but ultimately not earth-shattering. Adams' "Gold" is a solid album, and has a few great tracks, like the opener "New York, New York" (although there is a saxophone solo, which is one of my least favorite things in music, period, unless done well) and the mid-album "Wildflowers." But its not an earth shattering record. I suspect when it came out, at the height of the Boy-Band, Brittany Spears era, it definitely felt like a breath of fresh air, but I definitely think it got over hyped, which probably explains the cooling off of the critical boner the music world had for Adams, and has relegated his newer work to receiving more cagey praise than full-blown adoration. Which is unfortunate, because....................
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals which is Adams' latest incarnation is a phenomenal group. They make the music I think all those people who said "next great thing" were thinking Adams was/was going to make. Because its solid. I mean to get his full length album with the Cardinals (whatever its called) but the "Follow the Lights" EP is a worthy purchase. The songs are country-fried in a way that isn't obnoxious, like, say, New Country. They aren't country, they aren't country-rock, they are good songs that happen to incorporate elements of those two genres. The opening "Follow the Lights" is a good example of this, as is the more rock sounding "This is it." No saxophones or bongo's, just solid tracks. I think this new Adams, with the Cardinals is making the music everyone wanted him to, but that he just didn't. he was trying to hard to be alt-country, or smart-pop or some other label, instead of just doing what he does best, which is writing songs.
So Adams for me is a couple of things. A solid song writer who may have been over hyped, and a great songwriter who may be cursed with lower expectations because the ones originally had for him were so high. I think no matter how his albums are received for the rest of his career, he's going to live up t the early potential, and either way, his music will be interesting. Hopefully interesting in a good way. Not a having the guy from Counting Crows singing back-up vocals way. That's just un-necessary.
"Gold" is the album that came out in 2001 and made everyone who is into such things as "music" or more to the point "good music" aware of Ryan Adams. He was supposed to be the next big thing, a moniker that is probably only a little less jinxing than.....well, it might be the worst thing you can be labeled. Because of this, the pressure was retardedly high on Adams to produce, and from what I gather he ain't exactly stable as a rocking chair. in fact, I gather he can be bat-shit crazy, but that is neither here nor there. What "Gold" showed was a talented songwriter who had a pretty solid grasp of his craft, and who could make an albums worth of decent material. But isn't that really what it was? An album of decent songs, well written, well performed, but ultimately not earth-shattering. Adams' "Gold" is a solid album, and has a few great tracks, like the opener "New York, New York" (although there is a saxophone solo, which is one of my least favorite things in music, period, unless done well) and the mid-album "Wildflowers." But its not an earth shattering record. I suspect when it came out, at the height of the Boy-Band, Brittany Spears era, it definitely felt like a breath of fresh air, but I definitely think it got over hyped, which probably explains the cooling off of the critical boner the music world had for Adams, and has relegated his newer work to receiving more cagey praise than full-blown adoration. Which is unfortunate, because....................
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals which is Adams' latest incarnation is a phenomenal group. They make the music I think all those people who said "next great thing" were thinking Adams was/was going to make. Because its solid. I mean to get his full length album with the Cardinals (whatever its called) but the "Follow the Lights" EP is a worthy purchase. The songs are country-fried in a way that isn't obnoxious, like, say, New Country. They aren't country, they aren't country-rock, they are good songs that happen to incorporate elements of those two genres. The opening "Follow the Lights" is a good example of this, as is the more rock sounding "This is it." No saxophones or bongo's, just solid tracks. I think this new Adams, with the Cardinals is making the music everyone wanted him to, but that he just didn't. he was trying to hard to be alt-country, or smart-pop or some other label, instead of just doing what he does best, which is writing songs.
So Adams for me is a couple of things. A solid song writer who may have been over hyped, and a great songwriter who may be cursed with lower expectations because the ones originally had for him were so high. I think no matter how his albums are received for the rest of his career, he's going to live up t the early potential, and either way, his music will be interesting. Hopefully interesting in a good way. Not a having the guy from Counting Crows singing back-up vocals way. That's just un-necessary.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
1. Alien Lanes- Guided By Voices
I have decided not to do this review of my CD collection in any kind of logical order. I recently moved, and my music is not alphabetised, organised or any other method of categorization. Some are in my Car, some are in a box still because i need to get a new CD holder that will fit all that i have acquired. So I'm just going to pull my albums as they are put away in my shelf, from the box and the car, as I see fit. If anyone is even reading this, I doubt you will be offended by the lack of clarity of vision.
So why Alien Lanes, a Guided By Voices album from the mid-nineties first? Because it is in my car, and it was the last CD i listened to before commencing this Blog. Simple.
Recently I told a group of friends about the danger of something being too good. I used food as an example, saying that I didn't mind the fact that a lot of the "ethnic" foods that I enjoy, like sushi or Thai or what have you, are not as solidly authentic as something you would get in say Japan or Thailand. My reasoning was that once you eat something that is so good as to make any other attempt at it meaningless, you will never enjoy it again. If some master sushi chef made me a $10,000 plate of sushi (I've seen these suckers in National Geographic, they exist!) then i probably would never enjoy sushi again. Whats the point? You have had the best and now what? I used this example as an example of the danger of things being too good. it can be just as punishing as it is rewarding.
What does this have to do with Guided By Voices? Well, first, let me say that i am not saying that Guided By Voices "Alien Lanes" is so good it makes all other music pointless. I am using the above metaphor as a way of demonstrating a similar point when it comes to this album. "Alien Lanes" is 28 songs in about 35 minutes. A bunch of the songs are under a minute, some reach 2, the longest is a whopping 2:56. I find more than a few tedious, thirty second experiments into whatever the hell the band is interested in sounding like. But the real issue is more like my problem with great food. A couple of the songs on this album (which, by the way, i like, start to finish, but not necessarily in a "traditional album" sense) are incredible. But they are 2:00 minutes long. So this is what I've been getting at: while 30 second songs are interesting snapshots of a band experimenting with their sound, or ideas or what have you, a really good pop song leaves you wanting that much more when its only 1 minute long. I may be alone on this one, but listen to the song "Blimps Go 90" and tell me you don't wish it was another minute long. It's like food that is too good, it leaves you not necessarily wanting more, but thinking no matter what, your not going to get another two minutes of song, as great as that would be.
So that's my point about great food, or great short songs. they can be a blessing and a curse, because once you've had or heard it, everything else is going to pale in comparison, or feel like it could be just so much more. I doubt i got this point across very well, but i try. Fortunately, i doubt anyone is reading this, so there you go.
All in all, however, "Alien Lanes" is a solid album, though it intentionally skewers what people think of as a traditional album. The short sketches of songs leave the whole thing with an unfinished feel, but after multiple listens, you realise that's probably the point. The short bursts of genius are just that, short bursts, that all flow together. The album as a whole feels as complete as anything else after you get over the fact that's shorter than some Pink Floyd songs.
So there it is, the first album reviewed at random. Not sure exactly what is next, or whether or not i am going to do all of an artists work in one post or do album by album, so this could be incredibly long. Fortunately, I may be the only one reading.
So why Alien Lanes, a Guided By Voices album from the mid-nineties first? Because it is in my car, and it was the last CD i listened to before commencing this Blog. Simple.
Recently I told a group of friends about the danger of something being too good. I used food as an example, saying that I didn't mind the fact that a lot of the "ethnic" foods that I enjoy, like sushi or Thai or what have you, are not as solidly authentic as something you would get in say Japan or Thailand. My reasoning was that once you eat something that is so good as to make any other attempt at it meaningless, you will never enjoy it again. If some master sushi chef made me a $10,000 plate of sushi (I've seen these suckers in National Geographic, they exist!) then i probably would never enjoy sushi again. Whats the point? You have had the best and now what? I used this example as an example of the danger of things being too good. it can be just as punishing as it is rewarding.
What does this have to do with Guided By Voices? Well, first, let me say that i am not saying that Guided By Voices "Alien Lanes" is so good it makes all other music pointless. I am using the above metaphor as a way of demonstrating a similar point when it comes to this album. "Alien Lanes" is 28 songs in about 35 minutes. A bunch of the songs are under a minute, some reach 2, the longest is a whopping 2:56. I find more than a few tedious, thirty second experiments into whatever the hell the band is interested in sounding like. But the real issue is more like my problem with great food. A couple of the songs on this album (which, by the way, i like, start to finish, but not necessarily in a "traditional album" sense) are incredible. But they are 2:00 minutes long. So this is what I've been getting at: while 30 second songs are interesting snapshots of a band experimenting with their sound, or ideas or what have you, a really good pop song leaves you wanting that much more when its only 1 minute long. I may be alone on this one, but listen to the song "Blimps Go 90" and tell me you don't wish it was another minute long. It's like food that is too good, it leaves you not necessarily wanting more, but thinking no matter what, your not going to get another two minutes of song, as great as that would be.
So that's my point about great food, or great short songs. they can be a blessing and a curse, because once you've had or heard it, everything else is going to pale in comparison, or feel like it could be just so much more. I doubt i got this point across very well, but i try. Fortunately, i doubt anyone is reading this, so there you go.
All in all, however, "Alien Lanes" is a solid album, though it intentionally skewers what people think of as a traditional album. The short sketches of songs leave the whole thing with an unfinished feel, but after multiple listens, you realise that's probably the point. The short bursts of genius are just that, short bursts, that all flow together. The album as a whole feels as complete as anything else after you get over the fact that's shorter than some Pink Floyd songs.
So there it is, the first album reviewed at random. Not sure exactly what is next, or whether or not i am going to do all of an artists work in one post or do album by album, so this could be incredibly long. Fortunately, I may be the only one reading.
So it begins.........
I have been thinking for a while that i would like to write a blog, because apparently within the next five years, all of the worlds information, content and entertainment will come from blogs. According to bloggers, anyways. So not to be one who misses band-wagons, here I am. I also decided that for someone who obsessively talks about music and other such interests, this is the perfect venue for me. No real feedback, at least none that I can't ignore. So I think I will start my Blog with a long and potentially unending task. Stealing directly from a personal favorite music critic (and a personal favorite website) I'm going to review my entire CD collection. Why? Because this is the kind of minutiae I am talking about in my "About Me" column. And because I feel the world really needs to know why I love "John Wesley Harding." So get ready dear readers (probably none, but hey, who cares, this is primarily about me like all blogs anyway, right?) because this could be the start of something utterly ridiculous.
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