tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39327828020725410882024-02-18T21:57:54.310-08:00budscornerBud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-27709128947490328482012-09-07T12:22:00.000-07:002012-09-07T12:27:51.274-07:00A THING ABOUT DIVINE FITS<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsYiqSIwOR2ajTk5f6UTyft6Z-eldwhvO5CWrHI0Oy0BVFNdncd-CRQnfh45IlPzBukujWaT6guEdpB8H13VkqMT9g_ejOUsTbqtfNWb2GtYIkDh1MgRXtddGzxSlJ1gIeNS8ltApOmI/s1600/Divine+Fits+press+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsYiqSIwOR2ajTk5f6UTyft6Z-eldwhvO5CWrHI0Oy0BVFNdncd-CRQnfh45IlPzBukujWaT6guEdpB8H13VkqMT9g_ejOUsTbqtfNWb2GtYIkDh1MgRXtddGzxSlJ1gIeNS8ltApOmI/s1600/Divine+Fits+press+shot.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The recently formed <b>Divine Fits</b>
has been widely touted as an “indie supergroup” because of the pedigrees of its
members: <b>Spoon</b>’s <b>Britt Daniel</b>, <b>Dan Boeckner</b> (formerly of <b>Wolf
Parade</b> and <b>Handsome Furs</b>) and drummer <b>Sam Brown</b> (the <b>New
Bomb Turks</b>). There’s a powerful kick to Divine Fits’ dynamic, which pits
Daniel’s dry, cerebral, hyper-rhythmic aesthetic against Boeckner’s
open-hearted, overheated character (see Handsome Furs’ <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/handsome-furs-lurid-nsfw-what-about-us-20110707" target="_blank">libidinal video for “What About Us”</a> and this <u><a href="http://themusicslut.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/handsome_furs_main.jpg" target="_blank">sexually</a> <a href="http://www.seattlesubsonic.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/handsome-furs.jpg" target="_blank">charged</a> <a href="http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/16467073/Handsome+Furs+5051.jpg" target="_blank">press</a> <a href="http://slayshtank.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Handsome-Furs1.jpg" target="_blank">photo</a></u>). And while <i>A Thing Called Divine Fits </i>(<b>Merge</b>)
barely sold more than 7k in its debut week, I suspect it’s only a matter of
time before the band’s prospective fans figure out who—and how good—they are.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The critics have certainly taken notice. The <i>N.Y. Times</i>’ <b>Ben Ratliff</b>
describes the LP as “taut and right. It’s concentrated on the thing itself: a
collection of shared songs, not the pile of individual wills. You can tell that
what’s been taken out is as important as what stayed in… Having two singers
doesn’t split the record in half; there seems to be an almost brotherly
relationship here… Each can sound like a modified version of the other.
Somehow, on deeper levels, they overlap.” The <i>L.A. Times</i>’ <b>Randall
Roberts</b> found one of the band’s recent run of L.A. performances
“thrilling,” as he pointed out how “three men with recognizable gifts and a
keen sense of song can build mesmerizing musical structures.” And in my review
of the album in the upcoming issue of <i>Uncut</i>, I write that <i>A Thing
Called Divine Fits </i>is the most infectiously tricked-out rock LP since <i>El
Camino</i>. And seeing them tear it up last month at Hotel Cafe,
playing like they'd been together for a decade rather than a few month,
made it that much more obvious that Divine Fits is a major new band.</span><br />
<br />
Here’s my recent conversation with Daniel, punctuated with shards of
deadpan wit.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">With Spoon very much a going concern,
what motivated you to form another band?<br />
</b>I had known Dan for four years or so. I met him at a Handsome Furs show in
Portland. When Spoon played at Radio City Music Hall, we invited him to come
out and do one of his songs, and he played with us on one of our songs. I’d
always felt that he was the real deal – loved his voice, loved his songs. So
when he told me in February of last year that Wolf Parade was winding down, I
immediately said, “We’ve gotta start a band then,” and he went for it.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Did you have a mission statement
going in about what sort of a band it would be?<br />
</b>We didn’t. In fact, we talked about not having any kind of mission. When
you’ve been in a band for a while, you start feeling a little bit boxed in in
terms of what you can and can’t do, even if it’s not very conscious. And we
talked about how great it was that we could do this, we could do that; we could
use this instrument or that instrument; we could do this cover or that cover. “Let’s
not say we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">can’t</i> do anything.” <br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I think that comes across in the
attitude of the album as well as the band onstage. I don’t know that I’d
describe it as a carefree quality, but there’s less of the torment I expect
from you on Spoon records. “Would That Not Be Nice,” for example, seems like a
series of non sequiturs rather than any kind of heartfelt lyric expression.</b> <br />
That one came about from something I wrote in a letter to a friend. His band
was on tour in Minneapolis and I was stuck at home feeling the pressure to
write a lot of songs very quickly and not able to go out and do anything fun.
The fun part of being in a band is when you’re on tour – and also the moment
when you’re writing and something really great happens. So I was writing the
letter about how I wished I was in Minneapolis and all the things I would do in
Minneapolis. But that was the genesis of the song. And I don’t know, I guess I
hadn’t gone through a breakup when we were making this record [near-laugh];
maybe that’s what you’re picking up on. <br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Did you each bring your own material
to the band or did you collaborate?</b><br />
A little of both. With “When I Get You
Alone,” I wrote the music and I sent it to Dan and he sang on top of it. We
wrote “Would That Not Be Nice” as a jam and I sang on top of that one. There
were a lot of songs where I would bring something in, he would bring something
in and we’d take what was there and reconstruct it or turn it around a little
bit. And that was great to do because I’d never been in a band with a guy who
was a songwriter first and foremost. He would come in with a song that was done
in one way and I’d say, “Well, maybe we should make it half as many syllables.”
Things like that.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The electronic aspect of the band is
relatively new to you, although Dan has done a lot of it with Handsome Furs. How
did that element come into play?¶</b>When Dan was writing these songs, he was
staying in this room upstairs in my house and he would go up there and work
things. He’d do that all day and we’d listen to them at night. He had a
keyboard and a drum machine up there, and so that shaped the way the songs
turned out. He had just gotten the drum machine, and it had a really cool synth
bass to it, so he was using that for the bass for all the songs he wrote, and
because it affected how the songs progressed it made sense to keep it on there.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The drums seem to be a combination of
Sam’s playing and quantized beats.</b><br />
Most of them are played by Sam except
for “My Love Is Real.” But you really get a sense of what a great drummer Sam
is when you see him live—he’s just insane.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What caused you to bring in Nick
Launay to produce the record with you?</b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Win Butler</b> suggested Nick Launay to
Dan. They’re buddies, and Dan used to be in an early version of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Arcade Fire</b>; I didn’t know that until
recently. Win seemed real excited about this project, and he said, “You’ve
gotta check out this guy Nick Launay,” who he had worked with on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neon Bible</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Suburbs</i>. We looked at his discography, and he’d been working on
records going back to 1980 when he produced a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Public Image</b> record. He’s done a lot of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nick Cave</b> stuff, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Grinderman</b>,
the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Yeah Yeah Yeahs</b>. <br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What did he bring to the party?<br />
</b>An ’80s sensibility [another near-laugh]. He has a good sense of how to get
good performances quickly. He’s been doing this a long time and he’s good at
it. <br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Is Divine Fits an ongoing entity?</b><br />
Yeah, it’s definitely an ongoing thing. I’m having a lot of fun with it. It’s a
really different experience for me, because I’m not the primary focus. I do get
to write songs and sing, but I don’t have to be the guy that does it all the
time. I like backing people up that I believe in. Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-58832015706413550242012-07-12T17:43:00.003-07:002012-07-14T11:56:21.187-07:00A SUBJECTIVE SOUNDTRACK TO THE LAST SIX MONTHS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">You’ve
gotta admit, a playlist that begins with a song titled “I’m Shakin’” and ends with
one called “Just Breathe” is fitting for the present Age of Anxiety, just as <i>Happy Pills</i> serves nicely as a heading for
the whole thing. I’ve got a bunch of either/or choices in the 25-track playlist
immediately below, but most of them are from albums so loaded that you could pick
any of five or six tracks as <i>the </i>standout—starting
with <b>The Shins</b> and <b>Jack White</b>, as well as total pros <b>Bonnie Raitt</b> and <b>Willie Nelson</b>, and a couple of bands I’d never heard before this year:
<b>Here We Go Magic</b> and <b>Hospitality</b>. Along with the music listed
below, I’ve spent a big portion of 2012 listening to tracks that either came out
later in 2011 or took me awhile to actually listen to.<b> </b>In the former group are<b> Radiohead</b>’s
“The Daily Mail”/”Staircase” single, a double-shot of late-year brilliance, and
of course, <b>The Black Keys</b>’ irresistible,
hook-loaded <i>El Camino</i>, an album I haven’t
stopped playing since it came out in December. (Current fave: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlR3y6ctxwM">“Little Black Submarine,”</a>
with that fist-pumping <b>Led Zep</b>-inspired
eruption in mid-song.) The ones I could’ve kicked myself for not picking up on sooner
are <b>Destroyer</b>’s avant-garde/soft-rock
hybrid <i>Kaputt</i>—especially the droll, delectable
“Savage Night at the Opera”—and<b> The War on
Drugs</b>’ churning, <b>Springsteen</b>-like
<i>Slave Ambient</i>. My Top 12 albums at midyear
follow the playlist. The links on the song titles are either <b>YouTube </b>clips of official videos, personally
vetted live performances or, in the case of the several less celebrated tunes, lyric
videos. Or you can go straight to the <b>Spotify</b>
playlist <a href="http://open.spotify.com/user/budscoppa/playlist/6pTadwkjQA7TfOEhjIceXK">here</a>,
containing my 25 selections plus 15 other tracks referenced in the copy. <i>—<a href="mailto:bs7777@aol.com">Bud
Scoppa</a></i> </span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></b></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><i>HAPPY
PILLS</i>: A 2012 MIDYEAR PLAYLIST</b></div>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jack White</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, </span><a href="http://youtu.be/Okfm66ASu0w" style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“I’m Shakin’”</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">: I was torn
between the totally kickass </span><a href="http://vevo.ly/JVAFCd" style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Sixteen Saltines”</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
and this scintillating cover of a </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rudy Toombs</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
tune originally cut in 1960 by </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Little Willie
John</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> (check out his version </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWRjus3end4" style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">here</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">) and revived by the </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Blasters</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
in 1981, but I went with “I’m Shakin’” because White has never grooved any more
bodaciously than he does here, and because I’ve discovered the track is a can’t-miss
party starter. So let’s get this party started… </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
<b>Here We Go Magic</b>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uS13DJuZD0" target="_blank">“Make Up Your Mind”</a>: <b>Nigel
Godrich</b> knows a thing or two about rhythm from working with <b>Radiohead</b> and <b>Beck</b>, and the producer has helped <b>Luke Temple</b> and his bandmates get their groove on here and elsewhere
on <i>A Different Ship</i> (<b>Secretly
Canadian</b>). Temple’s specialty is filtering conventional song structures
and standard rock instrumentation through loops, pedals and ambient sounds, and
the LP sounds like a radio transmission from a distant station, where an all-night
DJ spins what sounds like a low-down, souped-up <b>J.J. Cale</b> on the hyper-infectious “Make Up Your Mind” and the <b>Everly Brothers</b> on the similarly percolating
<a href="http://youtu.be/MqaMEMIBPIw?hd=1">“How Do I Know.”</a> I can also hear
hints of <b>Nick Lowe</b> (“Hard to Be Close”)
and <b>Paul Simon</b> (“I Believe in Action”)
on an album that’s fuzzy, fractured and slightly out of focus, which makes it all
the more mesmerizing.<br />
<br />
<b>Beach House</b>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuvWc3ToDHg" target="_blank">“Myth”</a>: With <i>Bloom</i>,
<b>Victoria Legrand</b> and <b>Alex Scally</b> have crafted an album that feels
very much like the score for an imaginary film—an avant-garde French film, to be
precise, an extended nocturne encompassing romance and its aftermath, the inexorable
passage of time and the preciousness of the fleeting moment. This shimmering aural
dreamscape comes off like a modern variation on ’60s girl-group pop, specifically
suggesting <b>Phil Spector</b>’s wall of sound
in its stacked, heavily echoed instrumentation. But Beach House’s wall of sound
feels liquid in its density, like a tsunami in slo-mo. <br />
<b><br />
The Shins</b>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSSIM_ZqGXE">“Simple Song”</a>:
Perhaps the ultimate example of <b>James Mercer</b>’s
dizzying aerial ballet. I’ve played this track more than any other during the last
six months, and it still gives me goosebumps—plus, I keep discovering additional
nuances lurking in the cumulus clouds of Mercer and <b>Greg Kurstin</b>’s breathtaking arrangement. That’s true of pretty much
every track on <i>Port of Morrow</i>, an album
as compulsively listenable as it is musically and vocally ambitious. It’s my #1
album of 2012 so far—something I can, and do, listen to from start to finish, a
rarity these days.<br />
<br />
<b>Hospitality</b>, “<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPGujSQcSbs" target="_blank">Eighth Avenue</a>”: The Brooklyn band’s full-length debut thrums
with the street-level energy of New York City, which provides the backdrop for several
of gamine-like frontwoman <b>Amber Papini</b>’s
songs and the deft playing of multi-instrumentalist (and former bedroom savant)
<b>Nate Michel</b>. The high-IQ torque of early
<b>Talking Heads</b> powers <a href="http://youtu.be/DYwgM4qlYWI?hd=1">“Friends of Friends,”</a> while the elliptical
character sketch <a href="http://youtu.be/Wh2OvcHKJ-8?hd=1">“Betty Wang”</a> is
packed with as much detail as something from <b>Fountains of Wayne</b>. But “Eighth Avenue,” with its parade of embedded
hooks, along with a vocal from Papini poised between girlish fragility and womanly
self-possession, is this engaging young band’s definitive track.<br />
<br />
<b>The Ting Tings</b>, <a href="http://youtu.be/-EnlcP7rAlc">“Give It Back”</a>:
The closest thing to a straightforward rocker on either of the duo’s albums, “Give
It Back” shares a rapid-fire groove and sidelong aggressiveness with <b>Spoon</b>’s “Got Nuffin.” But the most infectious
track on <i>Sounds From Nowheresville</i>, a
terrific album that has been strangely overlooked following their worldwide hit
debut, 2008’s <i>We Started Nothing</i>, is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkCCV2A29SQ" target="_blank">“Soul Killing,”</a>
with a pogoing groove from <b>Jules DiMartino</b>
and <b>Katie White</b>’s skittering, playfully
soulful (and vice versa) vocal. And by the way, that’s a snippet of “Hit Me Down
Sonny” from the latest LP in the current <a href="http://youtu.be/3EeQIfpnrP0">Acura
ILS spot</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Delta Spirit</b>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va0ezWC2du4" target="_blank">“California”</a>: <span lang="EN-GB">The </span>San Diego band’s smarts and muscle come together with a resounding
<i>whomp</i> on their self-titled third LP. <b>Matt Vasquez</b>’s glorious celebration of his
home state gallops along behind force-of-nature drummer <b>Brandon Young</b>’s snare-and-kick assaults alternating with a motorik drum-machine
beat under a galaxy of shimmering harmonies. It’s one of three memorable songs on
the subject to appear in this half year, along with <b>Best Coast</b>’s <a href="http://youtu.be/yoPoRuNTo9U">“No Other Place”</a>
and, unexpectedly, the next track on this playlist…<br />
<br />
<b>John Mayer</b>, <a href="http://youtu.be/0oRnmk5s9No">“Queen of California”</a>: Mayer clearly
signals his intentions on the opener of the <b>Don Was</b>-produced <i>Born and Raised</i>,
name-checking <i>Harvest</i> and <b>Joni Mitchell</b> in opener “Queen of California,”
while gracing the song’s Laurel Canyon lilt with his own high, lonesome harmonies.
Here and elsewhere on the LP, the guitar hero does something unprecedented in his
career, ceding the instrumental foreground to SoCal pedal steel master <b>Greg Leisz</b>, who serves as both guide and
talisman in Mayer’s attempt to sublimely evocative tones. Note: The radio edit cuts
off the rhapsodic instrumental interplay that takes the performance to a rarefied
level.<br />
<b><br />
Beachwood Sparks</b>, <a href="http://youtu.be/J2Z3kEsKtrk">“Sparks Fly Again”</a>:
Back on <b>Sub Pop</b> after a decade of silence,
the L.A. retro-rockers sound tighter and more mature throughout <i>The Tarnished Gold</i>, which finds the band
embracing high fidelity for the first time, to their benefit. This buoyant track
from <b>Farmer Dave Scher</b> reminds me of
the <b>Byrds</b>’ <a href="http://youtu.be/3hEfcawx6Fc">“Wasn’t Born to Follow,”</a> one of two <b>Goffin</b>-<b>King</b> covers on <i>Notorious Byrd
Brothers</i>. “I wrote the chords and ideas to actually reference a bunch of the
things we did way back in the roaring ’90s,” Scher told me. “I really tried to make
chord changes that took elements of different songs that we had done before; I tried
to write in our vocabulary, our idiom. And with the lyrics, I thought it would be
fun to make it a description of what was actually happening, to do a full send-up
of the kind of structures we used to really be into at the start, when we were our
own strange little mini-culture. It was my way of saying, ‘Let’s light this baby
up again.’” <br />
<br />
<b>Robert Francis</b>, <a href="http://youtu.be/9sskdRcwZyg?hd=1">“Perfectly Yours”</a>: <i>Strangers in the
First Place </i>(<b>Vanguard</b>), the 24-year-old artist’s third album, is suffused
with the atmosphere of the young artist’s native Los Angeles, from its cinematically
vivid imagery to the intricate latticework of fingerpicked guitars and airborne
harmonies that form its default setting. The
turbulent theme of this brutally inverted love song is belied by its silky sound,
as multi-instrumentalist Francis and his bandmates deftly juxtapose light and shadow.
The track’s lush climax, topped by Francis’ yearning “I don’t want to lose this
feeling” vocal payoff, sounds uncannily like <b>Paul Buchanan</b> and <b>The</b> <b>Blue Nile</b>—a band Robert told me he’d never
heard. Another highlight is the thrilling closer <a href="http://youtu.be/U9JFXzgKcIY">“Dangerous Neighborhood”</a> on which Francis
embraces his rich musical heritage with a parade of crystalline Laurel Canyon harmonies,
while he engages in an animated left-right guitar conversation with <b>Ry Cooder</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>Grace Potter & the Nocturnals</b>, <a href="http://youtu.be/JrmeWpaV7IM?hd=1">“Never Go Back”</a>: <i>The Lion The Beast The Beat</i> (<b>Hollywood</b>), Potter and company’s fourth
and best album, crisply produced by <b>Jim Scott</b>
(<b>Tom Petty</b>, <b>Wilco</b>), contains three tracks they cooked up in collaboration with <b>The Black Keys</b>’<b> Dan Auerbach</b> in his Nashville studio. Auerbach loaned Potter his Mellotron
and laid down the chugging Casio drum loop here on the lead single, with its insinuating
“Oh no/oh no/I’ll never go back there no more” chorus hook. Catchy as all get-out.<br />
<br />
<b>Tennis</b>, <a href="http://youtu.be/gY5kKn24qvs?hd=1">“My Better Self”</a>: Give the drummer some.
The Keys’ <b>Patrick Carney</b> produced <i>Young & Old </i>(<b>Fat Possum</b>), the sophomore LP from this male-female duo, which contains
this summery cut, setting off <b>Alaina Moore</b>’s
ingenuous, girl-group-style vocal against the crushing drums of touring member <b>James Barone</b>, whose muscular snare hits
sound a lot like those of basher Carney himself. But there’s a hint of something
darker below the surface that’s brought forward in the bizarrely choreographed video,
with its “<i>Twin Peaks</i> roadhouse vibe,”
as <a href="http://stereogum.com/1016702/tennis-my-better-self-video/video/">Stereogum</a>
put it.<br />
<br />
<b>Nada Surf</b>, <a href="http://youtu.be/JQjgfRSgXh8?hd=1">“Jules and Jim”</a>: Gotta have some 12-string
jangle, and this <b>Truffaut</b>- and <b>McGuinn</b>-referencing track from the reliable
<b>Matthew Caws</b> and his mates, now including
lead guitarist <b>Doug Gillard</b>, fills the
bill. It also reminds me of <b>Matthew Sweet</b>’s <a href="http://youtu.be/SGg3KnBl_uU">“She Walks the Night”</a> from last year’s <i>Modern
Art</i>. But the centerpiece of <i>The Stars
Are Indifferent to Astronomy </i>(<b>Barsuk</b>) is <a href="http://youtu.be/Y55jz1AtQ9o?hd=1">“When I Was Young,”</a> which starts like
a muted ballad from <b>Simon &</b> <b>Garfunkel</b>’s <i>Bookends</i> before erupting into a widescreen anthem. <br />
<br />
<b>JD McPherson</b>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqdY5Wsp7tg">“Signs and Signifiers”</a>: McPherson
is a ’50s rock & roll revivalist, but he’s no purist. <i>Signs & Signifiers</i>, the Oklahoma native’s debut album, delivers
retro music laced with a rich payload of postmodern nuance—what McPherson describes,
only half-facetiously, as “an art project disguised as an R&B record.” The title
track is a perfect example of this perfectly poised duality—it’s a mesmerizing churner
powered by an unchanging tremolo guitar figure modeled on <b>Johnny Marr</b>’s part on <b>The Smiths</b>’
“How Soon Is Now.” I could’ve easily gone with the quintessential JD tune, “North
Side Gal,” a two-and-a-half-minute slab of smoked brisket that slaps together <b>Carl Perkins</b> and <b>Jackie Wilson</b>—with a stunning self-directed <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZGn4LncY0g">video</a> to boot. <br />
<b><br />
The Walkmen</b>, <a href="http://youtu.be/1s05jZ3x5wg">“We Can’t Be Beat”</a>: This
full-throated, unselfconscious, nearly a cappella sing-out from the Brooklyn band—a
ballsy choice for <i>Heaven</i>’s leadoff cut—gives
the <b>Fleet Foxes</b> a run for their money…but
then, they did get <b>Robin Pecknold</b> to
sing on it.<br />
<b><br />
Fiona Apple</b>, <a href="http://vevo.ly/Kjgzfb">“Every Single Night”</a>: A sense
of foreboding lurks beneath the lilting surface of <i>The Idler Wheel</i> (etc.)’s first single and opening track, before giving
way to hemorrhaging anxiety on the anti-diva’s bravest, most uncompromising work—and
that’s saying something.<br />
<br />
<b>Norah Jones</b>, <a href="http://youtu.be/S1XD_2ogQP0">“Happy Pills”</a>: Happily, Jones’ contributions
to <b>Danger Mouse</b>’s <i>Rome</i> last year led the two to make an album
together, and the astute producer, musician and songwriter brings out both a dark
undercurrent and a previously untapped effervescence in Norah, busting her out of
the easy-listening ghetto. I haven’t spent enough time with <i>…Little Broken Hearts </i>as a whole to put it
alongside my faves of the half-year, but the first single hooks me from the moment
that chunky groove and treated <i>nah-nah-nah</i>s
strut out of the speakers. <br />
<b><br />
The Shins</b>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIBvvtqy-GY" target="_blank">“40 Mark Strasse”</a>:
Mercer’s gorgeous tribute to <b>Todd
Rundgren</b> in his Philly soul mode, as well as Todd’s homies <b>Hall & Oates</b>. This is familiar territory
for producer Kurstin, who did a 2010 album of H&O classics as half of <b>The Bird and the Bee</b> with <b>Inara George</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>Bonnie Raitt</b>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMNuw2JjOzU" target="_blank">“Million Miles”</a>: The 62-year-old artist is not only one of the
best song interpreters on the planet (along with <b>Willie Nelson</b>; see below), she’s also carrying on the legacy of <b>Little Feat</b> auteur <b>Lowell George</b> with her powerful slide guitar playing. Slipstream, Raitt’s
first LP in seven years (just like <b>Fiona
Apple</b>—but that’s where the comparison ends), contains eight groove-focused tracks
she recorded with her excellent longtime band—and four deep, dark performances with
producer <b>Joe Henry</b> and his go-to guys.
I could’ve gone either way in picking one song—like <b>Randall Bramblett</b>’s <a href="http://youtu.be/9fhwvVXO1_E?hd=1">“Used
to Rule the World”</a> from the self-produced batch—but I keep coming back to her
unhurried but intense Henry-produced performance of this bitter existential ballad
from <b>Dylan</b>’s <i>Time Out of Mind</i>. Can’t wait to hear the rest of the tracks from the
Henry sessions.<br />
<br />
<b>Beck</b>, <a href="http://youtu.be/_YMCAP3HZTY?hd=1">“Looking for a Sign”</a>: This one-off from
the soundtrack<i> </i>to the 2011 indie film,
<i>Jeff, Who Lives at Home</i>, is <i>Sea Change</i> revisited, and that’s more than
OK with me.<br />
<br />
<b>Kathleen Edwards</b>, <a href="http://youtu.be/qJCzaV63EoM?hd=1">“Change the Sheets”</a>: On her fourth album,
the Canadian writer/artist dramatically breaks out of the alt-country cul-de-sac,
armed with a brace of intensely personal songs crammed with guided-missile hooks.
As Edwards and <b>Bon Iver</b> auteur <b>Justin Vernon</b> co-produced the record, they
were falling in love, which no doubt accounts for the ecstatic vocal and instrumental
performances throughout. The songs bear the wounds of Edwards’ breakup and divorce,
and Vernon’s gorgeous arrangements enwrap her vulnerable vocals like a down comforter.
The lacerating yet life-embracing “Change the Sheets” is the most captivating track
on an album loaded with them.<br />
<b><br />
</b><b>Paul McCartney</b>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFddsWq2pDw">“Too Many People”</a>: From <i>Ram</i>, the year’s most ear-opening reissue.
The critics turned up their noses at McCartney’s second album—following the homemade
“bowl of cherries” debut, which was widely regarded as a charming curio—partly because
he wasn’t <b>John Lennon</b>, but mostly because
<i>Ram </i>wasn’t <b>The</b> <b>Beatles</b>. That’s why listening
to it now in reissue form is such a kick in the pants, starting with the opening
track, which picks up where Side Two of <i>Abbey
Road</i> left off, while foreshadowing the similarly variegated “Band on the Run.”<br />
<br />
<b>Jack White</b>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cenEVCt82E" target="_blank">“Take Me With You When You Go”</a>: During a the course of a track
with a mid-song transition as radical as <b>The
Black Keys</b>’ “Little Black Submarine,” Jack summons up practically every mode
he’s leaned on over the years, from the pastoral to the epic. <br />
<br />
<b>M. Ward</b>, <a href="http://youtu.be/oBTIHh-cXj0?hd=1">“The
First Time I Ran Away”</a>: This
sublime work-up from <i>A Wasteland Companion</i>
has a similar Zen-like quality to Ward’s way-deep “Chinese Translation,” right down
to the earlier song’s haunting <a href="http://youtu.be/6BvPMbJZfLw">animated video</a>.
The two clips are both the work of <b>Joel
Trussell</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>Willie Nelson</b>, <a href="http://youtu.be/bausG809hv0?hd=1">“Just Breathe”</a>: This <b>Pearl Jam</b> cover featuring son <b>Lukas</b>
and Willie’s take on <b>Coldplay</b>’s <a href="http://youtu.be/v525UGbA448?hd=1">“The Scientist”</a> are both excellent examples
of the ol’ coot’s uncanny ability to inhabit a song. “Just Breathe” could’ve been written for him. It begins, “Yes I understand
that every life must end/As we sit alone, I know someday we must go,” and ends,
“Hold me till I die/Meet you on the other side.” Willie claims both songs for himself, as he’s done so often
during the last half century.<br />
<b><br />
</b><b><span lang="EN-GB">ALBUMS: A MIDYEAR TOP 15<br />
The Shins</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">, <i>Port of Morrow </i>(<b>Columbia</b>)<br />
<b>Jack White</b>, <i>Blunderbuss</i> (<b>Third Man</b>/Columbia)<br />
</span><b>Here We Go Magic</b>, <i>A Different
Ship</i> (<b>Secretly Canadian</b>)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Beach House</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bloom</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> (</span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sub Pop</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bonnie Raitt</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Slipstream</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> (</span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Redwing/RED</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Ting Tings</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sounds From
Nowheresville</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> (Columbia)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Willie Nelson</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, <i>Heroes</i><b> </b>(<b>Legacy</b>)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hospitality</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hospitality </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(</span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Merge</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Grace Potter & the Nocturnals</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Lion The Beast The Beat</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> (</span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hollywood</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Delta Spirit</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">,
<i>Delta Spirit </i><b>(Rounder</b>)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Beachwood
Sparks</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Tarnished Gold </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(Sub
Pop)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Robert Francis</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Strangers
in the First Place </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(</span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Vanguard</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Kathleen Edwards</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Voyageur </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(</span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Zoe/</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rounder)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Nada Surf</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(</span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Barsuk</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fiona Apple</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, </span><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Idler Wheel
Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than
Ropes Will Ever Do </em><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">(</span></em><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Clean Slate/Epic</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-54321665517228237312011-12-20T09:25:00.001-08:002011-12-21T13:26:46.617-08:002011 FAVES: OPTIONS, ANGLES & PUMPED-UP KICKS<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6c_TARRkM6A2wHCfSy_eQmbzGQkVIbxDwetoMI4VXNytBtlmsAqVtiN7eUbwzhPjooD2uvFBxTn1xGxMC1WkBb2CE_yln21qnxc9d6C4tK2MW7qgXq4V9KnttuJY5mxO137ghKcj6d0/s1600/Black+Keys+album+art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6c_TARRkM6A2wHCfSy_eQmbzGQkVIbxDwetoMI4VXNytBtlmsAqVtiN7eUbwzhPjooD2uvFBxTn1xGxMC1WkBb2CE_yln21qnxc9d6C4tK2MW7qgXq4V9KnttuJY5mxO137ghKcj6d0/s320/Black+Keys+album+art.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
A year ago this week,
as I was finishing up my list of 2010 favorite albums, I finally got around to
digging into the <b>Black Keys</b>’ <i>Brothers</i>,
and—after kicking myself for having underestimated the band for so long—added
the record to my Top 10 at the very last minute. Now, I’m making similar
adjustments in order to accommodate the Keys’ new <i>El Camino</i>, an instant grabber, and wondering where it’ll wind up
among my ’11 faves once the novelty has worn off. Don’t know yet how this year
stacks up against other recent years in terms of quality, but with the addition
of <i>El Camino</i>, I’ve got a rock-solid Top
10—and I have yet to uncork <b>Tom Waits</b>’ <i>Bad as Me</i>. <br />
<br />
While I was falling under the spell of <i>Brothers</i>
a year ago, I was also getting hooked on a trio of lead singles from albums
that were scheduled to hit in early 2011: the <b>Decemberists</b>’ jangle-fest
“Down by the Water,” <b>Paul Simon</b>’s wicked-clever “Getting Ready for
Christmas Day” and <b>Adele</b>’s kick drum-driven churner “Rolling in the
Deep.” I had no idea, of course, that I’d be hearing “Rolling” throughout the
next 12 months, more than any other song, except, perhaps, for “Pumped Up
Kicks” from rookies <b>Foster the People</b>—and though I left both off my 2011
playlist due to their sheer ubiquity, I admire them as performances and
productions as much as any recordings this year. <br />
<br />
As I put my 2011 picks to bed, I’m listening obsessively to tracks from a
couple of albums coming in January: When I Was Young” from<b> Nada Surf</b>’s <i>The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy </i>(<b>Barsuk</b>), and “Change the Sheets” from <b>Kathleen Edwards</b>’ <i>Voyageur </i>(<b>Zoe/Rounder</b>), which she co-produced
with her significant other, <b>Bon Iver</b>’s
<b>Justin Vernon</b>. Both tracks are
anthems of a decidedly personal nature, and both albums capture their authors
in the very act of self-discovery. I’ll be surprised if Edwards and Nada Surf
aren’t represented in my best of 2012 lists a year from now.<br />
<br />
The non-musical works that captivated me this year were <b>Jonathan Franzen</b>’s <i>Freedom</i>
and <b>Jennifer Egan</b>’s <i>A Visit From the Goon Squad </i>(fiction); <b>Alexander Payne</b>’s <i>The Descendants</i>, <b>Bennett
Miller</b>’s <i>Moneyball </i>and <b>Mike Mills</b>’ <i>The Beginners </i>(films); <b>Showtime</b>’s
enthralling <i>Homeland</i> and tragicomedy <i>Enlightened</i>, <b>AMC</b>’s unbearably intense <i>The
Killing </i>and <b>ABC</b>’s
zeitgeist-capturing sitcom <i>The Middle</i>
(TV series).<br />
<br />
Here’s a 25-song year-end playlist (which you can listen to on my <b>Spotify</b> page), followed by my Top 30
2012 albums, quick takes on a bunch of them and in-depth critiques of my big
three. <br />
<b><br />
</b><b>2011 YEAR-END PLAYLIST: <i>OPTIONS<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span><b>The Black
Keys, “Sister”:</b> It was the single “Lonely Boy” that first had me in its
thrall, but this springy groove may stand as <b>Pat Carney</b>’s coolest rhythmic pattern on a record that’s all about the
big beat.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span><b>Foster
the People, “Warrant”: </b>Year’s best <b>LCD
Soundsystem</b> tribute on the year’s hookiest album—with the possible
exception of <i>El Camino</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
3.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span><b>Gomez,
“Options”:</b> My wife <b>Peggy</b> fell in
love with this highway cruiser last summer when <b>Sirius Spectrum</b> started banging it, and <i>Esquire</i> has endorsed as one of the top 10 2011 songs you need to
hear. The groove, the horns and the premise combine to make this souped-up
shuffle the veteran band’s most irresistible cut ever. <o:p></o:p></div>
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4.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span><b>Ryan
Adams, “Lucky Now”:</b> Austere, silken perfection, resolving into not one but
two giant hooks. <o:p></o:p></div>
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5.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span><b>Feist,
“The Bad in Each Other”:</b> So sonically tactile that you feel it more than
you hear it, this enthralling track showcases Feist’s urgent, <b>Neil Young</b>-like guitar playing, as she
gets to the heart of a tumultuous romantic relationship. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
6.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span><b>The Civil
Wars, “Barton Hollow”:</b> What gets me about this rootsy hybrid is the duo’s
ability to capture the ghostly vibe of ancient Appalachian ballads inside a
meaty primal groove. I’ve heard this track a ton, but it still seems fresh.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
7.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span><b>Brett
Dennen, “Sydney (I'll Come Running)”:</b> On this Van Morrison-style hookfest, Brett
expresses the extent of his devotion as he comes to the aid of a damsel in
distress. “Straight from the airport,” he promises, “right to the courthouse,
Sydney, I will testify,”<i> </i>as the
handclap-punctuated groove trampolines upward from the body of the track in
irresistible sing-along fashion.<o:p></o:p></div>
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8.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span><b>The
Decemberists, “Calamity Song”:</b> Amid the masterful early <b>R.E.M.</b> and <i>Harvest </i>appropriations of <i>The
King Is Dead</i> sits this shimmering nugget of harmony-rich folk rock. The
goosebump moment occurs when the hyper-verbal song, riding its galloping <i>Murmur</i>-like groove, explodes into joyous
falsetto <i>ahh-oohs</i>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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9.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span><b>Radiohead,
“Morning Mr. Magpie”:</b> Can’t wait to hear the band tear into this scorcher
on their 2012 tour.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
10.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b>Wilco, “Art of Almost”:</b> During its
seven-minute course, this mind-blowing track builds from a careening off-kilter
groove to a hyper-skronk climax of almost unbearable intensity. <o:p></o:p></div>
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11.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b>My Morning Jacket, “Circuital”:</b> Another
seven-minute widescreen extravaganza, as uplifting as the Wilco track is
lacerating. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
12.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b>Bon Iver, “Holocene”:</b> The biggest
surprise of this year’s <b>Grammy</b>
nominations is one of the most exquisite soundscapes on an album you can get
lost in. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
13.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b>Paul Simon, “The Afterlife”:</b> This
whimsical first-person account of a soul taking his place in a queue forming at
the pearly gates is the centerpiece of an album filled with insanely catchy
songs about extremely heavy themes, as Simon proves there’s no reason to hang
up his dancing shoes at age of 70. <o:p></o:p></div>
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14.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b>The Cars, “Sad Song”:</b> Catchy and clever
enough to fit seamlessly on the Cars’ brilliant 1978 debut album. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
15.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b>Lindsey Buckingham, “When She Comes Down”:</b>
Sounds like a just-discovered outtake from <i>Tusk</i>.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
16.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b>The Belle Brigade, “Where Not to Look for
Freedom”:</b> Sounds like a just-discovered outtake from <i>Rumours</i>. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
17.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b>Amos Lee, “Windows Are Rolled Down”:</b>
While this balmy, cruiser may be closer to <b>del
amitri</b> than to “Thunder Road,” it’s so evocative that you can practically
feel the breeze whipping through your hair.<o:p></o:p></div>
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18.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b>Fountains of Wayne, “A Dip in the Ocean”:</b>
Here, these brainy masters of specificity recount a dysfunctional couple’s
drive up the coast on a weekend getaway in 1998, delivering the misadventure in
a rollicking power-pop performance. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
19.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b>Dawes, “Time Spent in Los Angeles”:</b> The
year’s best love-hate song to L.A. from the <b>Jackson Browne</b>- and <b>Robbie
Robertson</b>-endorsed native neoclassicists.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
20.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b>Robbie Robertson, “He Don’t Live Here No
More”: </b>The punchiest cut Robbie has fashioned during his spotty solo
career.<o:p></o:p></div>
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21.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b>Daryl Hall, “Eyes for You”:</b> The ardent
flipside of <b>H&O</b>’s blow-off
classic “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do),” but just as slinky and sexy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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22.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b>Beck: “Stormbringer”: </b>If you loved <i>Sea Change</i>, this track from the <b>John Martyn</b> tribute <i>Johnny Boy Would Love This</i> will have you
in the fetal position before the Beckster even opens his mouth. Gorgeous in its
cloud-filled melancholy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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23.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b>Fleet Foxes, “Lorelei”:</b> Don’t think the
old-school harmony specialists’ second full-length, <i>Helplessness Blues</i>,<i> </i>hits
the <b>Bon Iver</b> level of continuous
gorgeousness, but there’s a real natural beauty on this soaring performance. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
24.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b>Nick Lowe, “I Read a Lot”:</b> A palpable
sense of loss and loneliness leads to intimations of mortality on this
modern-day standard.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
25.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b>Death Cab for Cutie, “Stay Young, Go
Dancing”:</b> “You Are a Tourist” is the hookiest cut on <i>Codes and Keys</i>, and “Doors Unlocked and Open,” with its
high-revving motorik groove, is one of the year’s quintessential driving songs,
but this string-laden sleeper finds <b>Ben
Gibbard</b> at his most compassionate and life-embracing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>FAVORITE 2011 ALBUMS<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Bon Iver, <i>Bon Iver </i>(Jagjaguwar)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Feist, <i>Metals </i>(Cherrytree/Interscope)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>3.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Wilco, <i>The Whole Love </i>(dBpm)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>4.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>The Decemberists, <i>The King Is Dead </i>(Capitol)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>5.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Ryan
Adams, <i>Ashes & Fire </i>(Pax AM/Capitol)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>6.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Paul Simon, <i>So Beautiful or So What </i>(Hear
Music/Concord)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>7.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>The
Black Keys, <i>El Camino </i>(Nonesuch)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>8.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Foster the People, <i>Torches </i>(Columbia)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>9.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>My Morning Jacket, <i>Circuital </i>(ATO)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>10.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Radiohead, <i>The King of Limbs </i>(TBD)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>11.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>The Cars, <i>Move Like This </i>(Hear Music/Concord)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>12.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Brett Dennen, <i>Loverboy </i>(Dualtone)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>13.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>The Belle Brigade, <i>The Bell Brigade</i> (Reprise<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>14.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Lindsey
Buckingham, <i>Seeds We Sow</i> (Mind Kit) <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>15.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Matthew Sweet, <i>Modern Art </i>(Lolina Green/Missing Piece)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>16.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Dawes, <i>Nothing
Is Wrong</i> (ATO)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>17.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Fountains of Wayne, <i>Sky Full of Holes</i><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>18.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Fleet Foxes, <i>Helplessness Blues</i> (Sub Pop)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>19.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Over the Rhine, <i>The Long Surrender</i> (Great Speckled Dog)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>20.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Daryl Hall, <i>Laughing Down Crying</i> (Verve Forecast)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>21.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Robbie Robertson, <i>How to Become Clairvoyant</i> (Macro-biotic/429)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>22.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi, <i>Rome</i> (Capitol)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>23.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>The Civil Wars, <i>Barton Hollow</i> (sensibility)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>24.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Mayer
Hawthorne, <i>How Do You Do</i> (Universal Republic)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>25.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Adele, <i>21</i>
(XL/Columbia)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>26.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Lucinda Williams, <i>Blessed</i> (Lost Highway) <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>27.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>The Strokes, <i>Angles</i> (RCA)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>28.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>The Jayhawks, <i>Mockingbird Time</i> (Rounder)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>29.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Bright Eyes, <i>The People’s Key</i> (Saddle Creek)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b>30.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Gregg Allman, <i>Low Country Blues</i> (Rounder)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<b>QUICK TAKES<br />
The Black Keys, <i>El Camino </i>(Nonesuch),
Foster the People, <i>Torches</i>
(Columbia): </b>The year’s two best rock albums are polar opposites. FTP’s
streamlined, state-of-the-digital-art debut is a purring, crisply contoured
high-end Audi to the Keys’ vintage muscle car, but they’re both brilliantly
conceived and executed longplayers crammed with phat grooves and gigantic
hooks—all killer, no filler. <i>Torches</i>
comes off like a greatest-hits collection, striking proof of <b>Mark Foster</b>’s conjoined gifts for heady
songcraft and dynamic production, while the <b>Dan Auerbach/Pat Carney/Danger Mouse</b> triumvirate is a marriage made
in rock & roll heaven. Together, these two records make it absolutely clear
that rock remains a vital form in the second decade of the 21st century. Put <i>El Camino</i> and <i>Torches</i> on shuffle and you have all you need for a rockin’ New
Year’s Eve party, but I strongly suspect I’ll be blasting these two albums on
any given Saturday night from here on out. <b><br />
</b><br />
<b><br />Ryan Adams, <i>Ashes & Fire</i> (Pax AM/Capitol):</b> The latest set from the
hyper-prolific Adams hearkens back to the golden age of SoCal rock in the early
’70s—intimate, reflective, close-miked and melodically gorgeous. <i>Ashes & Fire</i> is the result of a
close collaboration between Adams and legendary English engineer/producer <b>Glyn Johns</b>, whose body of work includes
the <b>Beatles</b>, the <b>Rolling Stones</b>, the <b>Who</b> and the <b>Eagles</b> first three albums—a pertinent reference point for this LP’s
peaceful, easy flow. Adams’ sensitive, introspective side is on full display
throughout this poetic, bittersweet meditation on the nature of love and the
passage of time. “Dirty Rain” contains the most soulful vocal Adams has ever
put down on tape, the wood-grained title track evokes <b>The Band</b> in its prime, “Invisible Riverside” radiates with the burnished
Laurel Canyon glow, the timeless “Lucky Now” is an instant classic complete
with a rhapsodic chorus hook, and the culminating “I Love You but I Don’t Know
What to Say” is almost unbearably emotional, with its poignant payoff, “I
promise you/ I will keep you safe from harm.” Forget those comparisons to his
2000 debut <i>Heartbreaker</i> that every
subsequent Adams LP has inevitably elicited; the austere, heartfelt <i>Ashes & Fire </i>sets a new standard for
this restless, hyper-prolific artist.<br />
<br />
<b>The Decemberists, <i>The King Is Dead </i>(Capitol):</b> A radical departure from 2009’s <i>The Hazards of Love</i>, the Decemberists’
compact sixth album was recorded in a barn on Pendarvis Farm, outside the
band’s Portland, Oregon, home base, and it sounds authentically homemade.
Whereas the previous undertaking was a wildly ambitious reimagining of British
traditional music and myth, the new album’s touchstones are <b>Neil Young</b>’s <i>Harvest</i>, which band leader <b>Colin
Meloy</b> refers to as “the quintessential barn record,” SoCal country rock in
general and <b>R.E.M.</b>’s pastoral
jangle-fest <i>Reckoning</i>. <b>Gillian Welch</b> appears on seven tracks,
updating the roles of <b>Nicolette Larson</b>
on Young’s <i>Comes a Time </i>and <b>Emmylou Harris</b> on <b>Gram Parsons</b>’ solo albums, while the R.E.M. homage is made literal
by the presence of <b>Peter Buck</b>, who
plays electric guitar on two tracks and mandolin on another. But more than a
knowing tribute to the past, the LP gives the five band members a chance to
step out of Meloy’s lavish facades and show what they can do playing it
straight. Turns out that they’re one of America’s very best bands.<br />
<br />
<b>My Morning Jacket, <i>Circuital</i> (ATO:</b> Here’s co-producer <b>Tucker Martine</b> recalling the band’s reaction when listening back to
the keeper take of this epic moments after recording it live off the floor in a
Louisville church gymnasium: “That was a really special moment. They were all
dancing around the room and bobbing their heads with their eyes closed, and
then, when the song was over, they were hugging and high-fiving each other. It
was so inspiring to see veteran musicians who were still able to get that much
joy out of making music together. It was like we were all going on an
expedition together to find something magical, and there it was. We found it,
and no one was afraid to have unbridled joy about it. That’s how it should be.”
It’s performances like this one—inspired, synchronous and clutch, like a
veteran basketball team kicking it into high gear at crunch time in a tight
playoff game—that make <i>Circuital </i>such
a thrilling, even ecstatic, listening experience.<br />
<br />
<b>The Cars, <i>Move Like This</i> (Hear Music/Concord):</b> A huge influence on
countless contemporary bands, the Cars made a debut album so striking and hooky
that nobody could equal it—not even the Cars themselves. But 33 years later,
auteur <b>Ric Ocasek</b> and the three
other surviving members have come remarkably close to achieving the contoured
crispness and in-your-face immediacy of their greatest achievement. Their
potent chemistry is undeniably present in super-sticky instant classics like
“Sad Song” and “Keep on Knocking”: the taut interaction of guitarist <b>Elliott Easton</b> and synth player <b>Greg Hawkes</b>, the howitzer snare hits of
<b>David Robinson</b>, Ocasek’s wry, terse
vocal persona. That these long-separated musicians were able to make a
quintessential Cars LP in 2011 constitutes a small miracle. <br />
<br />
<b>Brett Dennen, <i>Loverboy </i>(Dualtone): </b>The most engaging tracks on the
androgynous-voiced iconoclast’s third album deftly blend nimble grooves, creamy
choruses and vocal performances of immediacy and genuine feeling, attaining a
sort of carefree soulfulness that recalls <b>Van
Morrison</b> circa “Brown Eyed Girl” (the seeming blueprint for the ecstatic
“Cosmic Girl”) and <i>Silk Degrees</i>-era <b>Boz Scaggs</b>. The record’s a cavalcade of
sprung rhythms resolving into cascading chorus payoffs, starting with the first
three tracks: A pugilistically punchy groove and a guileless “nah-nah-nah”
chorus provide “Comeback Kid” with its yin and yang; the balmy, string-laden
“Frozen in Slow Motion” evokes the late-morning sun breaking through the marine
layer at Paradise Cove; and the handclap-powered falsetto chorus of “Sydney
(I’ll Come Running)” trampolines upward from the body of the track in
irresistible fashion. Toward the end of the LP, the band stretches out
languorously on “Queen of the Westside,” its sleepy-eyed rhythm not that far
removed from the narcoticized reggae bump of the <b>Stones</b>’ “Hey Negrita.”<br />
<br />
<b>Matthew Sweet, <i>Modern Art </i>(Lolina Green/Missing Piece):</b> Defiantly unorthodox,
but often playfully so, <i>Modern Art</i> is
a stealth album, embedded with half-hidden hooks lurking in its recesses, just
out of focus, waiting to be discovered. Nope, this is not a one-listen album,
but a progressive deepening has always characterizes the most memorable
longplayers, whose authors rarely put all their cards on the table right away.
Not that there aren’t some instant grabbers here: “She Walks the Night”
captures the <b>Byrds</b> of “Eight Miles
High,” while “Ladyfingers” stomps along with the authority of <b>T.Rex</b>, and the tortured “My Ass Is
Grass” could serve as the belated follow-up to “Sick of Myself,” the hit single
from Sweet’s 1995 LP <i>100% Fun</i>. At the
other extreme are provocative, soul-deep, virtually unprecedented tracks like
“Oh, Oldendaze!,” “Late Nights With the Power Pop” and the title song. <br />
<br />
<b>Over the Rhine, <i>The Long Surrender</i> (Great Speckled Dog):</b> The twelfth studio
album from the southern Ohio-based husband-and-wife team of
pianist/guitarist/bassist <b>Linford
Detweiler</b> and vocalist/guitarist <b>Karin
Bergquist</b> is something rare—an intimate epic. “Sharpest Blade,” which the
couple wrote with <b>Joe Henry</b>, who
produced, sounds like some just-unearthed <b>Billie
Holiday</b> torch song. Bergquist and <b>Lucinda
Williams</b> trade off lines on the hushed ballad “Undamned,” which evokes a
campfire gathering under a canopy of stars in a <b>John Ford</b> western. The smoldering “The King Knows How” is a sort of
secular hymn, while the climactic “All My Favorite People” glows like embers in
the hearth at the end of an evening of wine and conversation. Even more than OTR’s
earlier records, <i>The Long Surrender </i>seamlessly
interweaves the disparate idiosyncratic strains that form the many-colored
crazy quilt of American music. <br />
<br />
<b>Daryl Hall, <i>Laughing Down Crying</i> (Verve Forecast):</b> Just as <b>Hall & Oates</b>’ body of work is being
rediscovered, the duo’s lead voice delivers his strongest solo effort since the
first, 1980’s <b>Robert Fripp</b>-produced
cult classic <i>Sacred Songs</i>. On these
10 beautifully crafted and arranged songs, Hall masterfully revisits his
various modes: silky Philly soul (“Eyes For You,” “Lifetime of Love”),
H&O’s edgy late-’70s rock phase (“Wrong Side of History,” “Talking to
Myself”) and their folk-pop origins (the title track), throwing in a sultry
take on Memphis R&B for good measure (“Message to Ya”). The LP strikingly
captures one of the great singers of the last four decades (no racial or
stylistic modifiers needed) in peak form.<br />
<br />
<b>Mayer
Hawthorne, <i>How Do You Do</i> (Universal Republic): </b>Get To Know
You”, the first track on the Detroit-born blue-eyed soul singer’s sophomore
album, begins with a Barry White-style spoken-word boudoir call, which may lead
you to figure the whole thing’s a put-on. But the ecstatic old-school falsetto
chorus that follows makes it clear that Hawthorne is totally for real. There’s
nary a false note on these dozen richly detailed pieces on which the
singer/arranger/multi-instrumentalist recaptures the heart as well as the
techniques of vintage Motown and Philly soul. The only liberty he takes is the
R-rated lyric of “The Walk”, which is otherwise note-perfect—just like
everything else on an LP that’s as deeply felt as it is technically adept.<br />
<br />
<b>The Strokes, <i>Angles</i> (RCA): </b>Appropriating classic grooves is nothing new for
the Strokes, dating back to their archetypal 2001 single “Last Nite,” which
borrowed the high-revving power plant of <b>Tom
Petty and the Heartbreakers</b>’ “American Girl.” Here on <i>Angles</i>, they lift blatantly and gleefully—the faux-reggae rhythm of
Men at Work’s “Down Under,” of all things, on opener “Machu Picchu,” <b>Thin Lizzy</b>’s “The Boys Are Back in
Town” on “Gratisfaction,” the <b>Cars</b>
on the chromed-out, high-revving “Two
Kinds of Happiness” and the rock nocturne “Life Is Simple in the Moonlight,” and
practically the entirety of early-’80s synthpop on the new wave homage “Games.”
There aren’t many instantly identifiable bands that can mess with the familiar
recipe while somehow also honoring it, but that’s precisely what the Strokes
have achieved on <i>Angles</i>,<i> </i>an album as warm as it is cool.<b><br />
<br />
R.E.M., <i>Lifes Rich Pageant</i> (25th
Anniversary Edition) Capitol/I.R.S.:</b> While not as celebrated as other
R.E.M. albums, <i>Lifes Rich Pageant</i>
holds an important place in the canon. Not only was it the band’s first LP to
go gold, it’s the record on which they morphed from floating like a butterfly
to stinging like a bee. Recorded at <b>John
Mellencamp</b>’s Indiana studio by his longtime engineer/producer, <b>Don Gehman</b>, <i>Pageant</i> delivers one knockout punch after another, from the
jangle-on-steroids opener “Begin the Begin” to the aggro-majestic finale “I Am
Superman.” Second disc on the expanded reissue contains 19 demos, a bunch of
them similarly explosive, none of them essential.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Talihina
Sky: The Story Of Kings of Leon </i>(RCA): </b>In this feature-length rock doc
subsidized by KOL’s label, <b>Stephen C. Mitchell</b>
throws together vivid archival footage, revealing band member interviews and
bizarre character studies of local yokels, with surprisingly cogent results.
The chronology-be-damned approach, revolving around the <b>Followill</b> family’s annual gathering in the backwoods Oklahoma town
referenced in the title, moves along at a headlong pace, juxtaposing
spirituality and debauchery, sibling love and loathing. Rarely has an
authorized documentary been so brutally honest in portraying its subjects.<br />
<br />
<b>THE BIG THREE<br />
Bon Iver, <i>Bon Iver </i>(Jagjaguwar): </b>Adopting
the nom de plume Bon Iver, <b>Justin Vernon</b>
made the leap from unknown to major artist in the few seconds between the
strummed acoustic opening and the first chorus of “Flume,” the first track of
his unforgettable debut album <i>For Emma,
Forever Ago</i>. The transformation occurred at the precise moment when his
double-tracked falsetto voice abruptly multiplied into a celestial choir,
rising to an even higher register to deliver the gut punch, <i>“Only love is all maroon/Gluey feathers on a
flume/Sky is womb and she’s the moon.”</i> In that moment, Vernon touched a
nerve, and many of those who discovered his album responded to its choral
richness and psychological authenticity in an uncommonly deep way. Beguiled by
its author’s <i>Walden</i>-like backstory,
they were sucked in by<i> </i>his every
wistful sigh, every cathartic outpouring, making the connection between this
stunningly personal work and their own inner lives. <br />
<br />
For Bon Iver’s full-length follow-up, Vernon no longer had the element of
surprise going for him. On the contrary, confronting him were staggering expectations
and the assumption that whatever he attempted next would inevitably fall short
of the first album’s magical cosmology, its cavalcade of handmade hooks. As <b>John Mulvey</b> aptly put it in his
five-star <i>Uncut</i> review, “<i>For Emma, Forever Ago</i> is such a hermetically
sealed, complete and satisfying album, the prospect of a follow-up—of a life for
Vernon beyond the wilderness, even—seems merely extraneous.” <i><br />
</i><br />
Could Vernon come in from the cold of that isolated Wisconsin cabin with his
artistry intact? As it turns out, he could, and he has. He spent nearly three
years gestating the new record in a studio he’d built in Eau Claire, while also
taking the time to stretch himself via outside undertakings with <b>Gayngs</b>, the <b>Volcano Choir</b>, <b>St. Vincent</b>
and <b>Kanye West</b>. All this networking
is telling because, unlike the first album, <i>Bon
Iver </i>is a collective effort resulting from ongoing interaction with 10
other musicians, including pedal steel master <b>Greg Leisz</b>, three horn players, a string arranger and two Volcano
Choir mates who provided “processing.” The full-bodied ensemble work results in
an album with pace, scale and stylistic variety, but all of this sound and
rhythm feels purposeful. Essentially, it exists to support the quintessential
aspects of Vernon’s aesthetic: the soaring melodic progressions; multitracked
vocals that take on the sonic dimension of instruments; the overtly poetic
lyrics, whose elusive meanings are far less important than the <i>sounds</i> of the words, tactile with the
textures of natural things. <br />
<br />
The array of reference points Vernon hints at on these tracks is dizzying, and
spotting them as they pop out of the fabric is part of the fun. The skewed orchestral
tableaus of the sonically connected “Perth” and “Minnesota, WI,” which open the
record in widescreen yet elliptical fashion, recall Sufjan Stevens’ <i>Illinoise</i>, while Vernon seems to
encapsulate the whole of early-’70s Cali country rock (i.e., <b>Fleet Foxes</b>) on “Towers.” He adopts the
minor-key art-folk of <b>Simon & Garfunkel</b>
on “Michigant” before shape-shifting into the mid-’60s <b>Beach Boys</b> on “Hinnon, TX,” playing up the radical contrast between
his airy, <b>Carl Wilson</b>-like falsetto
and an earthy lower register that improbably recalls <b>Mike Love</b>. Then, on “Wash.,” Vernon breaks out his <b>Marvin Gaye</b>-style purring soul man as
he sings a love song to a woman named Claire—or is the object of his affections
his hometown of Eau Claire? <br />
<br />
But there’s no obvious precedent save Bon Iver itself for the three peaks of
this spellbinding album. Muted at first, “Holocene” almost imperceptibly
blossoms into glorious life, intimating the first breath of spring after the
long, hard winter. “Calgary” mates a soaring melody that embeds itself in the
consciousness with a percolating groove. And the widescreen closer “Beth/Rest”
has the satisfying resolution of the end title theme of a classic western film,
employing the entire ensemble and interweaving the album’s accumulated thematic
and tonal elements in a majestic payoff. <br />
<br />
Fully realized in its ambition, <i>Bon Iver</i>
possesses all of the austere beauty and understated emotiveness of its
predecessor. Nestled within these panoramic soundscapes is the affecting
intimacy the first album’s fans fervently hoped Vernon would recapture, as this
single-minded artist somehow manages to have it both ways. And so does the
listener.<b><br />
<br />
Feist, <i>Metals </i>(Cherrytree/Interscope):</b>
<b>Leslie Feist</b>’s career path has been
a zigzag. The Nova Scotia-born, Toronto-based artist played guitar with rapper <b>Peaches</b> (who nicknamed her Bitch Lap
Lap) and Canadian indie rockers <b>By Divine
Right</b>, releasing a DIY debut album, <i>Monarch
(Lay Down Your Jeweled Head)</i>, in 1999, before joining the <b>Broken Social Scene</b> collective in 2002.
Then came 2004’s <i>Let It Die</i>, which
contained witty covers of songs from the <b>Bee
Gees</b> and <b>Ron Sexsmith,</b> as well
as the wicked-clever original “Mushaboom.” She laid low for three years before
making a dramatic return with <i>The Reminder</i> and its insidiously catchy hit
single, “1234,” which broke her in the States when <b>Apple</b> picked it up for an <b>iPod
nano</b> TV campaign. After an even longer respite, she’s returned with her
boldest, most idiosyncratic album yet in <i>Metals</i>.
<br />
<br />
A location junkie, Feist cut <i>The Reminder
</i>in a 19th-century French manor house, and for the follow-up she brought her
longtime collaborators <b>Chilly Gonzalez</b>
and <b>Dominic “Mocky” Salole</b>, along
with a fresh batch of material, to a converted barn sitting between the rocky
cliffs and lush forests of Big Sur on the California coast. Working with a
handpicked crew that included keyboardist <b>Brian
LeBarton</b> (<b>Beck</b>) and co-producer <b>Valgeir Siggurdsson</b> (<b>Björk</b>), she knocked off the album in
two and a half weeks in this breathtakingly picturesque locale. The resulting
LP, throbbing with rugged beauty and exhilarating natural energy, cinematically
evokes the environment in which it was created. <br />
<br />
Feist possesses the sensibility of a painter—she has a rarefied sense of
composition and detail—and a tart, elastic alto made for sharing confidences
and intimacies. She’s the antithesis of the demure female singer/songwriter;
throughout <i>Metals</i>, she delights in
rubbing together raw and refined elements, making for a friction that keeps the
soundscapes energized and ever-changing, as giant pop hooks erupt at unexpected
moments in a thrilling marriage of solipsistic risk-taking and in-your-face
accessibility. There’s enough shape-shifting within these performances to keep
the listener in a hallucinatory state throughout the 50-minute running time, as
Feist absorbs and assimilates musical and environmental inspirations like a
sponge on steroids. From moment to moment, her singing suggests <b>P.J. Harvey</b>, <b>Björk</b>, <b>Kate Bush</b>, <b>Fiona Apple</b> and <b>Suzanne Vega</b>, while the quicksilver backdrops recall <b>Sufjan Stephens</b>, <b>Fleet Foxes</b>, <b>Laura Nyro</b>
and <b>Burt Bacharach</b>. <br />
<br />
The first three tracks hauntingly set the scene. “The Bad in Each Other” opens
with a brutally pounded kick drum, with Feist playing rings around it on
scrappy electric guitar, the arrangement expanding with strings and subtle
horns that sound almost impromptu in their air-moving, real-time immediacy. The
muted “Graveyard,” with its “Bring ’em all back to life” refrain, and “Caught a
Long Wind,” as subliminal as wind chimes on a lazy afternoon, are palpably
atmospheric, the result of a naturalistic recording approach that drops the
listener into the space in which the performances went down. There’s as much
air here as sound, and that is the source of the record’s palpable presence.<br />
<br />
The tone turns sultry with the sublimely infectious “How Come You Never Go There,”
interspersing a wistful wordless chorale, her gnarly <b>Neil Young</b>-style electric guitar and burnished horns. It’s the
first of four tracks of stunning inventiveness. The ragingly intense rocker “A
Commotion” bristles with an <b>Arcade Fire</b>-like
repetitive grandeur. The mutated nocturne “Anti-Pioneer” featuring queasy
guitar licks, a masterfully torchy vocal and a shuddering drone occupying the
lower register, is Big Sur noir, moving with the primal rhythm of waves
crashing against cliffs. And “Undiscovered First” juxtaposes instrumental
dissonance and a schoolgirl chorale. Here, she purrs, with dominatrix
authority, “You can’t unthink a thought/Either it’s there or it’s not.”<br />
<br />
These powerful pieces are interspersed with quieter songs of dreamlike purity, including
“Bittersweet Melodies,” in which cello-powered strings pass over the track like
fast-moving storm clouds, leaving hazy sunlight in its wake; “Comfort Me,”
which turns on the killer couplet, “When you comfort me/It doesn’t bring me comfort,
actually”; and the closing “Get It Wrong, Get It Right,” which places her
hushed voice amid the ghostly chinking of chains and a gong-like cymbal.<br />
<br />
Feist’s fiercely uncompromising nature is exemplified by her decision to remove
“Woe Be,” which had been singled out by <i>Spin</i>
in an album preview as the obvious follow-up to “1,2,3,4,” from the tracklist.
It’s this insistence on resolutely following her instincts that makes this record
so lustily appealing from top to bottom. <br />
<b><br />
Wilco, <i>The Whole Love </i>(dBpm): </b>Wilco
fans are as polarized as the US congress. Some revel in the band’s
eardrum-pulverizing forays into the sonic unknown, introduced on 2000’s
art-damaged <i>Yankee Hotel Foxtrot</i> and
refined on 2004’s brutally beautiful <i>A Ghost
Is Born</i>. The rest are entranced by what <b>Jeff Tweedy</b> describes as “cinematic-sounding country music…you know,
folk music,” represented by 2007’s glorious <i>Sky
Blue Sky</i> and ’09’s intermittently captivating <i>Wilco (The Album)</i>.<i> </i>There’s
little argument that the latest version of Wilco, which contains only two
original members in Tweedy and bassist <b>John
Stirrat</b>, is the not only the most stable unit Tweedy has assembled in the
band’s 17-year history but also the most skillful. The irony of the situation is
that the band’s current lineup, completed with the additions of avant-garde
guitarist <b>Nels Cline</b> and
multi-instrumentalist <b>Pat Sansone</b>
prior to the recording of the 2005 live album <i>Kicking Television</i>, is far more suited to experimentation than any
previous iteration. Given the radical extremes in Wilco’s body of work, and the
band’s acute awareness of the fans’ conflicting expectations, it’s tempting to
view <i>The Whole Love </i>as a dialectical
conversation between Wilco and the passionately partisan camps of its
constituency; the resulting back-and-forth is tantalizing at first, but Tweedy
and company firmly establish the record’s operative mode immediately
thereafter.<br />
<br />
Throughout Wilco’s eighth studio LP, the versatile, virtuosic current lineup
juxtaposes introspective understatement and experimental edginess. They set up
the contrast dramatically on the wonderfully titled seven-minute opener “Art of
Almost,” powered by a customized motorik groove somewhere between <i>Ghost…</i>’s “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” and <i>Wilco</i> standout “Bull Black Nova.” The
groove appears out of the crackle of static and takes on percolating
cross-rhythms behind <b>Glenn Kotche</b>’s
marvelous drumming, the sonics gradually morphing from Mellotron-washed
gorgeousness to a savage intensity, as avant-garde guitarist Nels Cline whips
himself into a head-exploding frenzy. After such a beginning, the hard-core
have to be hopeful that the wait is finally over. But that’s pretty much it for
shrieking over-the-top-ness. What we get instead in the body of <i>The Whole Love</i> is an alternating mix of
trademark rockers and ballads, bonded by Tweedy’s central presence, shifting
between scarred and elated, and the arrangements, which play off the
bandleader’s range of moods. While the album is packed with inventive,
envelope-pushing moments, there’s no more lacerating skronk, for a very good
reason: the emotions the band is mirroring don’t call for it. <br />
<br />
On “I Might,” the first of the upbeat tracks, the band bangs out a clattering,
garage-y groove in the spirit of <b>Elvis Costello
and the Attractions</b>’ <i>Get Happy</i>,
with <b>Mikael Jorgensen</b> making like <b>Steve Nieve</b> on the Farfisa. Here,
Tweedy rolls with his signature blend of puppy dog earnestness and relatable
real-life agitation (sample lyric: “You won’t set the kids on fire/Oh but I might”),
but the prevailing emotion is his sheer joy at being part of this killer band
in full-on rave-up mode. “Born Alone” chugs along with country-rock amiability,
Tweedy’s hayseed vocal set off by Cline’s trumpeting lines as the other players
rise up to make ecstatic noise alongside him, a la <i>Sky Blue Sky</i>’s sublime “Impossible Germany.” Half musical snapshot,
half long-distance love note, “Capitol City” visits the antique Americana of <b>Randy Newman</b>, Cline impersonating a
Dixieland clarinet with his slide lines. “Standing O” picks up where “I Might”
left off, sounding like some newly discovered outtake from the <b>Stiff Records</b> catalog. The title song
is the album’s warmest, most relaxed and poppiest track, Tweedy going for some
falsetto lines amid the band’s merry bounce.<br />
<br />
Of the reflective songs, “Sunloathe” settles into a “Strawberry Fields
Forever”-like pastoral eeriness, “Black Moon” is as noir-ish as the title suggests,
“Open Mind” hints at the psychological devastation of <b>Neil Young</b>’s <i>Tonight’s The Night</i>
and “Rising Red Lung” finds Tweedy singing in a near-whisper over a
fingerpicked acoustic while the band floats sunset clouds overhead. On the
12-minute-plus closer “One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley’s Boyfriend),”
the band essentially inverts the buildup of “Art of Almost,” moving with
dexterous subtlety from anguish to acceptance, as Tweedy’s describes the
emotional wounds inflicted by a father who takes his deep disappointment in his
son to his grave, the band tracing the course of the narrator’s struggle and
ultimate release with subtle intensity. <br />
<br />
Three albums in, Wilco’s latter-day character is now readily apparent. No
longer the American <b>Radiohead</b>, as
the true believers proclaimed a decade ago, this incarnation of Wilco is closer
to a postmillennial <b>Buffalo Springfield</b>—especially
when Cline, Tweedy and Sansone’s electric guitars blazing away in tandem. And
if Jeff Tweedy is no longer the tortured soul who ripped <i>…Foxtrot</i> and <i>Ghost…</i> out
of the recesses of his ravaged psyche, that is something worth celebrating. <i>The Whole Love</i> is what redemption sounds
like.<br />
<br />
<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-49631753459178542752010-12-21T11:50:00.000-08:002010-12-21T11:52:43.183-08:002010 ROCK: THE SUBURBS AT SUNDOWN<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:relyonvml/> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> 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mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">For me, this was the best year for music since 2007, thanks in part to several of the same bands and individuals who came up big three years ago. And though the follow-up to <b>Radiohead</b>’s <i>In Rainbows </i>failed to appear, <b>Arcade Fire</b> made up for the absence of another game-changer from the Kings of Art Rock with one of their own. Ditto for <b style="">Kings of Leon</b>, who made their second great album, following ’07’s <i>Because of the Night</i>. And so, for that matter, did <b style="">Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band</b>, though they cut their monumental work 33 years ago. The bands I’ve come to count on in recent years—<b style=""> Spoon</b>, <b style="">Kings of Leon</b>, <b style="">Los Lobos</b> and <b style="">Guster—</b>came through yet again, as did some other standbys in new combinations and settings: <b style="">Danger Mouse</b> working with <b style="">The Shins</b>’ <b style="">James Mercer</b>, while his <b style="">Gnarls Barkley</b> partner <b style="">Cee Lo</b> managed just fine with a revolving cast of producers; <b style="">Robert Plant</b> forging onward without <b style="">T Bone Burnett</b>; <b style="">Neil Young</b> finding a viable collaborator in <b style="">Daniel Lanois</b>. It was a year when a number of artists who emerged back in the 1960s further burnished their legacies four decades later; concurrently, the best young bands and artists continued to make music that honored their forebears while also advancing their own identities. Members of both generational extremes convincingly demonstrated both the durability and the seemingly unlimited thematic elasticity of the rock medium. It was also gratifying to belatedly make the connection with some bands I’d heard a lot <i style="">about</i> but hadn’t much listened to before, resulting in some new faves—<b style="">Band of Horses</b>, <b style="">Beach House</b> and the <b style="">Black Keys</b>—my killer Bs of 2010. Finally, I feel fortunate to have stumbled across a pair of captivating songs from <b style="">Delta Spirit</b> and <b style="">Shawn Mullins</b> that seemingly nobody else noticed, reminding me that there’s no kick like turning people on to something new and different and watching them fall in love with it too.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">TOP 20 ALBUMS IN CONTEXT<br /></span></u></b><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">TOWERING ACHIEVEMENT<br />Arcade Fire, <i style="">The Suburbs</i> (Merge):</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> A sprawling, thematically rich opus that’s also jam-packed with unforgettable, hook-laden stand-alone songs like “We Used to Wait,” “Ready to Start,” “The Suburbs,” “Sprawl II,””Wasted Hours” and the two killer cuts in my 2010 ultimate playlist below. I expect to be listening to this masterpiece for the rest of my life.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/news/newsPage.cgi?news08270m01"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Kings of Leon, <i style="">Come Around Sundown</i> (RCA)</span></b></a><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> Can’t understand why the <b style="">Followills</b>’ fifth album isn’t getting the same degree of critical love as <i style="">The Suburbs</i>. It’s every bit as ambitious and inventive, though KOL’s emphasis is on the ecstatic, hyper-rhythmic performances, every one of them scintillating. Each track has its own vibe, from </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">“Mary,”an astounding melange of doo-wop, <b style="">Sun</b>-era rock & roll and early <b style="">Beatles</b> that may be the album’s most bizarro and thrilling piece of work</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">, to the closing </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">vignette “Pickup Truck,” in which <b style="">Caleb</b>’s now-familiar blue-collar dude gets choked up trying to get the girl of his dreams to forgive him, or just give him the time of day, in a shimmering slice of down-home magical realism.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> But no matter whether they’re capturing the zeitgeist on “No Money” or dropping by Big Pink in “Mi Amigo,” their unique character always shines through. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">CONSISTENCY AWARD<br /></span></b><a href="http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/news/newsPage.cgi?news07953m01"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Spoon, <i style="">Transference </i>(Merge):</span></b></a><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">“I wanted it to be a more angular, new wave, weirder record,” <b style="">Britt Daniel</b> told me</span> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">about his fully realized intentions for Spoon’s seventh longplayer. Daniel and<b style=""> </b>partner/drummer<b style=""> Jim Eno </b>worked without a producer for the first time in search of what Britt referred to as “pure Spoon,” and this is the challenging, take-no-prisoners result, an audacious fusion of the reliable and the experimental—a record that got the new decade off to an audacious start in January.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BEST ONE-OFF SUPERGROUP<br />Broken Bells, <i style="">Broken Bells </i>(Columbia): </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Wildly original merger of two distinctive sensibilities, as the acrobatic tenor of <b style="">The Shins</b>’ <b style="">James Mercer</b> swoops and soars over <b style="">Danger Mouse</b>’s intricate architectural arrangements.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BEST NEW OLD ALBUM<br /></span></b><a href="http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/bruce_springsteen_and_the_e_street_band/reviews/14489"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Bruce Springsteen, <i style="">The Promise </i>(Columbia)</span></b></a><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This is a musical time capsule sealed in 1978 and ripped open in 2010, revealing a lost masterpiece. <i>The Promise </i>would have fit perfectly between <i>Born To Run </i>and <i>Darkness</i>, as Bruce points out. Had it come out then, it surely would have been regarded not just as a classic, but one that provides a fully realized bridge between the two landmark albums that sandwich it. At long last seeing the light of day 32 years hence, <i>The Promise </i>improbably yet emphatically enriches the history of a supreme artist and a storied era. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Rolling Stones, <i style="">Exile on Main Street </i>rarities (UMe):</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> One of the greatest rock & roll albums ever made just got even greater, thanks to a sorely needed remastering job and 10 additional tracks that are far more listenable than the bonus tracks on most reissues. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BEST “OLD” NEW ALBUM<br /></span></b><a href="http://www.rocksbackpagesblogs.com/2010/06/first-draft-band-of-horses-infinite-arms/"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Band of Horses, <i style="">Infinite Arms </i>(Fat Possum/Columbia)</span></b></a><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">From the very first notes of their primarily self-produced third album, it’s dramatically apparent that <b style="">Ben Bridwell</b> and company have upped the ante big time, creating a musical statement that manages to consistently hit and frequently surpass the peak moments on their previous recordings. Having relocated from Seattle to his native South Carolina, Bridwell has surrounded himself with four talented and like-minded players in drummer <b style="">Creighton Barrett</b>, keyboard player <b style="">Ryan Monroe</b>, lead guitarist <b style="">Tyler Ramsey</b> and bassist <b style="">Bill Reynolds</b>. The stabilization of BOH’s long-shifting lineup is one of the reasons the new album is so cohesive, so accomplished and so timeless.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Guster, <i style="">Easy Wonderful </i>(Aware/Universal Republic): </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Like fellow formalists <b style="">Fountains of Wayne </b>and <b style="">Nada Surf</b>, Guster has s pent the last decade and a half crafting pure pop for those relatively few “now people” who respond to the pleasures of layer-cake harmonies, <b style="">Beatles</b>que guitars and cascading hooks. Multi-instrumentalist <b style="">Joe Pisapia</b>, who joined the Boston band for 2006’s delectable <i style="">Ganging Up on the Sun</i>, yielding the modern-day pop classic “Satellite,” produced much of <i style="">Easy Wonderful</i>, which is distinguished by impeccably crafted contours, sharp lyrics, buoyant grooves and swelling choruses. These punched-up classic moves enliven big-hearted, irony-free anthems like “Do You Love Me”, “Bad Bad World”, “On the Ocean” and “Architects and Engineers”, bringing a hi-def freshness to ’70s-style power pop.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Cee Lo Green, <i style="">The Lady Killer </i>(Elektra): </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">While the audacious “Fuck You,” on which <b style="">Bruno Mars</b>’ <b style="">Smeezingtons</b> production team balanced one fat hook on top of another, received all the attention, the third solo album from the Atlanta throwback soulman is crammed with impeccably crafted retro R&B gems, over which Cee Lo unleashes his revved-up vocals, a potent blend of grit and velvet. Dude can croon too—check out the elegant, uptown “Old Fashioned,” which sounds like some lost classic from the <b style="">Billy Strayhorn</b>-<b style="">Duke Ellingon</b> songbook.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Bryan Ferry, <i style="">Olympia </i>(Astralwerks):</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> Sleek, atmospheric and erotic, Ferry’s most satisfying album in decades coulda been titled <i style="">Avalon II</i>. A sort of <b style="">Roxy Music</b> reunion-plus, with virtuosos from <b style="">David Gilmour</b> to <b style="">Jonny Greenwood</b> contributing alongside erstwhile Ferry bandmates <b style="">Phil Manzanera</b>, <b style="">Andy Mackay</b> and <b style="">Brian Eno</b>, <i style="">Olympia</i>’s myriad pleasures range from the sophisto-funk of “Alphaville” and “BF Bass” to a Homeric rendition of <b style="">Tim Buckley</b>’s “Song for the Siren” (which, of course, also references Roxy’s fifth album).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Black Keys, <i style="">Brothers </i>(Nonesuch): </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The mic used for <b style="">Dan Auerbach</b>’s vocals sounds like it was salvaged from a junkyard, the trashed, rusted-out sonics a perfect fit for the defiantly vintage songs and performances on the year’s most improbable rock hit.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BEST ALBUM BY A BAND TOGETHER AT LEAST 30 YEARS<br />Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, <i style="">Mojo </i>(Reprise):</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> Undeniably a late-career classic for this Great American Band, with Petty writing specifically for the occasion and the rest of the crew taking it from there. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Los Lobos, <i style="">Tin Can Trust </i>(Shout! Factory): </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Heartbreakers’ crosstown rivals have been doing the drill so long and so fruitfully that they’ve achieved their own hard-earned status as a Great American Band. <i style="">Tin Can Trust</i> can be viewed as a companion piece to <i style="">Mojo</i>: both are essentially blues-based, both draw authoritatively on American roots styles and both feature a remarkably fluent guitarist—<b style="">Mike Campbell</b> on <i style="">Mojo</i> and the humbly hell-raising <b style="">David Hidalgo</b> on <i style="">Tin Can Trust</i>.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BEST ALBUM BY AN ARTIST ELIGIBLE FOR SOCIAL SECURITY<br />Neil Young, <i style="">Le Noise </i>(Reprise): </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">What we have here is the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">result of Young’s most intensive collaboration since the death of his longtime producer <b style="">David Briggs</b> shortly after the completion of 1994’s <i style="">Sleeps With Angels</i>. This new partnership has resulted in a sonic breakthrough for Young, who broke out his iconic Gretsch White Falcon guitar for the occasion. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">“</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I’ve made a lot of records, and this is one of the records that will stand up over time as a unique piece of work</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">,” Young told me during a September interview for <i style="">Uncut</i>.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">“</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The last thing my old producer, David, told me, ‘If you can just reduce everything to just <i style="">you</i>, that’s how people would like to hear you: they want to hear <i style="">you</i>.’ So that’s what this is. It just turned out that not only is it a solo record, but it’s a solo record where pieces of me have been reconstituted, remanufactured, kind of restructured and tossed back into the mix. It’s like something moving through space and shit’s falling off of it, but it’s being gathered up and placed back on as it goes along. It’s very interesting. Sonically, it’s a big explosion.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Robert Plant, <i style="">Band of Joy </i>(Rounder): </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Advancing the captivating vibe of <i style="">Raising Sand </i>rather than trying to repeat it, the canny old-timer (once again mining the soulful core of his vocal persona) locates another pair of musical soulmates in Nashville-based producer/guitarist <b style="">Buddy Miller</b> and singing partner <b style="">Patti Griffin</b>, and continues his journey into mystic Americana. Among the surprises: a pair of haunted songs from Minnesota slocore purveyors <b style="">Low</b>—“Silver Rider” and “Monkey”—that could’ve been written specifically for this captivating record.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Tom Jones, <i style="">Praise & Blame</i> (Lost Highway): </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In which the brilliant and defiantly analog producer <b style="">Ethan Johns</b> (<b style="">Ryan Adams</b>, <b style="">Kings of Leon</b>, <b style="">Ray LaMontagne</b>) finds the sweet spot of the Welsh belter in gospel songs and <b style="">Sun Records</b>-style arrangements. This album has been criminally overlooked; if <b style="">T Bone Burnett</b> or <b style="">Rick Rubin</b> had done something as unexpected and satisfying, I suspect we would’ve heard about it. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/news/newsPage.cgi?news08202m01"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Elton John and Leon Russell, <i style="">The Union</i> (Decca)</span></b></a><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A number of the freshly minted tunes on John’s heartfelt, <b style="">T Bone Burnett</b>-curated attempt to give his acknowledged primary inspiration his due would have fit comfortably onto <i style="">Tumbleweed Connection</i> or Russell’s self-titled 1971 debut album, while the culminating “Never Too Old (To Hold Somebody)” and “The Hand of Angels” reflect back on those days with a mix of “been there, done that” satisfaction and valedictory nostalgia. More often than not, <i style="">The Union </i>sounds like an Elton John album, thanks to his signature melodies enwrapping <b style="">Bernie Taupin</b>’s image-filled lyrics, his still-powerful voice and undiminished presence. Only through repeated listenings does Russell’s <b style="">Hoagy Carmichael</b>-like lazy drawl assert itself, as he sings with disarming poignancy and tenderness, his always-grainy voice now as rutted as a dirt road.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BEST COVERS ALBUM<br />The Bird & the Bee, <i style="">Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates</i> (Blue Note):</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> When you hear that <b style="">Inara George</b> and <b style="">Greg Kirsten</b> cut an entire album of Hall & Oates covers, you'd be excused for going, "What?!" But when you hear what they do with the likes of “Kiss on My List,” “Sara Smile” and “One on One,” you go "Wow." George’s gorgeous alto nestles into the intricate folds of Kirsten’s arrangements, which honor the stylishness of the originals while somehow sounding fresh and new. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nada Surf, <i style="">If I Had a Hi-Fi </i>(Mardev): </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">On this unorthodox, inventive covers collection, the veteran New York trio draws from synth-pop (<b style="">Depeche Mode</b>’s “Enjoy The Silence”), pomp rock (the <b style="">Moody Blues</b>’ “Question”), college rock (<b style="">Bill Fox</b>’s “Electrocution”), indie rock (<b style="">Spoon</b>’s “The Agony Of Laffitte”) and more. And yet, the band somehow turns the wildly disparate source material into a sonically coherent album that doubles as a tribute to their own roots in the <b style="">Byrds</b> and <b style="">Big Star</b> circa <i style="">#1 Record</i>. This flavor comes through loud and clear on choices as obvious as <b style="">Dwight Twilley</b>’s “You Were So Warm” and as unlikely as <b style="">Kate Bush</b>’s “Love and Anger”, transforming the latter into a shimmering display of pealing guitars and regal harmonies.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">MOODS FOR MODERNS<br />Beach House, <i style="">Teen Dream </i>(Sub Pop): </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Emphasis on <i style="">Dream</i>—languorous, intimate and gently enveloping. Works beautifully in tandem with a roaring fireplace.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">PRODUCER OF THE YEAR<br />Danger Mouse<br />Jacquire King<br />T Bone Burnett</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">LABEL OF THE YEAR<br />Merge<br />Columbia</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><i style=""><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ANGEL DANCE</span></u></i></b><b style=""><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">, A 2010 PLAYLIST<br /></span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Since I assembled a midyear 40-track playlist for the Fourth of July weekend, which you can access here, I don’t want to repeat myself any more than is necessary for this ultimate year-end batch, but there are some tracks I couldn’t possibly leave off. I’m not saying these are the best 30 tracks of 2010—just that I can’t get enough of them. Here’s my personal soundtrack to the year: </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">1. “Month of May,” Arcade Fire:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> This is a zero-to-60-in-five-seconds blast of adrenalized rock & roll—a <i style="">Funeral</i>-style explosive<i style=""> </i>climax stretched over the track’s entire four-minute length. It’s like <b style="">T-Rex</b> on speed <i style="">and </i>steroids.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">2. “Birthday,” Kings of Leon”: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A reggae-fied groove from <b style="">Nathan</b> and <b style="">Jared</b> and sparkling guitar arpeggios from cousin <b style="">Matthew</b> swirl around <b style="">Caleb</b>, who’s at his tough-and-tender best both vocally and lyrically, as he expresses his ardor for his girl in a series of vivid and oddly moving details: “It’s in the way she always calls me out/It’s in the cut of your pretty gown/Your come-on legs and your panty hose/You look so precious in your bloody nose.” The track hardly registered at first, but lately it’s been grabbing me a little bit more every time I play it.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">3. “White Table,” Delta Spirit:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> My sleeper of the year comes from a Long Beach band whose rootsy, acoustic-based material gets force-of-nature forward momentum from monster drummer <b>Brandon Young</b>—and this track is his showcase. <span style="">Delta Spirit’s secret weapon, Young supercharges the largely acoustic arrangements with his ferociously propulsive stick work, bringing assertiveness and uplift everywhere. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">4. “I Saw the Light,” Spoon:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> If “I Turn My Camera On” from the modern-day landmark <i style="">Gimme Fiction </i>was <b style="">Britt Daniel</b> and <b style="">Jim Eno</b>’s “Emotional Rescue,” this one’s their “Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’.” The track opens as a jacked-up, White Album-style shuffle with a lemon-tart melodic progression, but at the midway point, everything suddenly falls away as a robot drum stomp takes over, signaling the transition into a mesmerizing extended instrumental section, as a buoyant piano vamp gives way a sheet-metal guitar solo hammering away on a single chord. Awesome spinning song—but that’s generally the case with Spoon.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">5. “Howlin’ for You,” The Black Keys: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The most rousing stadium stomper since “Seven Nation Army,” with the caveat that <b style="">Patrick Carney</b> swiped the brutally concussive drum pattern from the ultimate stadium rouser, <b style="">Gary Glitter</b>’s “Rock and Roll.” </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">6. “California,” Shawn Mullins: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Returning to the setting of his 1998 hit “Lullaby,” the Atlanta-based writer/artist tells the story of a country boy from Mississippi and a hippie chick from the Pacific Northwest who first catch sight of each other in a SoCal freeway traffic jam. “Her stereo was blaring <b style="">Dylan</b>/<i>The Bootleg Sessions</i>/And ‘Oh the Times They Are A-Changin’’/Made a pretty good impression/She looked over and caught him smiling/Under the California setting sun/They fell in love on the 101.” From there, the lyric follows the descent of the young lovers into the dark underside of what began as their shared California idyll in what amounts to a contemporary fable about the soul-killing temptations of the material world. A real find, “California” instantly takes its place alongside such Cali classics as <b style="">Tom Petty</b>’s “Free Fallin’” and <b style="">David & David</b>’s “Welcome to the Boomtown.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">7. “Do You Love Me,” Guster: Ryan Miller </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">is a true romantic, and this unabashed expression of belief in the power of love is a worthy sequel to the mesmerizing “Satellite” from 2006’s <i style="">Ganging Up on the Sun</i>.<i style=""> </i>The song’s life-embracing message is driven home by the cantilevered hooks, piled on top of each other like the gang tackling in an SEC game, Miller’s vocal lifting off to power full-voiced through the title refrain, as if to say that only wimps slide into falsetto. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">8. “Laredo,” Band of Horses:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> A midtempo anthem as gorgeous as a sunrise over <b style="">Ben Bridwell</b>’s beloved Outer Banks, “Laredo” may be the most full-bodied appropriation of the <b style="">Byrds</b> sound since “The Ugly Truth” from <b style="">Matthew Sweet</b>’s milestone 1993 LP <i style="">Altered Beast</i>. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">9. “Pyro,” Kings of Leon: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">On this anthem, the other side of the emotional coin from “Use Somebody,” <b style="">Caleb</b> elbows his way through the hammering dual-guitar riffage to bray out a righteously old-school <b style="">Stax</b>-style vocal under clouds of dirty-faced choirboy harmonies, in an inversion of the <i style="">Exile</i> female-gospel template. Sports the year’s most gut-wrenching bridge, on which Caleb stakes his claim for being rock & roll’s most wildly original young voice. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">10. “Gotta Get the Feeling,” Bruce Springsteen: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> kitchen-sink opus that seems to contain the entire contents of a mid-’60s jukebox, from <b style="">Ben E. King </b>to<b style=""> Jay & the Americans</b>, in its 3:20 duration. The track has everything: hyperactive drum rolls, gleaming Latin horns, greasy sax solo, call-and-response backing vocals, all of it topped off by a breathtaking modulation into the final chorus.<b style=""> <span style=""></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">11. “Burn It Down,” Los Lobos:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> The performance here is pushed along by the thick plunks of <b style="">Conrad Lozano</b>’s fingers on a stand-up bass (he’s the American equivalent of <b style="">Fleetwood Mac</b>’s rock-steady <b style="">John McVie</b>), and culminates with the assaultive skronk of <b style="">David Hidalgo</b>’s guitar fireworks.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">12. “Angel Dance,” Robert Plant: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Here, with the impeccable taste he’s been exhibiting since this teabag revealed his deep affinity for relocated his spirit </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">in mythopoetic America—“</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">some deep, dark place in the mud,” as <b style="">T Bone Burnett</b> put it—Plant </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">dusts off a virtually undiscovered gem from <b style="">Dave Hidalgo</b> and <b style="">Louie Perez</b> from Lobos’ 1990 album <i style="">The Neighborhood</i> (the one before <i style="">Kiko</i>) and locates its electrifying essence. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">13. “You Can Dance,” Bryan Ferry: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The first sound we hear on <i style="">Olympia</i>’s opener is <b style="">Phil Manzanera</b> quoting his indelible foghorn guitar riff from the title track of <i style="">Avalon</i>—and when the groove kicks in, the song becomes the haute cuisine equivalent of comfort food. Elegant, elegiac and lascivious, all at once. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">14. “The Ghost Inside,” Broken Bells:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> Here, <b style="">James Mercer</b> communes with his inner falsetto soul man over <b style="">Danger Mouse</b>’s lustrous groove as the duo treads on <b style="">Gnarls Barkley</b> turf. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style=""> </span>15. “Crystalised,” The xx:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> What's cool and unusual about this song from <i style="">XX </i>is the way these soulful kids pump the groove into the spaces <i style="">between</i> the notes—the arrangement is so spare that silence could be seen as the lead instrument on the track.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">16. “Zebra,” Beach House: Victoria LeGrand</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">’s voice, somewhere between an alto and a baritone, sounds like that of a disembodied spirit one moment, Mother Earth the next, in this extraordinary soundscape, as it wraps areound partner <b style="">Alex Scally</b>’s opulent soundscape like the tendrils of a vine, arching heavenward in the metaphysical B-section. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">17. “Kandi,” One eskimO:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> Young English group makes brilliant use of a sample from a vintage single from soul singer <b style="">Candi Staton</b>, audaciously employing it the setup for a sexy call-and-response chorus hook with frontman <b style="">Kristian Leontiou</b>.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">18. “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do),” The Bird and the Bee:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> What a wonderfully nuanced vocal from <b style="">Inara George</b>—her dad <b style="">Lowell</b>, the <b style="">Little Feat</b> auteur, would be proud. Which reminds me—why isn’t Little Feat in the <b style="">Rock and Roll Hall of Fame</b>? Don’t get me started…</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">19. “Round and Round,” Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> Can’t say I expected the shambolic Silver Lake<b style=""> </b>iconoclast<b style=""> </b>to come up with the most engaging evocation of <b style="">Todd Rundgren</b>’s pop/soul recipe circa <i style="">A Wizard, a True Star</i> since <b style="">New Radicals</b>’ “You Get What You Give” back in 1998. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">20. “Wildflower,” Cee Lo Green: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Wonderfully recaptured, deeply felt evocation of the ’70s Philly Soul of <b style="">Gamble & Huff</b> and <b style="">Gene Page</b>, right down to the springy groove, burnished strings and regal piano.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">21. “The Mystery Zone,” Spoon:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> The title song of my early-2010 playlist, this one’s a tension builder with a springy groove and lysergic, “Eleanor Rigby”-quoting string-synth billows. It follows the band’s leitmotif on <i style="">Transference</i>, its ending sheared off like a Marine recruit’s hair. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">22. “Agony of Laffitte,” Nada Surf:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> In which one stellar smart-pop band not only covers another one but also brings something of its own stylishness to the party—check out the gorgeous contrapuntal harmonies, which serve to illuminate the beauty of Britt Daniel’s melody. Interestingly, Nada’s elegant treatment takes the song from acid putdown to fluttering rhapsody. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style=""> </span>23.</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <b style="">“Dilly,” Band of Horses:</b> Here’s vivid proof that Band of Horses are no longer just a front for <b style="">Ben Bridwell</b>—this infectious power-pop song is one of lead guitarist <b style="">Tyler Ramsey</b>’s strong contributions, as he puts himself into a featured role alongside the frontman.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">24. “Modern Man,” Arcade Fire:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> As with “Dilly,” this wicked-cool cut is streamlined and syncopated in the manner of the <b style="">Cars</b> sublime debut album. The track’s cruising momentum is offset by <span style="">an oddball rhythmic pattern—completely throwing off crowds that try to clap along with it during the band’s live performances. Here’s a musical explanation from veteran bass player <b style="">Dennis Parker</b>: “The intro and the verses each have a 5/4 bar that turns around the placement of the snare hits. it's not really that difficult—just one extra beat for every line of lyric.” And there you have it.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">25. “Back Down South,” Kings of Leon: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Here,<b style=""> Caleb</b> breaks out his most corn-pone drawl and <b style="">Matthew</b> plays a <b style="">Marshall Tucker</b>-like fiddle jig on a slide guitar, in tandem with an actual fiddle, while the DNA-powered rhythm section of <b style="">Jared</b> and oldest brother <b style="">Nathan</b>, who’s a monster drummer, bang out a vintage <b style="">Allmans</b> groove. Here, finally, is a cut that can be readily embraced by rednecks and Boomers alike without alienating KOL’s younger base. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">26. “Down by the Water,” The Decemberists:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> Offered up as a freebie on the band’s site, the first taste of the <i style="">The King Is Dead </i>(hitting in January) confirms and engagingly animates <b style="">Colin Meloy</b>’s description of the album as an double-barreled homage to <b style="">Neil Young</b> and <b style="">R.E.M.</b> <b style="">Gillian Welch</b> handles <b style="">Nicolette Larson</b>’s duet-partner role on <i style="">Comes a Time</i>, while the role of <b style="">Peter Buck</b> is played by Peter Buck, though here he’s on mandolin (the R.E.M. guitarist breaks out his signature 12-string jangle on his other two album appearances). As sturdy, straightforward and wood-grained as the Oregon barn in which the album was recorded.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">27. “Neil Young,” Love and War: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">One of two acoustic numbers on <i style="">Le Noize</i>, this captivating contemplation crams ol’ Neil’s entire career into a tidy (for him, anyway) 5:37. This is as good as he gets, and so’s the LP’s other acoustic epic, “Peaceful Valley Boulevard.” </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">28. “Holiday,” Vampire Weekend: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A burst of sheer ebullience, this cut from the wicked-clever <i style="">Contra </i>assumes its rightful status as a modern-day seasonal standard through its constant hammering in the year-end TV campaigns of both <b style="">Honda</b> and <b style="">Tommy Hilfinger</b>, further fattening the wallets of <b style="">Ezra Koenig</b> and his cerebral, well-heeled bandmates.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">29. “Getting Ready for Christmas Day,” Paul Simon:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> This persuasive preview of <i style="">So Beautiful or So What</i>, the master’s first LP for <b style="">Concord</b>, juxtaposes seasonal jollity with sobering reality, accurately capturing the mood of Christmas 2010. A belated (by 45 years) but fitting bookend to “7 O’Clock News/Silent Night” from <b style="">Simon & Garfunkel</b>’s <i style="">Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme</i>.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">30. “When the Sun Breaks,” The Mommyheads: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This smart, musically sophisticated indie band that generated a modest but fervent cult following in the ’90s has just reappeared, featured in a ubiquitous spot for <b style="">Time Warner Cable </b>and self-releasing the career retrospective </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Finest-Specimens-Mommyheads/dp/B0048NUC62/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290610677&sr=1-1"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finest Specimens</span></i></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <span style="">(<b>Dromedary</b>).</span> This lovely, newly recorded piece, barely over two minutes in length, contains little more than a crystalline piano and glee club harmonies, echoing as if recorded in a cathedral, sublimely capturing the mood suggested by the title. Can’t think of a better coda for this playlist.</span></p>Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-45663953946032809322010-10-20T15:03:00.000-07:002010-10-20T20:52:47.881-07:00GOOD OLD BOYS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoKeN8-XM6s-Ccq0ysKM8c_1FdNdYyIAuXBjo_-e4upMPSGx9-T6iNe0nSuRhx9rAiAIGUdC6L5EjhJTabnf60c5FAMxuYuEED5-jamCK_Y2VUNwZSvcKtq-73LXJgRuEfLo7kMdFJ3fw/s1600/Come+Around+Sundown.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoKeN8-XM6s-Ccq0ysKM8c_1FdNdYyIAuXBjo_-e4upMPSGx9-T6iNe0nSuRhx9rAiAIGUdC6L5EjhJTabnf60c5FAMxuYuEED5-jamCK_Y2VUNwZSvcKtq-73LXJgRuEfLo7kMdFJ3fw/s400/Come+Around+Sundown.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530253723788043170" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><b>KINGS OF LEON</b><br /><i>Come Around Sundown</i><br /><b>RCA</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">When the Followill brothers and their cousin Matthew first busted out of Tennessee in 2003 with the colorfully titled EP <i>Holy Roller Novocaine</i>, they were as green as a sapling—especially kid brother Jared, who’d been handed a bass only months previously by band mentor Angelo Petraglia and told to learn by playing along with Led Zeppelin CDs. But even then, it was obvious that these kids had something special. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Still, who knows whether Kings of Leon would have survived, let alone prospered, had they not been readily embraced in the UK, perhaps as much for their floppy coifs, skin-tight trousers and amusing accents as for their rough-and-tumble sound. That the four fledgling musicians turned out to such be improbably quick studies can now be seen as one of the most significant phenomena to pop up in recent rock history. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">If the debut LP <i>Youth & Young Manhood</i> (2003) was viewed as disarmingly quirky by some reviewers (though dismissed by doubters as a premeditated case of image over substance), the follow-up <i>Aha Shake Heartbreak</i> (2005), revealed a scrappy young band already confident enough in their individual and collective abilities to take risks. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Indeed, the Kings of Leon sound is fundamentally <i>built</i> on audacity: Caleb’s preternatural yelp, at once wounded and defiant, was as far from rock indie-rock cool as one could get; oldest brother Nathan attacked his drum kit with the brutal aggressiveness of an extreme fighter; Jared’s basslines were so hyperactive you’d have thought he needed a Ritalin prescription; and Matthew squeezed as much tonal variety out of the effects pedals at his feet as Jonny Greenwood. Caleb’s songs weren’t like anything else out there either; what the hell did he mean by “He’s so the purity, a shaven and a mourning/and standing on a pigeon toe, in his disarray” in “King of the Rodeo,” or “18, balding, star, Golden, fallen, heart” in “The Bucket”? </p> <p class="MsoNormal">In 2007, just after the band made another exponential leap with one of the last decade’s most invigorating albums in <i>Because of the Times</i>, English producer Ethan Johns, who’d helmed all their records to that point, went out on a limb. “This is gonna sound a little absurd,” he told me, “but I do think that they’re the best rock & roll band playing at the moment. I don’t think there’s anyone out there that holds a torch to these guys. They’re gonna be around for a long time, those boys. There’s no doubt.” </p><p class="MsoNormal">And on the eve of the release of their worldwide breakthrough <i>Only by the Night</i> in 2008, Caleb didn’t hesitate in answering my question about what current band impressed him the most: “Definitely Radiohead,” he said. “They get it right every time. That’s something we’ve always tried to do—mix things up a little bit.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Two years (and nearly 7 million albums) later, those words speak volumes, because, with <i>Come Around Sundown</i>, Kings of Leon have made a musical statement whose boldness rivals that of the envelope-pushing Kings of Art Rock—though it also manages to come off as companionably down-to-earth. Despite its success, <i>Only by the Night </i>was the work of a band still growing into their hard-earned status as arena headliners—while also adapting to a radically different studio dynamic resulting from their decision not to continue working with the strong-willed Johns. The new album, by contrast, finds these chronically restless and supremely self-assured musicians applying their rarefied skills to a super-tasty recipe in which familiar sounds and motifs—their own and those of their ever-expanding source material—are treated in unexpected and frequently unprecedented ways. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Come Around Sundown </i>brings the soulful swagger of 2007’s <i>Because of the Times </i>and the arena-rock scale of <i>Only by the Night </i>to bear on classic rock styles in a dramatic display of how much these eager youngsters have absorbed from their continuing studies in rock history, and how boldly they’ve integrated classic moves into their own singular style. Now, finally, we can hear KOL’s link to the great Southern bands that came before them. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Nathan and Jared share a rhythmic pulse that emanates from their DNA, and they form an absolute monster rhythm section. The grooves they churn out are so sturdy and springy that Caleb and Matthew are free to launch into whatever melodic and textural acrobatics they can imagine. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Pushed to the max by engineer/co-producer Jacquire King, the earth-shaking bottom and the fireworks on top come together to form such immense soundscapes that my computer speakers could hardly handle them (and make no mistake, reviews of high-profile releases these days are often written in response to streams of middling bit rates played through desktop speakers).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The album unfolds like a parade of anthems out of some parallel universe. It starts, interestingly, where <i>Because of the Night</i> left off, with “The End,” a majestic piece featuring orchestral flourishes from Matthew’s overbubbed, reverb-drenched guitars, echoing the panoramic third-album closer “Arizona.” Following this widescreen scene-setter, they dive into their takes on the sounds of old records as if they’d just discovered the motherlode, which indeed they have. </p><p class="MsoNormal">“Radioactive,” the first single, is transitional by design. It’s a thrusting horizontal rocker, a la “Sex on Fire,” on which drums, bass and guitar engage in a breathless sprint from end to end, but in the final choruses, gospel voices rise up behind Caleb’s lead vocal, signaling what’s to come. On “Pyro,” Caleb elbows his way through the hammering dual-guitar riffage to bray out a righteously old-school Stax-style vocal under clouds of dirty-faced choirboy harmonies, in an inversion of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Exile</i> female-gospel template. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Nathan and Caleb plausibly claim their Pentecostal upbringing prevented them from hearing much popular music until Petraglia took them under his wing, and as a result, they dive into their takes on the sounds of old records as if they were brand new. This child-like sense of novelty permeates “Mary,” an astounding melange of doo-wop, Sun-era rock & roll and early Beatles that may be the album’s most bizarro and thrilling piece of work. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Their mutated interpretation of the early days continues with “The Face,” with its echo-chamber melodrama—it’s like a Roy Orbison ballad on steroids. The band keeps the pedal to the metal with “The Immortals,” a massive slab of steaming rock with a funky groove in the transitions leading into a stately cadence under the mushroom-cloud choruses, Caleb quaking with hellfire like some demented, Elmer Gantry-style evangelist. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">By the time it hits its midpoint, the album has become almost unbearably intense, which no doubt explains the placement right here of the Allmans-meet-The Band stomper “Back Down South,” on which Caleb breaks out his most corn-pone drawl while Matthew plays a fiddle jig on a slide guitar, in tandem with an actual fiddle. </p><p class="MsoNormal">The relative calm extends into the following “Beach Side,” a summery but propulsive track in which Matthew’s left hand keeps threatening to slide into dissonance, a la Beach House’s “Norway,” on the way to a “My Sweet Lord”-like payoff. The fusillade resumes with the raging “No Money,” which reintroduces the rebel protagonist of <i>Because of the Night</i>’s epic “Knocked Up,” before easing into a relatively mellowed-out final third. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The cowbell-accented “Pony Up,” another twist on early rock & roll, with a sparkling guitar riff right out of Mickey & Sylvia’s “Love Is Strange,” boogaloos into “Birthday,” with its souped-up, reggae-fied bass groove, sparkling guitar arpeggios and vivid imagery, Caleb sounding like a snockered stranger perched on the next barstool sharing a story over beers and chasers. True to its title, “Mi Amigo” cruises south of the border on a swaying tempo, fingerpicked guitar embroidery and faux-mariachi horns. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Come Around Sundown </i>ends with the blue-collar rhapsody “Pickup Truck,” in which Caleb’s now-familiar desperate dude gets choked up trying to get the girl of his dreams to forgive him, or just give him the time of day, in a shimmering slice of down-home magical realism. Somewhere, Gram Parsons is smiling.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This time out, KoL want you to have an <i>experience</i>, and that’s what you get, on a record that’s over the top, wildly inventive and satisfying in the ever-deepening way of landmark longplayers from the last century, as they honor their elders while remaining utterly true to themselves. <i>Come Around Sundown </i>is that magical.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>(This is the long-form version of a review that appears in the November issue of </i>Uncut<i>.)</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p></p>Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-87750282446133821472010-07-07T17:37:00.000-07:002010-07-17T11:35:38.793-07:00SCOPPA’S 2010 MIDYEAR PLAYLIST<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFaDmJX1xWoUJ0cl0xtudkEHi3qAWo1eFNf5Su5M2fm16cUtNu5SoABlxGVnGVeb_q99WlV-FPgjoKUSekgYM6UabPu0yBnbqSxy_kbsV2eeYZ7Wq6_VX0NbZRQnyP7mHjRiRKgF9XLc/s1600/Arcade+Fire+postcard+5-28-10.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFaDmJX1xWoUJ0cl0xtudkEHi3qAWo1eFNf5Su5M2fm16cUtNu5SoABlxGVnGVeb_q99WlV-FPgjoKUSekgYM6UabPu0yBnbqSxy_kbsV2eeYZ7Wq6_VX0NbZRQnyP7mHjRiRKgF9XLc/s400/Arcade+Fire+postcard+5-28-10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491330490956214130" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The first half of 2010 has brought with it a boatload of memorable music, thanks to an tsunami of killer cuts from the usual suspects and recently overlooked veterans, as well as definitive tracks from a healthy number of rookies and formerly below-the-radar (my radar, at least) bands and artists. On top of that, several albums that work from start to finish have come along, demonstrating the continuing viability of the extended listening experience in an era ruled by the single and perpetuated by the public’s ever-shortening attention span. I’m referring to the instant classic </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Broken Bells</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, Spoon’s latest triumph </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Transference</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, Band of Horses’ coming-of-age opus </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Infinite Arms</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> and, coming up strong on the outside, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ authoritative roots romp </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mojo</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. There were also not one but three irresistible covers albums in Nada </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Surf’s If I Had a Hi-Fi</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, Peter Gabriel’s</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Scratch My Back</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> and The Bird and the Bee’s love letter to Hall and Oates, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Guiltless Pleasures, Vol. 1</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. This, I think, is a promising trend.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Before I get down to the track-by-track rollout, let me also put in a good word for some of the other gripping experiences of the year so far: the intense drama and black comedy of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Nurse Jackie</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, the impossibly dense </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">30 Rock</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, the sensory overload of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Treme</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, the unbearable tension of the NBA Finals, Thom Yorke and Flea’s riff on </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So You Think You Can Dance</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> on stage at the Santa Barbara County Bowl, and the characteristically offbeat final act of Alex Chilton.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; font-family:verdana;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">On this playlist, I’ve rounded up and sequenced 40 tracks, a handful of which I stumbled upon in just the last few d ays and threw in because they struck me as promising and suitably summery—this is, after all, the Fourth of July weekend. Overall, I think this batch suggests that the first year of the decade could be one to remember—and we have yet to hear Kings of Leon, Fleet Foxes or most of Arcade Fire.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; font-family:verdana;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">OCEAN </span></span></b></i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">/ MIDYEAR 2010 PLAYLIST</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 1. “Vaporize,” Broken Bells: Nobody’s made a better longplayer so far in 2010 than the perfectly matched team of James Mercer and Danger Mouse, and the latter’s arrangement on this cut, climaxing with a trumpet solo right out of the Tijuana Brass, is sublime in its detail and subtle wit, balancing the innate emotiveness of Mercer’s melodically untethered voice. Bravo, boys.<br /><br />2. “I Saw the Light,” Spoon: If “I Turn My Camera On” was the Daniel and Eno’s “Emotional Rescue,” this one’s their “Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’.” Here's my pick for the coolest groove of the half-year…if not the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">two </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">coolest grooves. The track opens as a jacked-up, White Album-style shuffle with a lemon-tart melodic progression, but at the midway point, everything suddenly falls away as a robot drum stomp takes over, signaling the transition into a mesmerizing extended instrumental section, as a buoyant piano vamp gives way a sheet-metal guitar solo hammering away on a single chord. Awesome spinning song—but that’s generally the case with Spoon.<br /><br />3. “Pass the Wine (Sophia Loren),” The Rolling Stones: Speaking of the Stones, a number of reviewers (including our own Roy Trakin) have speculated that the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Exile Rarities </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">disc is the geezers’ best chance to place an album in the year end critics’ Top 10 since, oh, 1981 or so, thanks to killer cuts like this one, with its fat-bottomed bump (sounds like Bill Wyman to me), Keith’s woozy riffage and Mick’s pimpin’ harp solo, ornamented by horn riffs that would morph into the bleats you hear on the official “Soul Survivor” (a wonderfully wobbly Keith-sung version of that one can be found here as well).<br /><br />4. “Laredo,” Band of Horses: This one’s totally up my Byrds/Neil Young & Crazy Horse/Big Star alley—meaning, I suppose, that it’s essentially boy music. On this shimmering folk rock anthem, the band deftly fuses the buoyancy of “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better” with the jutting-jawed physicality of “Cinnamon Girl” around a twisting riff from lead guitarist Tyler Ramsey right out of Creedence’s “Up Around the Bend.” A midtempo anthem as gorgeous as a sunrise over Ben Bridwell’s beloved Outer Banks, “Laredo” may be the most masterful appropriation of the Byrds sound since “The Ugly Truth” from Matthew Sweet’s milestone 1993 LP </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Altered Beast</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">—although it has some competition from…<br /><br />5. “Electrocution,” Nada Surf: …the overdriven jangle of these skillful veterans’ take on an obscure 1998 song from cult artist Bill Fox. It’s one of three tracks on the band’s engaging covers album, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If I Had a Hi-Fi</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, that vividly reflects their roots in the chiming guitars and soaring harmonies of 1960s folk-rock; the others are Nada’s glorious re-creation of the Dwight Twilley Band’s “You Were So Warm,” cleverly suggested to them by </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hits</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">’ Karen Glauber, and, less obviously, Kate Bush’s “Love and Anger,” which they transform into a shimmering aerial ballet of pealing guitars and regal harmonies.<br /><br />6. “Ocean,” The 22-20s: This track from the previously blues-rocking English trio is here because (A) it carries along the Byrds-y vibe of the two preceding tracks and (B) it provides both a title and a theme for this midyear playlist. The early-summer compilation is a decades-old tradition for me, starting in 1980 with a cassette comp (also quaintly known as a “mixtape” here in the Digital Age) I made for a Catalina vacation titled </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Where’s My Sandy Beach </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">after a line in the Pretenders’ “Mystery Achievement.” I still have that tape…<br /><br />7. “Candy,” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Still digesting this 15-track, 65-minute record, but I can say right now with complete confidence that it’s undeniably a late-career classic for this Great American Band, with Petty writing specifically for the occasion and the rest of the crew taking it from there. For proof, check out their recent performance on </span></span><i><a href="file:///C:/Users/Bud/Desktop/1.%09http:/www.hulu.com/watch/149654/saturday-night-live-tom-petty-and-the-heartbreakers"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">SNL</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> This below-the-belt blues-rocker isn’t one of the two songs they played on the show, but the playfulness of its formal perfection makes me laugh every time Petty sings the opening stanza: “I sure like dat candy/I don’t go for dem turnip greens.” One obvious reference point is the Standells’ “Dirty Water,” but there’s a ton more.<br /><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">8. “Burn It Down,” Los Lobos: Like the Heartbreakers’ crosstown rivals have been doing the drill so long and so fruitfully that they’ve achieved the hard-earned status of Great American Band, right alongside Petty, Campbell and company. Lobos’ upcoming </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tin Can Trust</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> can be viewed as a companion piece to </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mojo</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">: both are essentially blues-based, both draw authoritatively on American roots styles and both feature a remarkably fluent guitarist—Mike Campbell on </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mojo</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> and the humbly hell-raising David Hidalgo on </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tin Can Trust</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. The performance here is pushed along by the thick plunks of Conrad Lozano’s fingers on a stand-up bass (he’s the American equivalent of Fleetwood Mac’s rock-steady John McVie), and culminates with the assaultive skronk of Hidalgo’s guitar fireworks.<br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />9. “White Table,” Delta Spirit: My sleeper of the half year comes from a Long Beach band whose rootsy, acoustic-based material gets force-of-nature forward momentum from monster drummer </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Brandon Young</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">—and this track is his showcase. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Delta Spirit’s secret weapon, Young supercharges the largely acoustic arrangements with his ferociously propulsive stick work, bringing assertiveness and uplift everywhere. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Everyone I’ve turned on to “White Table” has instantly fallen in love with it, much like two years ago when I introduced friends to Luke Reynolds’ criminally obscure Pictures and Sound…</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><br /></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">10. “Floating in Space,” Luke Reynolds: On his eight-song mini-album </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Maps</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, Reynolds uses the same awesome rhythm section that enlivened </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Pictures and Sound</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> cuts like “100 Directions” and “the Last Ocean,” but on this outing the trio is in a mellower mood, set here by the buoyant, life-embracing opener, which conveys both his depth and his disarming dudeness.<br /><br />11. “Ready to Start,” Arcade Fire: Woke up this morning with the hook of this tease from </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Suburbs</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> circulating though my subconscious, which leads me to believe it could be a radio single. One of Win Butler’s more understated, lower-register vocals, which mysteriously makes the emotionality of the performance seem that much </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">more</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> intense, amid the pummeling drums and skyrocket sequencer oscillations.<br /><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">12. “Crystalised,” The xx: What's cool and unusual about this song from </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">XX</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">,</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">the half year’s second best debut album next to </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Broken Bells</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">,</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">is the way these soulful kids pump the groove into the spaces </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">between</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> the notes—the arrangement is so spare that silence could be seen as the lead instrument on the track.<br /><br />13. “Saturday Sun,” Crowded House: The first sound you hear on the reformed band’s brand new </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Intriguer</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is the syncopated thunder of L.A. native Matt Sherrod’s drums, the earth to Neil Finn’s air as he gives flight to another elegant melody—further proof that Finn and Nick Seymour picked the right guy to fill the empty drum stool left by their fallen comrade Paul Hester. With guitarist/keyboardist Mark Hart completing the lineup, Crowded House Mk. 2 is a formidable unit, especially on stage, where they take off on extended forays behind Finn’s guitar explorations. But after this bracing start, you’ll need to have patience, because it takes several spins for the songs to sink in—which is what I’m in the middle of right now… </span></span><span style="color:red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> <br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />14. “Why Does the Wind,” Tracey Thorne: Like </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Intriguer</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, the Everything but the Girl singer’s </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Love and Its Opposite</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is an emotionally taut but musically restrained set out of which pops one dynamic exception—in this case a sensuous, Sade-style groove over which Thorn’s emphatic, no-nonsense voice glides with its trademark effortlessness—she’s a modern-day cross between Julie London and Peggy Lee. Deepening our theme, the track sounds just like a seaside summer sunset </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">looks</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.<br /><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">15. “Kandi,” One eskimO: Young English group makes brilliant use of a sample from a vintage single from soul singer Candi Staton, audaciously employing it the setup for a sexy call-and-response chorus hook with frontman Kristian Leontiou.<br /><br />16. “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do),” The Bird and the Bee: When you hear that Inara George and Greg Kirsten cut an entire album of Hall & Oates covers, you'd be excused for going, "What?!" But as soon as you hear the first song, you go "Wow." Love Hall & Oates, btw. What a wonderfully nuanced vocal from Inara—her dad would be proud.<br /><br />17. “That’s Not My Name,” The Ting Tings: Yup, this track is from 2008’s </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We Started Nothing</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, but it deserves the ecstatic response male/female duo Sleigh Bells are getting right now, and it makes the playlist because Katie White and Jules De Martino </span></span><a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/121076/saturday-night-live-the-ting-tings-thats-not-my-name"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">absolutely </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">killed</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> it on </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">SNL</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> back in January</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. This’ll hold me till the follow-up—reportedly titled </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Massage Kunst</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">—hits later this summer.<br /></span></span><span style="color:red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">18. “Looking East,” Jackson Browne and David Lindley: Their memorable shared history makes the former collaborators’ reunion on a 2006 tour of Spain auspicious, casual as the presentation may have been. What’s more, most of the songs Browne chose for the first disc of this two-CD set are from records on which Lindley didn’t appear, enabling the erstwhile partners to see what they could do with the material in an only slightly expanded configuration from their two-man shows in the ’70s. On the double album’s most audacious performance, Lindley picks up and pummels an oud, providing a Kaleidoscope-like exotic spin on the still timely 1996 message song.<br /></span></span><span style="color:red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">19. “Taxi Cab,” Vampire Weekend: The brainy band’s sophomore album is so of a piece that it demands being heard as a whole—with the exception of this understated gem, which rolls along as weightlessly as a fogbank.<br /><br />20. “Pow Pow,” LCD Soundsystem: Dunno what I was expecting from James Murphy after the 2007 landmark </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sound of Silver</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, and I’m still trying to figure out what’s ticking behind </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This Is Happening</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, right down to settling on a particular cut to pull from it. For now I’m going with this homage to the Talking Heads’ Eno period, which sound intoxicating the first time I heard it, driving through Santa Barbara under starry skies after Thom Yorke’s Atoms for Peace show at the Bowl.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">21. “Take It In,” Hot Chip: My fondness for their fanboy groove-a-rama increases with each album, and although the latest, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">One Life Stand</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, went for consistency over a roller-coaster ride, it did yield some progressively involving winners, including this poppy set piece, which they chose to use for the closer.<br /><br />22. “Flume,” Peter Gabriel: Another striking covers album yielded this hushed, gorgeous ballad from Bon Iver’s 2008 stunner </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For Emma, Forever Ago</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, as Gabriel hits that oosebump-inducing leap into the first chorus without the celestial stacked harmonies of Justin Vernon’s original.<br /><br />23. “Goodbye Girl,” The Shins: Mercer’s crew (whoever they are these days) covering Squeeze—how perfect is that? A wistful yet propulsive reimagining, the track is just one of several winners from the freebie online grab bag </span></span><a href="http://www.levispioneersessions.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Levi’s Pioneer Sessions</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. While you’re on the site, you’ll also wanna download She & Him covering Rick Nelson’s “Fools Rush In,” Raphael Saadiq doing the Spinners’ “It’s a Shame” and Jason Mraz power-chording through Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky.”<br /><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">24. “Shot of Love,” Robert Randolph & the Family Band: T Bone Burnett combines his deep understanding of American roots music with Randolph’s grounding in gospel on the sacred steel virtuoso’s third studio album, resulting in a set of fervently funky performances steeped in authenticity and powered (like all of the producer’s sonically detailed recordings) by grooves as deep as trenches. Randolph and his rock-steady crew share space with some well chosen Burnett ringers; this song from Bob Dylan’s foray into Christianity </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Slow Train Comin’</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> gets the devil beat out of it</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">the great by Jim Keltner, while Randolph’s buddy Ben Harper handles the lead vocal.<br /><br />25. “How Do You Like Me Now,” The Heavy: This 2009 horn-powered neo-soul workout thrust its way onto the playlist after its appearance on the Kia spot that debuted during the Super Bowl. Wilson Pickett would surely approve.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><br />26. “Heart of Steel,” Galactic featuring Irma Thomas: Gives me a chance to plug the offbeat and mesmerizing HBO series </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Treme</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, which just concluded its delectable first season, with Irma reprising her original version of “Time Is on My Side,” soon thereafter made famous by the Stones.<br /><br />27. “Medicine,” Grace Potter & the Nocturnals: I’ve been friends with Grace since writing her first Hollywood Records bio back in 2005, and I’m impressed not just by her own growth but by that of her band, featuring the terrific lead guitarist Scott Tournet. Here, they crank out a steaming slab of riff rock that sounds to like the belated sequel to Heart’s “Barracuda.”<br /><br />28. “Month of May,” Arcade Fire: This is a zero-to-60-in-five-seconds blast of adrenalized rock & roll—a </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Funeral</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-style explosive</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">climax stretched over the track’s entire four-minute length. It’s like T-Rex on speed </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">steroids.<br /><br />29. “On Main Street,” Los Lobos: As I played this cut last night, Peggy riffed on two points of reference for David Hidalgo’s vocal, both right on the money—Richard Manuel and Stevie Winwood. Think of this as Lobos’ own “Summer in the City.” And check out my review of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tin Can Trust </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">in the upcoming </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Uncut</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.<br /><br />30. “Free Love,” Cornershop: When Nick Lowe went country (so to speak) back in the ’90s, he left the job of purveying pure pop for now people in the capable hands of Tjinder Singh, who proceeded to stake his claim with the classic “Brimful of Asha,” and has subsequently spun out some of the wittiest rock & roll of the last two decades. </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">,</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Singh and partner Ben Ayres seem (among other things) to be riffing on the Beatles’ fascination with Indian music, breaking out the sitars and tablas and mixing them in with their standard Western instruments…or have they come up with their own twisted version of A.R. Rahmann’s </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Slumdog Millionaire </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">soundtrack? </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Quite possibly both. But I can state with confidence that this mesmerizing soundscape is </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Judy</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">’s “Tomorrow Never Knows.” It came on as four of us were pulling into the driveway after dinner at Ammo, and none of us got out of the car until it was over. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><br />31. “Running Man’s Bible,” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: The groove reminds me of “Breakdown”; Petty’s lyric reminds me of all the years that have passed since then. And the band plays on…<br /><br />32. “The Mystery Zone,” Spoon: The title song of my early-2010 playlist, this one’s a tension builder with a springy groove and </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Revolver</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-like lysergic string-synth billows. It follow’ the band’s leitmotif on Transference, it’s ending sheared off</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">like a Marine recruit’s hair.<br /><br />33. “Agony of Laffitte,” Nada Surf: In which one stellar smart-pop band not only covers another one but also brings something of its own stylishness to the party—check out the gorgeous contrapuntal harmonies, which serve to illuminate the beauty of Britt Daniel’s melody. Interestingly, Nada’s elegant treatment takes the song from acid putdown to fluttering rhapsody.<br /><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">34. “The Ghost Inside,” Broken Bells: Here, Mercer communes with his inner falsetto soul man over DM’s lustrous groove as the duo treads on Gnarls Barkley turf.<br /><br />35. “Dilly,” Band of Horses: Here’s vivid proof that Band of Horses are no longer just a front for Ben Bridwell—this infectious power-pop song is one of lead guitarist Tyler Ramsey’s strong contributions, as he puts himself into a featured role alongside the frontman.<br /><br />36. “The River,” Audra Mae: The lyrical precision of Leonard Cohen converges with the dangerous undertow of Amy Winehouse on this dreamscape, awash in water symbolism. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">37. “The Shores,” The Sea of Cortez: I was initially trying to keep the playlist to 25, then 30—but when I grabbed this download of a brand new song because of the band name and title, I figured, what the heck, it’s a holiday. It turns out to be an indie-rock update of one of those Beach Boys coastal panoramas from early ’70s LPs like </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sunflower</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> and </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Holland</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">—meaning it’ll fit right in alongside Fleet Foxes when their much-anticipate follow-up hits.<br /><br />38. “Waves,” Holly Miranda: Extending the aural sea foam is this enigmatic indie singer/songwriter (if Kristen Stewart hasn’t heard her yet, it’s essentially that she do so immediately), who doesn’t forget about putting a groove underneath her mood, which was the most important lesson of Portishead’s now-iconic </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dummy</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">39. “The Suburbs,” Arcade Fire: I promised myself I wouldn’t throw in three tracks from any one act, but c’mon, this new Arcade Fire stuff is epic. People who have grabbed the blithely floated links to four tracks are mostly gaga over “Ready to Start,” myself included, but don’t overlook this one—widescreen, poignant and seductively detailed, like a Todd Haynes movie.</span></span></p><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">40. “Heaven and Earth,” Blitzen Trapper: If John Ford were still around, he’d use this band for the score of his next western. Cue the orchestra…</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br /></span><p></p>Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-91782041225922206392010-06-11T14:00:00.000-07:002010-07-17T11:36:08.117-07:00FIRST DRAFT: BAND OF HORSES' INFINITE ARMS<span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCTR4Xnr5WvMaKY7rY2s5agRLbv1OAgRtzPZ4fz_9U_qNswJjLxCTPlBzS2gYXNtUc0WjAqUxWbRmtABJn3F5knytbvgPD_nTvn2CBrIWJBIsGIziZ4o9tldR3B3HmlOCsPcm1tEcfS7I/s1600/Band+of+Horses.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 66px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCTR4Xnr5WvMaKY7rY2s5agRLbv1OAgRtzPZ4fz_9U_qNswJjLxCTPlBzS2gYXNtUc0WjAqUxWbRmtABJn3F5knytbvgPD_nTvn2CBrIWJBIsGIziZ4o9tldR3B3HmlOCsPcm1tEcfS7I/s400/Band+of+Horses.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481625316225713346" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:85%;"><span style=";color:black;"><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A revised version of the following review appears in the June issue of </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Uncut.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">BAND OF HORSES</span></span></p> <p style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Infinite Arms</span></span></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Fat Possum/Columbia</span></span></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Five stars</span></span></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ben Bridwell’s promise is fulfilled, as the budding auteur and his handpicked band fashion a thrilling artistic breakthrough</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p>After living with the lush melodies, breathtaking harmonies and taut instrumental performances that distinguish </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Infinite Arms</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, I no longer think of Band of Horses as another promising Amerindie band. From the very first notes of their primarily self-produced third album, it’s dramatically apparent that Ben Bridwell and company have upped the ante big time, creating a musical statement that manages to consistently hit and frequently surpass the peak moments on their previous recordings. Having relocated from </span></span><st1:city st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Seattle</span></span></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> to his native </span></span><st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">South Carolina</span></span></st1:place></st1:state><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, Bridwell has surrounded himself with four talented and like-minded players in drummer Creighton Barrett, keyboard player Ryan Monroe, lead guitarist Tyler Ramsey and bassist Bill Reynolds. The stabilization of BOH’s long-shifting lineup is one of the reasons the new album is so cohesive, so accomplished and so timeless.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p>On the stunning “</span></span><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Laredo</span></span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">,” the band deftly fuses the buoyancy of the Byrds “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better” with the jutting-jawed physicality of Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s “Cinnamon Girl” around a twisting riff from Ramsey right out of Creedence’s “Up Around the Bend.” First single “Compliments” features the harmonies of Ramsey and Monroe over a “London Calling” strut, and their three-part blend with Bridwell recalls the Jayhawks of </span></span><st1:place style="font-style: italic;" st="on"><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hollywood</span></span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Town Hall</span></span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. These rich group harmonies make several memorable reappearances, turning up in close-miked intimacy on Ramsey’s candlelit ballad “Evening Kitchen” accompanied by just a single acoustic, and in full-throated splendor on the Morgan-penned, pedal-steel-adorned country-rocker “Older.” All of the above tracks were cut live off the floor, lending them a glorious immediacy. They co-exist with shimmering monuments of aural architecture, painstakingly assembled, their intricacies illuminated by Dave Sardy’s 3-D mix. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There’s an intriguing further development in Bridwell’s songwriting approach, as he interweaves the elliptical verbiage of his past records with concrete detail of an intensely visual nature, these observations of everyday life hinting at storylines whose specifics are left to the listener to piece together. First track “Factory” opens in a hotel lobby, leading to brief eye contact with a stranger in the elevator, a stop at the snack machine and other mundane details that take on an air of mystery through the musical context, conjuring up the sort of hyper-reality found in William Eggleston’s photographs. The pumping strings and horns riding atop the band’s massive slow-motion groove bring an overlay of grandeur to the implied narrative – the pomp-plus-push of the arrangement redolent of the Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony,” while Bridwell’s layered vocals pause to inhale before delivering the astral lift of Bon Iver’s “Flume.” These musical and visual juxtapositions permeate the album, taking centerstage on “Northwest Apartment,” a nostalgic, atypically straightforward series of aural snapshots picturing various places where Bridwell crashed while living in </span></span><st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Seattle</span></span></st1:city></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> and touring the region; they’re paired with pile-driving drums and bludgeoning guitars, ending with the hum of an amp hanging in the air like a receding memory.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p>One of the album’s defining aspects is its vivid sense of the American expanse, from the close quarters of city life to the wide-open spaces. With its Pet Sounds-like contrapuntal harmonies and reverb-drenched sonics, “On My Way Home” resonates with SoCal buoyancy even as it yearns for </span></span><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dixie</span></span></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. It segues into the title track, a dreamscape that inhabits the woodsy Northwestern terrain of Fleet Foxes, with Bridwell’s stacked harmonies stretching heavenward through the orchestral bowers of a Memotron (a digitized version of the Mellotron). The tender “For Annabelle,” written in </span></span><st1:state st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Minnesota</span></span></st1:state><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> just before the birth of Bridwell’s daughter, poetically suggests a sun-dappled spring day in the upper </span></span><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Midwest</span></span></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. The high, lonesome group harmonies that open the culminating, thematically unifying “Neighbor” are a dead ringer for the Eagles of “Peaceful, Easy Feeling,” but at the 3:30 mark the track erupts like </span></span><st1:address st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mt. St. Helen</span></span></st1:address><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">’s, ending the record on a note of flat-out majesty.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Infinite Arms</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> feels like it has two halves, the first six songs serving to expand the panoramic sound and style Bridwell introduced on songs like “The Great Salt Lake” from BOH’s 2006 debut, </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Everything All the Time</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, the second half-dozen, led off by the aerodynamic power pop of Ramsey and Bridwell’s “Dilly,” is laden with wholly and co-written songs from the other players, reinforcing the sense that this is a fully interactive band. But its symmetry is just one of the reasons you’ll want to get this neoclassic landmark on vinyl. Another is that it begs to be flipped over and played again.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></o:p></b></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Q&A: Ben Bridwell<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><o:smarttagtype style="font-weight: bold;" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype style="font-weight: bold;" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype style="font-weight: bold;" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You’ve said that in many ways this is the first Band of Horses album. How so?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It’s the first time the lineup hasn’t been this revolving door. I feel like the band has really solidified itself for the first time. When I started the band and Matt [Brooke] was in it, I had some songwriting input from him. With this record it’s like a real band, no one’s goin’ anywhere and everyone’s contributing to the songwriting process. This is a band that I’m a part of now and not just leading, and this is our coming-out party to show people everybody in the band, not just my sad songs.</span></span></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p style="font-weight: bold;"></o:p></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Your harmonies with Tyler and Ryan are really classic.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />There are times when you can hear that maybe it’s not perfect, and because we were doing it live and didn’t really have anyone to judge us, I tended to feel like that was its strength and not try to make it perfect like we’ve done in the past. Like maybe those little frailties are actually the strength of the record, where it sounds like people are actually singing around a microphone. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What inspired the orchestrations of “Factory”?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />I was listening to a lot of Nick Drake, for the first time really </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">got </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Nick Drake. I had to hear every song, watch every bit of footage. There are such dramatic string arrangements in those songs. But I’ve also been a huge fan of Spiritualized, and I did want to go for that kind of dramatic effect in “Bittersweet Symphony.” It was very intentional, most because I was thinkin’ this might be one that people in the </span></span><st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">U.K.</span></span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> could latch onto.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Your lyrics this time are loaded with everyday detail.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In the past my lyrics were more abstract. I didn’t mean to be more to the point in these songs; they just kinda came out that way. I guess the song was askin’ for it, and that’s what I had and could speak from those experiences, so I didn’t shy away from it. But I don’t write lyrics deliberately, ever – they just kinda come. And usually I’ll edit them to death so that people have absolutely no idea what I’m talkin’ about. Maybe I decided to unmask them a little bit more. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This feels very much like an old-fashioned two-sided record.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When I approved the vinyl master the other day, I got to hear it, finally, as a piece of music, and it flows so much better as two sides. There really are two phases of the record, and the second side really does showcase the rest of the band. You get </span></span><st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tyler</span></span></st1:city></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">’s songs and Ryan’s song in there – it’s almost like a hint of the future of what we might be able to accomplish.</span></span></p></span></span>Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-15290957665467416272010-04-20T16:25:00.000-07:002010-07-17T11:36:52.839-07:00THOM YORKE’S RHAPSODY IN RHYTHM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDLwEAmkaCDOzcTIvrEFpC25PnB_v57Hww_Ocoa_hJ0GP73StjrmTp8uOYZlAqtlPvwsty66JiOEnKbcuKs9mttdNhaeLgLxLFUkHqPUMTQgnCfXjiRE12AXwbMPEf-NTVrxnXNgIepY/s1600/thom-yorke-and-flea-67136882.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 208px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462639800055172290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDLwEAmkaCDOzcTIvrEFpC25PnB_v57Hww_Ocoa_hJ0GP73StjrmTp8uOYZlAqtlPvwsty66JiOEnKbcuKs9mttdNhaeLgLxLFUkHqPUMTQgnCfXjiRE12AXwbMPEf-NTVrxnXNgIepY/s320/thom-yorke-and-flea-67136882.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Although nobody thinks of Radiohead as a dance band, Thom Yorke and his mates have spent the last decade developing an intoxicating rhythmic feel. Unveiled spectacularly on 200’s </span></span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Kid A</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, the group’s embrace of the groove in all its heady and visceral nuances reached a sublime level of refinement on the tracks “15 Step,” “Bodysnatchers,” “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi,” “The Reckoner” and “Jigsaw Falling Into place” from the 2007 masterpiece </span></span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In Rainbows</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. And those grooves have been physically manifested onstage by Yorke’s spastic bobblehead moves at the mic, along with the pugilistic body language of Colin Greenwood as he relentlessly stalks the groove, putting his full weight behind each punching bassline.<br /><br />In general, latter-day Radiohead’s infectious rhythms pose a life-embracing counterpoint to its zeitgeist-capturing themes of anxiety, alienation and information overload. These seductive rhythmic foundations, combined with the melodic aeronautics carried by Yorke’s fallen angel’s voice, render even the darkest of the band’s songs—which might be unbearably oppressive otherwise—deeply spiritual and downright inspiring.<br /></span></span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Eraser</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, Yorke’s 2006 boy-with-his-laptop album, served to isolate his innate feel for rhythm, subtly but emphatically revealing the source of Radiohead’s unique rhythmic character. Little did we—or he—know that four years later, these intensely solitary tracks would serve as the blueprint for a “jungle dance party,” as </span></span><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; mso-style-next:"Block Text"; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;} p.MsoBlockText, li.MsoBlockText, div.MsoBlockText {margin-top:0in; margin-right:1.0in; margin-bottom:6.0pt; margin-left:1.0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><a href="http://www.livemusicblog.com/2010/04/16/review-atoms-for-peace-fox-theater-oakland-41510/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Live Music Blog’s Justin wrote</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> of the April 16 Oakland performance on Atoms for Peace’s eight-date mini-tour, culminating in a Sunday night set at Coachella. The performances were fueled by high-octane rhythms that “didn’t pound so much as undulate, complementing Yorke’s airy vocal melodies,” </span></span><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; mso-style-next:"Block Text"; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;} p.MsoBlockText, li.MsoBlockText, div.MsoBlockText {margin-top:0in; margin-right:1.0in; margin-bottom:6.0pt; margin-left:1.0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><a href="http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2010/04/concert-review-atoms-for-peace-at-the-aragon.html#more"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">according to the Chicago Tribune’s Greg Kot</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, getting to the jist of the experience. That he put together a carefully selected crew of players to explore this set of songs, as well as some new material and a handful of Radiohead staples, turns out to have been yet another stroke of genius on the part of the cerebral frontman.<br /><br />I caught Saturday night’s show, which went down in the sylvan hillside setting of the Santa Barbara County Bowl, a venue that seems to bring out the best in the acts that play there. It was Yorke’s third experience at the Bowl, following 2001 and 2008 Radiohead shows, and I strongly suspect he purposely chose it, having experienced its unmatched vibe potential.<br /><br />On the drive up the 101 from L.A., I played </span></span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Eraser</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> from start to finish, and, moody as it may be, my wife Peggy found the music “comforting”—but she’s a huge fan. We’re both quite familiar with “Black Swan,” “Clocks” and the extended version of “Harrowdown Hill,” having pedaled along to these pulsing beauties in countless spinning sessions at the gym, and hearing them again ramped up our anticipation.<br /><br />We were not disappointed. The band—with Flea acting as co-frontman, while producer Nigel Godrich provided the color on electronic keys and guitar, on top of the primally sophisticated percussion laid down by Beck drummer (and son of Lenny) Joey Waronker and Brazilian percussionist Mauro Refosco of Forro in the Dark—was on fire from the first notes of “The Eraser,” as Yorke revisited the nine-track album in sequence. But what cinched the deal for us was the dancing of Yorke, as the grooves he’d dreamed up got him moving in controlled abandon, transforming him into the alt-rock equivalent of Michael Jackson, while on the other side of the stage, Flea jerked around as if being jolted by a syncopated series of electric shocks. Both were dancing machines—we couldn’t take our eyes off of them.<br /><br />The first half of the set reached its delirious climax with “Harrowdown Hill,” punctuated by its delectable bassline, played with calibrated ferocity by Flea, while Yorke swayed along, singing the irresistible chorus, which Peggy and I have come to think of as an expression of a romantic oneness, despite the sobering premise of the lyric: “I'm coming home/I'm coming home/to make it all right/so dry your eyes/We think the same things at the same time/We just can’t do anything about it.”<br /><br />The solo section that followed, which changed from night to night, began with the gorgeous new ballad “Give Up the Ghost,” nicely described by </span></span><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; mso-style-next:"Block Text"; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;} p.MsoBlockText, li.MsoBlockText, div.MsoBlockText {margin-top:0in; margin-right:1.0in; margin-bottom:6.0pt; margin-left:1.0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/;kw=%5b24262,128783%5d"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Steve Appleton in his review for Rollingstone.com</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">: “He tapped the microphone to create a steady beat, looped it, added vocal parts and looped that, then played a melancholic riff with a Neil Young twang. "I've had my fill, in your arms, in your arms," he sang in a quiet, almost spooked state.” Yorke then slid behind the upright piano at stage left for a dusky take on </span></span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In Rainbows</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> closer “Videotape,” followed by a haunting performance of </span></span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Kid A</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">’s “Everything in Its Right Place,” its crystalline beauty italicized by the intimate purity of the presentation.<br /><br />It was during this mini-set that Yorke’s vocal brilliance was showcased, but it was dramatically evident throughout the night. As the </span></span><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; mso-style-next:"Block Text"; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;} p.MsoBlockText, li.MsoBlockText, div.MsoBlockText {margin-top:0in; margin-right:1.0in; margin-bottom:6.0pt; margin-left:1.0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><a href="http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2010/04/16/review-thom-yorke-at-the-fox/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">San Jose Mercury News’ Jim Harrington insightfully noted</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> in his review of the previous night’s Oakland show, “He focused on delivering moods, not messages, and mumbled through his lyrics in a fashion that made his voice translate like another instrument onstage. His understanding of rhythm and cadence challenged that of a veteran jazz scat singer."<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The band returned to blissfully wrap up the evening with the eerie </span></span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hail to the Thief</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> B-side “Paperbag Writer,” bleeding into the intense new song “Judge, Jury & Executioner.” The 90-minute show came to a close with “The Hollow Earth” and “Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses,” both of which left a far deeper impression in the masterful hands of the band than they did in their original versions, released as two sides of a single last fall, inspiring a shimmying, limbs-akimbo freakout from Yorke.<br /><br /></span></span><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; mso-style-next:"Block Text"; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;} p.MsoBlockText, li.MsoBlockText, div.MsoBlockText {margin-top:0in; margin-right:1.0in; margin-bottom:6.0pt; margin-left:1.0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As we walked down the hill, Peggy gave a spot-on assessment of the performance. “You know that I get bored easily at shows, but I wasn’t bored for one second tonight. They were just incredible.”<br /><br />Great minds think alike.</span></span><br /><br /></span><p style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman" class="MsoNormal"></p><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><br /></span><br /><br /></span></span>Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-89215320117252170572010-02-18T16:10:00.000-08:002010-02-18T16:39:06.372-08:00ROUGH DRAFT: SPOON’S TRANSFERENCE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfjKiUCExqFsr5yrLR4ZXf7120dGWt8dDWIwVxrWsgWCCfpw-UOQqCIfg9TI3_WZSI-KfgQllvtdOKrWdj60csUq1a07t8KGn-kZtrUJ2CZMnZkRNE7wfj1R-1A0jU9j5-DXbF696AVA/s1600-h/Transference.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfjKiUCExqFsr5yrLR4ZXf7120dGWt8dDWIwVxrWsgWCCfpw-UOQqCIfg9TI3_WZSI-KfgQllvtdOKrWdj60csUq1a07t8KGn-kZtrUJ2CZMnZkRNE7wfj1R-1A0jU9j5-DXbF696AVA/s320/Transference.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439745770345300930" border="0" /></a><br /><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City" downloadurl="http://www.5iamas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} -</style>When I was doing A&R late in the previous century, a musician in one of my bands—it might have been Jolene guitarist Dave Burris—expressed a then-popular theory about when to stop working on a piece. There’s an inherent danger in the act of refining a track, he asserted, because its initial vitality is frequently lost in the quest for perfection. The same danger exists in critical writing, he added; we were talking about a review I was working on at the time. I’ve thought of this notion often over the ensuing years while polishing reviews and features, especially when pruning copy to get it down to the called-for word count. <br /><br />I was most recently reminded of it just the other day while rereading my 650-word Uncut review of Spoon’s latest LP after playing the record more obsessively than anything I’ve fallen in love with since Radiohead’s <span style="font-style: italic;">In Rainbows</span>, an album that I kept unpeeling like an onion, just as I’m doing now with Transference. And watching footage on YouTube of Spoon’s withering KCRW mini-set has only served to deepen the feeling that there was so much more I could’ve said about the band and the record. Then I remembered that I had said quite a bit more in the first draft of the review, which was roughly twice the length of the published version. Reading over the first draft just minutes ago, I was gratified to find I’d nailed what now seems to me to be special about the album during my initial listening experience back in early November – despite the fact that all I had to go on was a 128 kbps stream. Which goes to show you that a great record is gonna sound great no matter the degree of accuracy in which it’s delivered or what kind of speakers you’re hearing it through. So here’s the undoctored draft. It seems fitting that I put it out there in this non-tweaked form considering so much of Transference is built on Britt’s original demos.<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Yb1V2yprIJE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Yb1V2yprIJE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Spoon </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><br />Transference</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />(Merge U.S., Anti- U.K.)<br /><br /></span><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p.MsoBodyText, li.MsoBodyText, div.MsoBodyText {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; font-weight:bold; mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"></p>“This one is pure Spoon,” offered Britt Daniel, auteur of the veteran indie band, describing his seventh album on spoontheband.com. “For better and worse and all of it.” Taking Daniel at his word, we have no choice but to examine Transference, while comparing the LP to its predecessors, in order to locate its quintessential Spoon-ness.<br /><br />Temple, Texas, native Daniel formed the band in Austin with drummer Jim Eno in 1994, scuffling along for six years and releasing a pair of unexceptional albums before the partners hit upon the sound that would carry them through the decade, generating one of the noughties’ most distinctive bodies of work, while drawing a loyal constituency as ready for anything as Wilco’s. <br /><br />“The only epiphany I ever had was between <span style="font-style: italic;">A Series of Sneaks </span>and <span style="font-style: italic;">Girls Can Tell</span>,” Daniel told me during a 2005 interview for a <span style="font-style: italic;">Paste </span>feature. “I realized there were no rules that I should play by. I felt like we no longer had to limit ourselves to being guitar, bass and drums kind of band. I started thinking to myself, ‘Do my favorite records play by those rules? Does <span style="font-style: italic;">What’s Going On</span> play by those rules? There are all these great styles of music that I appreciate, and I don’t feel like I’m really taking advantage of everything I could—every instrument or arrangement idea—by sticking to just guitar/bass/drums rock songs.’ That opened the door to a lot of things.”<br /><br />The eureka moment occurred on “Everything Hits At Once,” the opening track of 2000’s <span style="font-style: italic;">Girls Can Tell</span>, instantly drawing up the blueprint for the mature Spoon sound: spare, propulsive, brainy, obsessively detailed, self-effacing and progressively insinuating. They eliminated anything not essential to the movement and character of a track, doing so with a conceptual purposefulness as rigorous as Radiohead’s. Daniel and Eno perfected that sound two years later on the masterfully distilled <span style="font-style: italic;">Kill the Moonlight</span>, with its stripped-down, amped-up Beatle-isms, following it in 2005 with the more expansive <span style="font-style: italic;">Gimme Fiction</span>, paced by the Prince-meets-“Emotional Rescue” refracted soul of “I Turn My Camera On” and the intimated grandeur of “My Mathematical Mind.” <span style="font-style: italic;">Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga</span>, the band’s U.S. commercial breakthrough, was Spoon’s most unremittingly infectious set, powered by three of the band’s most immediately accessible tunes: the Jon Brion-produced single “The Underdog,” the hooky “You Got Yr Cherry Bomb” and the finger-snapping “Don’t You Evah.”<br /><br />The basis of Spoon’s blueprint is the groove, set down by Eno’s massive, Bonham-like snare hits and Charlie Watts-style behind-the-beat momentum, the feel ineffably human yet so utterly precise that you’d think it must be machine-made. It isn’t just the drums—there’s no part on any Spoon record without some essential rhythmic component, notably, Daniel’s staccato guitar riffage, percussive piano runs and in-your-face tambourine and handclap accents. On top of all this bounce, Daniel unreels lyrics littered with Dylanesque non-sequiturs and sly humor, delivered with a deadpan offhandedness punctuated by bursts of overt emotion, as he speaks for the fucked-over in life and in love, the disenfranchised, the underdogs. <br /><br />Spartan in its sparseness, impeccably crafted, monochromatic, desert-dry in both tone and attitude, <span style="font-style: italic;">Transference </span>eschews conventional verse/chorus/bridge song structure altogether; instead, the band establishes a musical premise and rides it for all it’s worth, like a souped-up roadster racing along an arrow-straight ribbon of highway toward the horizon. The songs seem to blaze past, like the two-minute eruptions of <span style="font-style: italic;">Please Please Me</span>, but only two of the 11 tracks are under three minutes, though only one exceeds five. There’s not a wasted note anywhere—something the band’s rabid fans have some to expect as a given—as Spoon spits out analog sonics with binary efficiency.<br /><br />True to form, the opening “Before Destruction” functions as both a palate cleanser and a preview of what is about to transpire. It seems as if we’re eavesdropping on Daniel, sitting alone in a room, singing as if to himself and strumming an acoustic, but the arrangement soon turns exotic as a chorale of overdubbed and treated voices floats in, with an ambient electronic drone lurking in the background. “Is Love Forever?,” which follows, turns on Spoon’s signature rhythmic starkness, the spaces between sounds as palpable as the sounds themselves, but here the drums are chopped and channeled. Spoon’s go-to percussion instrument, the tambourine, enters, but only for a few bars. From there it’s just a naked chord progression with another electric keyboard barely there, as Daniel asks, perched uncertainly between guilelessness and cynicism, “Is love forever?/Are you quite certain, love?”<br /><br />The textural and thematic building blocks having been laid out, the band begins to stack them up with “The Mystery Zone,” a tension builder with <span style="font-style: italic;">Revolver</span>-like lysergic keyboard/string accents and a percolating beat. Now, this is quintessential Spoon: Beatles + Prince. The eerie “Who Makes Your Money” features burbling keyboard chords over a drum loop; hooking you when it kicks into double time in mid-song behind a staccato rhythm guitar run through Euro-synth bleats. That sets up “Written in Reverse,” the band’s biggest-scaled track since “My Mathematical Mind,” as a brief lounge piano intro opens into squalling guitar, tinkling piano, cable-thick bassline and the anxious repeated line, “It’s all I know/it’s all I know.” The track ratchets up to unbearable intensity behind a ferocious one-note solo that recalls Dr. Feelgood’s Wilko Johnson. They keep things heated up with the epic “I Saw the Light,” an epic with a lemon-tart melodic progression. An abrupt shift into a robot drum stomp signals the transition into a lengthy instrumental section that is one of the album’s most captivating segments, as a gorgeous piano passage is assaulted by a sheet-metal guitar solo, only to drop away into what sounds like a cue from a French movie score.<br /><br />The album’s fiercely sustained tension, a relentless push/pull between Eno’s pummeling back-beats and Daniel’s forward-leaning guitar lines and vocal spurts, suddenly dissipates two-thirds of the way through, as the clatter of “Trouble Comes Running,” boasting trash-can cymbals and guitar overtones that will slice the top of your head off, cedes the foreground to the drum-less, muted piano ballad “Goodnight Laura,” its apparent antecedent “I’m in Love With a Girl” from Big Star’s Radio City. Here, without warning, Daniel turns unexpectedly unguarded, nary a trace of irony or distance in his vocal—it’s the biggest surprise on the record. The sense of tenderness continues with “Out Go the Lights,” its tone ghostly and panoramic, like Captain Beefheart’s “My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains,” Daniel’s voice Lennon-esque in its clutched understatement, achieving a lump-in-the-throat poignancy without descending into mere sentiment. <br /><br />The dry heat returns with “Got Nuffin,” a dusky, percussive rocker about darkness and shadows with a trampolining Leslie guitar riff nagged by the incessant plink-plink of a piano. If U2 did something like this, they’d restore their cred in the space of four minutes. Finally, on the closing “Nobody Gets Me but You,” super-compressed drums reference “I Turn My Camera On,” while Daniel bites off a lyric that could serve as a love letter to the band’s fans. “Nobody gets me but you,” he sings in that unmistakable rasp, “No one gets what I’m doin’.” Over string-like accents, the tone turns urgent, and Daniel lands a few well-timed jabs before the groove takes over, as they end the album perched between 1966 and 2012.<br /><br />Daniel and Eno worked without a producer for the first time in search of the aforementioned “pure Spoon,” and this is the challenging, take-no-prisoners result, an audacious fusion of the reliable and the experimental – a record that gets the new decade off to an audacious start.<br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal"></p><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Q&A: Britt Daniel<br /></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> was loaded with relatively conventional, overtly hooky pop songs, whereas this album is stripped to the bone. </span><br />With each record you react to the one before, and the songs on this record are constructed in a different way. For instance, “The Underdog” has a zillion chords and a ton of different parts; same thing for “Don’t Make Me a Target.” A lot of songs on this record ended up having very few chords; it was more about setting something up, getting in a mood and sticking with it. There’s something real hardcore about playing one chord or one riff for four minutes. It’s just a different kind of good, and I wanted to see if we could do that kind of good. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">But why mess with a winning formula? </span><br />More than anything, I just wanted to push myself. This is our seventh record, and at some point you’ve gotta stop thinking about topping yourself and go in a different direction. If you keep trying to make the same record and topping yourself, you’ll lose your mind. That kind of thinking is why Brian Wilson lost his mind.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">In that sense, was the idea of you and Jim working without a producer another way of reshuffling the cards? </span><br />It was also a way of staying absolutely hardcore to what feels right first to us. Good things come from working with a producer too, because you’ve got two different aesthetics that you’re trying to please, and when you’re both happy, that’s what ends up being on the record. That’s a great way to work, but I wanted to try it where we’re pleasing only ourselves, not having to think about anybody else in considering the fidelity, structure, production style, what kind of instruments are used. Just hardcore what we want – hardcore Spoon.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">You’ve gone away from the piano, which has been big part of your sound since <span style="font-style: italic;">Kill the Moonlight</span>. </span>This album is full of angular, Wire-y guitar. What was behind that? I wanted it to be a more angular, new wave, weirder record.<br /><p class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-style: normal;"><st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on"></st1:country-region></st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></em></p>Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-69714275955462401752009-12-21T15:13:00.000-08:002009-12-28T07:53:36.770-08:00A SHUFFLE THROUGH THE DECADEFor the last month or so, I’ve been building a working list of my fave tracks from the last 10 years. And because this has been the iTunes/iPod/a la carte decade in terms of both the way we listen to music and the way we organize it, I’ve decided to make this an interactive playlist. <br /><br />Specifically, I chose the “year” tab as the means of sequencing these 257 tracks, so that they descend in order from 2000 through 2009. As I drag tracks into the playlist, iTunes (A) maintains the chronology while alphabetizing by (B) artist’s first name and (C) song title. With everything now in place, I just choose “shuffle,” click on the “play” arrow and let iTunes decide the order. <br /><br />Because I started using the iTunes software in 2003, my ability to reference my favorite songs from each year has increased exponentially since then. That also means I had far less to work with in recalling my faves from 2000-2002; for that reason, I’m sure I’ve forgotten about some stuff that enthralled me at the time. On the other hand, I’m fully loaded with 2007 music—I chose 43 tracks, the most of any year in the decade, and I could’ve easily thrown in at least 25 more.<br /><br />In terms of productivity, I’m high on Radiohead (15 tracks, seven from <i>In Rainbows</i> alone), Wilco (16), Beck (12), Spoon (11), Kings of Leon (10), the White Stripes/Raconteurs (eight) and Phoenix (six)—all of whom did their parts to keep the album a viable medium during a singles decade. They did it in the most surefire way—with batches of songs that fit together like peas in a pod. To my mind, Amy Winehouse (five) and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss (five) are right there with the above-mentioned acts and would likely be better represented if they’d released more material.<br /><br />There are some modern-day classics in this playlist I’ve heard so many times that I’m nearly burned out on them—OutKast’s “Hey Ya!” and Gorillaz’s “Feel Good Inc,” for example. And yet there are others I’ve heard just as much that continue to hook me every time—like Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy.” And Danger Mouse produced all three. Go figure…<br /><br />A word about bit rate: I’ve settled on 320 kbps—the highest rate that can be selected using the AAC encoder—as a utilitarian compromise. Tracks imported from CD at 320 sound virtually identical to the source (the oft-repeated “near CD quality”) but can still be loaded into the flash-based iPod Shuffle, which won’t take higher quality WAV or Apple lossless files. If I didn’t use the Shuffle for working out, I’d probably import tracks at one of the higher rates—especially with storage space no longer an issue now that 500-750 GB hard drives are pretty much standard for desktop PCs. As it is, I’ve spent hours reloading CDs from earlier in the decade that I’d originally imported at 128 kbps—because I didn’t know any better at the time. <br /><br />I gotta tell you, having some friends over, pouring some wine and playing my soundtrack of the noughties in shuffle mode (running it through the stereo and out my mid-’80s KEF floor-standing speakers for maximum sonic oomph) makes for a can’t-miss evening. I suggest you put together a playlist of your own ’00s faves and shuffle away.<br /><br /><br />Send me your comments and suggestions at bs7777@aol.com. <br /><br /><br /><b>2000</b><br />“Red Vines,” Aimee Mann <br />“Things Have Changed,” Bob Dylan<br />“Don’t Panic,” Coldplay<br />“Trouble,” Coldplay<br />“Yellow,” Coldplay <br />“Bohemian Like You,” The Dandy Warhols<br />“I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,” The Jayhawks <br />“Smile,” The Jayhawks <br />“In the Sun,” Joseph Arthur<br />“Directions,” Josh Rouse <br />“Everything in Its Right Place,” Radiohead <br />“How to Disappear Completely,” Radiohead <br />“Idioteque,” Radiohead<br />“The National Anthem,” Radiohead <br />“Amy,” Ryan Adams <br />“Thought It Would Be Easier,” Shelby Lynne <br />“Everything Hits at Once,” Spoon <br />“What a Shame,” Steely Dan <br />“Beautiful Day,” U2 <br />“Walk On,” U2<br />“Any Major Dude Will Tell You,” Wilco<br /><br /><b>2001</b><br />“High Water,” Bob Dylan <br />“To Joy (Revolution of the Innocent) ,” Chris Whitley <br />“Why Georgia,” John Mayer <br />“3x5,” John Mayer <br />“Working Girls (Sunlight Shines) ,” Pernice Brothers <br />“Our Time Has Passed,” Pernice Brothers <br />“For Nancy,” Pete Yorn <br />“I Might Be Wrong,” Radiohead <br />“La Cienega Just Smiled,” Ryan Adams <br />“Caring Is Creepy,” The Shins <br />“New Slang,” The Shins <br />“Sister Surround,” The Soundtrack of Our Lives <br />“Last Nite,” The Strokes <br />“Island in the Sun,” Weezer <br />“Hash Pipe,” Weezer <br />“Fell in Love With a Girl,” The White Stripes <br />“We're Going to Be Friends,” The White Stripes<br /><br /><b>2002</b><br />“The Golden Age,” Beck <br />“Lost Cause,” Beck<br />“I’ll Be Your Man,” The Black Keys<br />“Tiny Spark,” Brendan Benson <br />“The Rising,” Bruce Springsteen <br />“The Scientist,” Coldplay <br />“Clocks,” Coldplay <br />“Daylight,” Coldplay <br />“Lose Yourself,” Eminem <br />“Do You Realize??,” The Flaming Lips<br />“Times Like These,” Foo Fighters <br />“The Seed (2.0),” The Roots <br />“Jonathon Fisk,” Spoon <br />“Small Stakes,” Spoon <br />“The Way We Get By,” Spoon <br />“Heavy Metal Drummer,” Wilco<br />“Jesus Etc.,” Wilco<br />“Kamera,” Wilco<br />“War on War,” Wilco <br /><br /><b>2003</b><br />“The Way You Move,” Big Boi featuring Sleepy Brown <br />“Quattro (World Drifts In (remix edit),” Calexico <br />“The Last High,” The Dandy Warhols <br />“Transatlanticism,” Death Cab For Cutie <br />“Valley Winter Song,” Fountains of Wayne <br />“All Kinds of Time,” Fountains of Wayne<br />“Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” Jet <br />“Molly's Chambers,” Kings of Leon <br />“Hey Ya!,” OutKast <br />“Such Great Heights,” The Postal Service <br />“There There,” Radiohead <br />“Vicious World,” Rufus Wainwright <br />“Things I Miss the Most,” Steely Dan<br />“I Can’t Remember,” The Thorns <br />“Seven Nation Army,” The White Stripes <br />“The Hardest Button to Button,” The White Stripes <br /><br /><b>2004</b><br />“Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels),” Arcade Fire <br />“Rebellion (Lies),” Arcade Fire<br />“Wake Up!,” Arcade Fire<br />“Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime,” Beck<br />“Catch My Disease,” Ben Lee <br />“Our Prayer / Gee,” Brian Wilson <br />“Surf's Up,” Brian Wilson<br />“When the Sun Goes Down,” Charlie Mars <br />“Take Me Out,” Franz Ferdinand <br />“American Idiot,” Green Day <br />“The Bucket,” Kings of Leon<br />“Slow Night, So Long,” Kings of Leon <br />“Float On,” Modest Mouse <br />“Manhattan Avenue,” Nellie McKay<br />“Musicology,” Prince<br />“Shelter,” Ray LaMontagne <br />“How Come,” Ray LaMontagne <br />“Whatever It Takes,” Ron Sexsmith<br />“Vertigo,” U2 <br />“Muzzle of Bees,” Wilco<br />“Theologians,” Wilco<br /><br /><b>2005</b><br />“Cold Wind,” Arcade Fire <br />“E-Pro,” Beck <br />“Black Tambourine,” Beck <br />“Earthquake Weather,” Beck <br />“Scarecrow,” Beck<br />“The Greatest,” Cat Power <br />“Since K Got Over Me,” The Clientele <br />“Talk,” Coldplay <br />“Speed of Sound,” Coldplay <br />“Soul Meets Body,” Death Cab for Cutie <br />“I Will Follow You into the Dark,” Death Cab for Cutie <br />“Here Comes a City,” The Go-Betweens <br />“Feel Good Inc. ,” Gorillaz <br />“Daft Punk Is Playing at My House,” LCD Soundsystem <br />“It Beats 4 U,” My Morning Jacket <br />“Off the Record,” My Morning Jacket <br />“Wordless Chorus,” My Morning Jacket <br />“The Painter,” Neil Young <br />“Everything Is Everything,” Phoenix <br />“Rough Justice,” The Rolling Stones <br />“Rain Fall Down,” The Rolling Stones <br />“I Turn My Camera On,” Spoon <br />“My Mathematical Mind,” Spoon <br />“Chicago,” Sufjan Stevens <br />“My Doorbell,” The White Stripes <br />“Spiders (Kidsmoke) ,” Wilco (live) <br /><br /><b>2006</b><br />“Think I'm in Love,” Beck <br />“Cellphone’s Dead,” Beck<br />“Someday Baby,” Bob Dylan <br />“The Perfect Crime #2,” The Decemberists <br />“Mary Shut the Garden Door,” Donald Fagen <br />“Crazy,” Gnarls Barkley <br />“How We Operate,” Gomez <br />“Satellite,” Guster <br />“The Warning,” Hot Chip <br />“Black Lexus,” Joseph Arthur <br />“Get Innocuous!,” LCD Soundsystem <br />“Time to Get Away,” LCD Soundsystem <br />“North American Scum,” LCD Soundsystem <br />“Show You How,” Lindsey Buckingham<br />“This Is Us,” Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris <br />“Chinese Translation,” M. Ward <br />“Dance Like a Monkey,” New York Dolls<br />“New Shoes,” Paolo Nutini<br />“Young Folks,” Peter Bjorn & John <br />“Undercover,” Pete Yorn <br />“One Time Too Many,” Phoenix <br />“Steady, As She Goes,” The Raconteurs <br />“The Book I Write,” Spoon <br />“You Only Live Once,” The Strokes <br />“Black Swan,” Thom Yorke <br />“Harrowdown Hill,” Thom Yorke <br />“Saving Grace,” Tom Petty<br />“Square One,” Tom Petty <br /><br /><b>2007</b><br />“Rehab,” Amy Winehouse <br />“You Know I'm No Good,” Amy Winehouse <br />“Back to Black,” Amy Winehouse <br />“Tears Dry On Their Own,” Amy Winehouse <br />“Keep the Car Running,” Arcade Fire <br />“Timebomb,” Beck <br />“Girls in Their Summer Clothes,” Bruce Springsteen <br />“Bookshop Casanova,” The Clientele <br />“Nobody Wants To,” Crowded House <br />“Sugar,” Dan Wilson<br />“Fast Company,” The Eagles <br />“Business Time,” Flight of the Conchords <br />“Someone to Love,” Fountains of Wayne <br />“Strapped for Cash,” Fountains of Wayne<br />“Ah Mary,” Grace Potter & the Nocturnals <br />“Knocked Up,” Kings of Leon <br />“My Party,” Kings of Leon <br />“Fans,” Kings of Leon <br />“Arizona,” Kings of Leon <br />“Valerie,” Mark Ronson Feat. Amy Winehouse <br />“15 Step,” Radiohead <br />“All I Need,” Radiohead<br />“Bodysnatchers,” Radiohead <br />“Faust Arp,” Radiohead <br />“House of Cards,” Radiohead <br />“Reckoner,” Radiohead<br />“Weird Fishes/Arpeggi,” Radiohead <br />“Dreamworld,” Rilo Kiley <br />“Fortune Teller,” Robert Plant & Alison Krauss <br />“Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On),” Robert Plant & Alison Krauss <br />“Killing the Blues,” Robert Plant & Alison Krauss <br />“Please Read the Letter,” Robert Plant & Alison Krauss <br />“Through the Morning, Through the Night,” Robert Plant & Alison Krauss<br />“Winter Windows,” Sea Wolf <br />“Phantom Limb,” The Shins <br />“Sleeping Lessons,” The Shins <br />“Sea Legs,” The Shins <br />“You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb,” Spoon <br />“Don't You Evah,” Spoon <br />“The Underdog,” Spoon <br />“Satellite Radio,” Steve Earle<br />“Either Way,” Wilco<br />“Hate It Here,” Wilco <br />“Impossible Germany,” Wilco<br />“Side With the Seeds,” Wilco <br /><br /><b>2008</b><br />“Freeway,” Aimee Mann <br />“Wishing Well,” The Airborne Toxic Event<br />“Flume,” Bon Iver <br />“Strawberry Swing,” Coldplay <br />“I Will Possess Your Heart,” Death Cab For Cutie <br />“Mercy,” Duffy <br />“The Bones of You,” Elbow <br />“Grounds for Divorce,” Elbow <br />“Forever,” The Explorers Club <br />“White Winter Hymnal,” Fleet Foxes <br />“Ragged Wood,” Fleet Foxes <br />“Inner City Pressure,” Flight of the Conchords <br />“Ready for the Floor,” Hot Chip <br />“Troubled Land,” John Mellencamp <br />“Time to Pretend,” MGMT <br />“Crawl,” Kings of Leon <br />“Notion,” Kings of Leon <br />“Use Somebody,” Kings of Leon <br />“Scare Easy,” Mudcrutch <br />“The Last Ocean,” Pictures and Sound <br />“It's You,” Pictures and Sound <br />“100 Directions,” Pictures and Sound <br />“Old Enough,” The Raconteurs<br />“Salute Your Solution,” The Raconteurs<br />“Sarah,” Ray LaMontagne <br />“Yell,” Robin Danar featuring Jesca Hoop <br />“Halfway Home,” TV on the Radio <br />“A-Punk,” Vampire Weekend<br />“Oxford Comma,” Vampire Weekend <br /><br /><b>2009</b><br />“My Girls,” Animal Collective <br />“Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat,” Beck <br />“It's All Good,” Bob Dylan <br />“That Western Skyline,” Dawes <br />“When My Time Comes,” Dawes <br />“The Rake's Song,” The Decemberists <br />“Southern Point,” Grizzly Bear <br />“Two Weeks,” Grizzly Bear <br />“While You Wait for the Others,” Grizzly Bear featuring Michael McDonald <br />“Never Had Nobody Like You,” M. Ward <br />“Couldn’t I Just Tell You,” Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs <br />“Go All the Way,” Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs <br />“Dear God,” Monsters of Folk <br />“Say Please,” Monsters of Folk <br />“Nobody Got No Bizness,” New York Dolls <br />“Don't Wanna Cry,” Pete Yorn <br />“Lisztomania,” Phoenix <br />“1901,” Phoenix <br />“Lasso,” Phoenix <br />“Rome,” Phoenix <br />“These Are My Twisted Words,” Radiohead <br />“Got Nuffin,” Spoon <br />“All For the Best,” Thom Yorke <br />“Magnificent,” U2 <br />“Moment of Surrender,” U2 <br />“Unknown Caller,” U2 <br />“Get On Your Boots,” U2 <br />“Exit Music (For a Film),” Vampire Weekend <br />“Bull Black Nova,” Wilco <br />“You and I,” Wilco <br />“You Never Know,” WilcoBud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-21561206936585894592009-10-10T06:15:00.000-07:002009-10-10T06:34:54.808-07:00IT'S BEST OF THE DECADE TIMEHere's my initial (but far from final) attempt at coming up with a list of the 25 best albums of the '00s:<br /><ol><li>Radiohead,<em> In Rainbows </em>(2007)</li><li>Beck, <em>Guero </em>(2005)</li><li>Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, <em>Raising Sand</em> (2007)</li><li>Kings of Leon, <em>Because of the Times </em>(2007)</li><li>Spoon, <em>Gimme Fiction </em>(2005)</li><li>Arcade Fire, <em>Funeral </em>(2004)</li><li>Wilco, <em>A Ghost Is Born </em>(2004)</li><li>Beck, <em>Sea Change</em> (2002)</li><li>Amy Winehouse, <em>Back to Black</em> (2007)</li><li>Bob Dylan, <em>Modern Times</em> (2006)</li><li>Brian Wilson, <em>SMiLE</em> (2004)</li><li>Radiohead, <em>Kid A</em> (2000)</li><li>Wilco, <em>Sky Blue Sky </em>(2007)</li><li>Ryan Adams, <em>Gold </em>(2001)</li><li>Spoon, <em>Kill the Moonlight </em>(2002)</li><li>Shins, <em>Wincing the Night Away </em>(2007)</li><li>Sufjan Stevens, <em>Illinois </em>(2005)</li><li>White Stripes, <em>Elephant </em>(2003)</li><li>Coldplay, <em>A Rush of Blood to the Head </em>(2002)</li><li>Aimee Man, <em>Bachelor No. 2 </em>(2000)</li><li>Ray LaMontagne, <em>Trouble </em>(2004)</li><li>U2, <em>All That You Can’t Leave Behind </em>(2000)</li><li>Bob Dylan, <em>Love and Theft </em>(2001)</li><li>My Morning Jacket, <em>Z </em>(2005)</li><li>LCD Soundsystem, <em>Sound of Silver</em> (2007)<br /></li></ol>Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-7782986529556771072009-09-08T18:53:00.000-07:002009-09-08T19:11:33.710-07:00BEATLEMANIA 2009<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Cbud%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="Street"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="address"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">This is the day <b>The Beatles</b> reclaim their legacy (as if they were ever remotely in danger of losing it) via the release of the remastered catalog on <b>Apple/Capitol</b> and the unveiling of the much-ballyhooed <b>MTV/Harmonix</b> game <i>The Beatles: Rock Band</i>.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">If you’re actually (gasp) <i>paying</i> for updating your Beatles collection from the wretched 1987 CDs and want to get the most bang for the buck, start with the absolute essentials (in chronological order): <i>A Hard Day’s Night</i>, <i>Rubber Soul, Revolver</i>, <i>The Beatles</i> (a.k.a. the White Album) and <i>Abbey Road</i>. At Christmastime, ask Santa for <i>Beatles for Sale</i>, <i>Help!</i>,<i> Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band </i>and <i>Past Masters</i>. Then fill in the holes with <i>Please Please Me</i>, <i>With the Beatles</i>, <i>Magical Mystery Tour </i>and <i>Let It Be</i>. The primary lure of the <i>Yellow Submarine </i>soundtrack, which contains six Beatles songs and seven pieces of <b>George Martin</b>’s score, is the scalding <b>John</b> <b>Lennon</b> rocker “Hey Bulldog.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For full immersion, I humbly suggest you run, don’t walk, to the nearest retailer (preferably an honest-to-God record store) and peel for the superb, ultra-cool box set <i>The Beatles in Mono</i>, plus the stereo-only <i>Let It Be </i>and <i>Abbey Road</i>. You’ll then own the mixes as personally overseen by the Fabs and producer Martin. (The mono <i>Past Masters </i>includes “Hey Bulldog” and the other <i>Yellow Submarine </i>entries, which weren’t originally album cuts.) That said, you can’t go wrong with Big Black—the stereo box set in its eye-catching, glossy monolith of a container.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">If you still need persuading as to why you <span style="font-style: italic;">need </span>this music, allow me to cherry-pick from some of the early reviews I enjoyed. There are persuasive arguments for both mono and stereo versions, as you'll see by scrolling down to the last two quotes...</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/5581e932-9362-11de-b146-00144feabdc0.html" target="_blank"><b>Peter Aspden</b> in the <i>Financial Times</i></a>: “The important thing is that it doesn’t disappoint. There is greater clarity, warmth and balance on these versions than has ever been possible before. To listen to them is to rediscover a canon of work that will also, once more, find fresh disciples… By paying proper respect to pop’s greatest opus—the packaging, which includes mini-documentaries on computer files, is exemplary—we have nowhere left to go: this is the end of the record collection era… Buy and listen to any of these CDs, and then try watching <i>The X Factor </i>or <i>American Idol</i>. You will realize that the Beatles remasters are the requiem for an art form. And that their final song—‘The End’—was meant to be taken literally, after all.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/arts/music/06alla.html?_r=1&ref=arts" target="_blank"><b>Allan Kozinn</b> in the <i>N.Y. Times</i></a>: “The most striking and consistent improvements are a heftier, rounded, three-dimensional bass sound, and drums that now sound like drums, rather than something in the distance being hit… Probably the most revelatory of the new transfers is the stereo White Album. From the opening jet engine effects on ‘Back in the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">USSR</st1:place></st1:country-region>’ to the final orchestral chord on ‘Good Night,’ this album now leaps from the speakers. Gentler songs like ‘Julia’ and ‘I Will’ have a lovely transparency, and hard rockers like ‘Yer Blues’ and ‘Helter Skelter’—as well as John Lennon’s quirky vision of dystopia, ‘Revolution 9’ — have a power and fullness unheard until now.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“<st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on"><i>Abbey Road</i></st1:address></st1:street> also benefits considerably. The clearer instrumental profiles serve this rich-textured album beautifully: ‘Sun King’ and ‘Here Comes the Sun’ are unusually supple; the vocal on ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’ no longer has a shrill edge, and Lennon’s proto-Minimalist ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ has never sounded more mesmerizing. Nor has the group’s valedictory jam in ‘The End.’</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“And if you are cherry-picking among these reissues, the two-CD singles compilation <i>Past Masters</i> should be near the top of your list. The stereo mixes of these songs are often less hard hitting than the mono singles were, but the remastered versions, with their enriched bass, palpable drum sound and improved sense of vocal presence, no longer sound anemic. You find yourself discovering textural details (the percussion overlay in ‘She’s a Woman’ is one such surprise) that show how imaginative the Beatles’ arrangements are.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/beatles/article6818659.ece" target="_blank"><b>Mark Edwards </b>in <i>The Times </i>of London</a>: “Time and again, on album after album, I felt as if I were listening to music I’d never heard before… I expected to be thinking things like: ‘Well, they’ve really brought some crispness to the hi-hat on this one.’ What I didn’t expect was to be blown away by the music all over again.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/57370932.html?elr=KArksD:aDyaEP:kD:aUnOiP3UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr" target="_blank"><b>Chris Riemenschneider </b>in the Mpls-St. Paul <i>Star Tribune</i></a>: There's simply a lot more oomph in the discs now. Rockers such as ‘Yer Blues’ and ‘I've Got a Feeling’ sound as if they come bleeding out of the speakers. More tender fare such as ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ and ‘Norwegian Wood’ also have more of a crisp, warm sonic panache. Extra geek-out value can be had by the mini-documentaries included with each album about its making, plus expanded liner notes and photos. Listening to the more experimental (read: more drug-influenced) albums such as <i>Yellow Submarine</i> and <i>Magical Mystery Tour</i>—which are hardly among their best collections songwriting-wise—is especially more gratifying, boosting them back to the wild aural experience associated with modern recording innovators such as <b>Grizzly Bear</b> or <b>TV on the Radio</b>.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-ca-beatles30-2009aug30,0,5221170.story" target="_blank"><b>Randy Lewis </b>in the <i>L.A. Times</i><b>:</b></a> “In general, the music sounds like an aural scrim has been lifted. Everything has become cleaner, fuller, the dynamic range—the difference between the loudest and softest sounds—has been expanded, vocals sound more immediate. The old ‘Twist and Shout’ sounded almost tinny next to the opened-up sound on the remastered version. The sound of <b>McCartney</b>'s fingers plucking the strings of his acoustic guitar as he sang ‘Yesterday’ become more tangibly percussive, the tone of his voice and the guitar more open. <b>George Harrison</b>'s ‘Taxman’ benefits from more visceral punch from <b>Ringo</b>'s drums.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/29924194/review/29951366/the_beatles_stereo_box_set" target="_blank"><b>Anthony DeCurtis </b>in <i>Rolling Stone</i></a>: “One tip for deep-pocketed fans: The 12-CD <i>The Beatles in Mono</i> box set is more than a collector's indulgence. The warmth and punch of early albums <i>With the Beatles</i> and <i>Beatles for Sale</i> evoke the experience of first hearing songs like ‘All My Loving’ on the original vinyl. But in stereo or mono, these albums have finally received the treatment they deserve.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-09-08/music/revolution-2009-the-beatles-remasters" target="_blank">Rob Harvilla<span style="font-weight: normal;"> in the <i>Village Voice</i></span></a></b>: “Speaking personally, I would rather this transaction take place in stereo. The argument for its opposite as The Way They Intended You to Hear It is a valid one: As the dominant format of the time, way more attention was paid to the mono mixes all the way up until <i>Abbey Road</i>, whereupon they were dumped entirely... But through headphones especially, the warmth, fullness, clarity, grit, etc. of those first four records (on CD in stereo for the first time!) is startling. Yes, John had a cold while recording <i>Please Please Me</i>; yes, the phlegm is almost audible, or you can almost convince yourself it is. (And yes, that's a selling point.)</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Not to say the unearthliness of those early highlights—the hymnlike elegance of ‘If I Fell’ (Paul's voice doesn't even crack in mono!), the sweet <b>Motown</b> worship evident in <i>With the Beatles</i>' gorgeous cover of ‘You Really Got a Hold on Me’—suffers much in either format. On the later, weirder records, that's less true: The mono version of the White Album is immediately disqualified, as ‘Helter Skelter’ doesn't have the part at the end where Ringo screams, ‘I GOT BLISTERS ON MY FINGERS!!’ Doing extensive, deep-concentration, track-by-track, side-by-side comparisons of the two <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i> iterations is a particularly hallucinatory way to spend an afternoon, but you can only listen to ‘She's Leaving Home’ so many times before your heart breaks.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Hardcore audiophiles with money to burn are not begrudged the impulse to own both boxes—the Beatles are basically a one-band justification for being a hardcore audiophile in the first place. But Ringo's blisters aside, it comes down to personal preference, headphones vs. speakers, being bowled over vs. being surrounded, so on and so forth. Choose a side. We're in a recession.”</p> Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-5307343577238115142009-06-11T14:00:00.000-07:002009-06-11T14:07:45.589-07:00It’s All Good: Scoppa’s Midyear Playlist<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRxzEKLEsIiYe_iGxRGE4Z7SO57cJi145xW0J2coaLJ70HMVgtm96cZh0-5MltLRbbiEJUYlEE-RwhXz9PQ1Pkv2tuT9FS1ENI9pZ9UBIee_tMpQ_rrWThx_6Xz5krgAZ8c8REQ031u0/s1600-h/Wilco+the+album.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRxzEKLEsIiYe_iGxRGE4Z7SO57cJi145xW0J2coaLJ70HMVgtm96cZh0-5MltLRbbiEJUYlEE-RwhXz9PQ1Pkv2tuT9FS1ENI9pZ9UBIee_tMpQ_rrWThx_6Xz5krgAZ8c8REQ031u0/s320/Wilco+the+album.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346179571051669906" border="0" /></a><br />In my mind, the ’00s didn’t really kick in until 2007. By this time that year, I could not believe the number of terrific records that kept coming one after another. By Oct. 1, when Radiohead’s fully godhead <i>In Rainbows</i> appeared online, the decade’s most artistically supremo top 10 was complete. It topped off a batch comprising Kings of Leon’s <i>Because of the Times</i>, the Shins’ <i>Wincing the Night Away</i>, Spoon’s <i>Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga</i>, Amy Winehouse’s <i>Back to Black</i>,<i> </i>Wilco’s <i>Sky Blue Sky</i>, Arcade Fire’s <i>Neon Bible</i>,<i> </i>Robert Plant & Alison Krauss’ <i>Raising Sand</i>,<i> </i>LCD Soundsystem’s <i>Sound of Silver</i> and Fountains of Wayne’s <i>Traffic and Weather</i>. Those records were so loaded with killers that I filled three CDs putting together my year-end comps of fave tracks, using a mere handful of other cuts like Rilo Kiley’s “Dreamworld,” Springsteen’s “Girls in Their Summer Clothes” and Steve Earle’s “Satellite Radio.” <div> </div> <div>We haven’t seen anything quite like that explosion of creativity since, which makes the midyear arrival of the utterly sublime <i>Wilco (the album) </i>a major event in my house. This record has everything I love about the band (and rock in general): dynamics, smarts, heart, tunefulness and the players’ ability to seamlessly juxtapose the timeless and the adventurous so that every passage sounds instantly familiar and endlessly thrilling at the same time. I can think of no modern band that does a better job of honoring the past without being limited by it than Wilco—and that is precisely the challenge facing any contemporary artist with a sense of context and the ambition to stake a claim in the rock pantheon.</div> <div> </div> <div>We could conceivably get new albums from the Shins and Arcade Fire before the end of the year, and I’m definitely looking forward to the upcoming LP from the reconstituted Crowded House, working with <i>Wilco (the album) </i>coproducer/engineer/mixer Jim Scott. But here’s my personal soundtrack to the half-year. This is a playlist, meaning that it’s meant to be <i>played</i>, in this order (transitions are important in the post-album era), and I’ve road-tested it both in the car and the spinning room at the gym. The following takes are meant to accompany the listening experience, which is the real point of this exercise.</div> <div> </div> <div><b>1. Wilco, “You Never Know”:</b> Delectable Beatlesque pop-rocker that appropriates the groove from Sly’s “Everyday People” and the slide lick from George’s “My Sweet Lord” in the service of a generational anthem with the irresistible singalong refrain, “I don’t care anymore.” Not just Jeff Tweedy’s catchiest song yet, but the catchiest track <i>anybody </i>has released this year. </div> <div> </div> <div><b>2. Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs,</b> <b>“Go All the Way”:</b> Sue sexes up Eric Carmen’s lead vocal part while Matthew cranks out Wally Bryson’s lusty guitar riff, nailing the distortion and overtones in all their serrated glory. The rock & roll equivalent of a bravura interpretation of a key piece from the classical canon.</div> <div><span> </span></div> <div><b>3. Beck, “Leopard Skin Pill-Box Hat”:</b> In contrast to the above track, Beck takes radical liberties with the familiar source material from <i>Blonde on Blonde </i>but still captures the sarcastic snarl of the original via his brutally distorted guitar riffage and howling harp over an earthmoving industrial beat.</div> <div> </div> <div><b>4. The Decemberists, “The Rake’s Song”:</b> The last album contained “The Perfect Crime #2,” a pumping rocker that picked up where “Life During Wartime” left off, and <i>The Hazards of Love </i>sports this similarly seductive cut, powered by a springy single-note acoustic riff and thunderclap drumming. The lyric, which concerns the black deeds of a cold-blooded killer, would be tasteless and horrific if set in the modern world and described in straightforward language, but in Colin Meloy’s deft hands it comes off like a newly discovered chapter of <i>The Canterbury Tales</i>. That’s not why it’s batting cleanup in this playlist, however; it’s here because it rocks like crazy.</div> <div> </div> <div><b>5. Doves, “The Outsiders”:</b> After a sequencer-sparked opening that looms like gathering storm clouds, the Brit trio unleashes a gale-force rocker that never flags, the mix burying Jimi Goodwin’s defiant vocal in a sonic maelstrom of guitars and synths. As with chunks of the U2 record, I’m picking up the influence of Elbow’s brilliant 2008 opus <i>The Seldom Seen Kid</i> in the band’s delectable use of dynamic contrast.</div> <div> </div> <div><b>6. Kings of Leon, “Use Somebody”:</b> Yes, this cut is from a 2008 album, but the Kings are breaking big right now behind it, and this arena anthem, with its Arcade Fire-like full-throated chorale, is a lot closer to what makes them the best young rock & roll band to come along in this century than “Sex on Fire,” their improbable (if slyly seductive) ticket to the big time. KOL’s rise parallels that of Spoon in the sense that the band’s artistic coming of age, <i>Because of the Times</i>, preceded the commercial breakthrough of <i>Only by the Night </i>in the same way that <i>Gimme Fiction </i>preceded the irresistible but not quite as mind-blowing <i>Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga</i>. That said, all four are essential pieces in any contempo collection.</div> <div> </div> <div><b>7. U2, “Magnificent”:</b> At any previous point since the early ’80s, this signature U2 epic would’ve been a colossal hit; the fact that times have changed doesn’t diminish the awesomeness of the work, with the requisite 16th-note flurries from Edge, lots of billowing, Eno-manipulated effects, Bono barely keeping a lid on his overarching tendencies, the struggle further ramping up the sense of urgency, and, best of all, Adam Clayton’s burrowing bassline, on which he seems to be quoting “Billie Jean,” of all things. This is as good as they get—it would’ve worked just as well on <i>The Joshua Tree </i>or <i>Achtung Baby</i>. </div> <div> </div> <div><b>8. Wilco, “Bull Black Nova”:</b> The jittery one-note sequencer pattern—actually mimicked by an electric keyboard—is straight out of <i>A Ghost Is Born</i>’s “Spiders/Kidsmoke,” and the curlicue guitar riffage is a hopped-up variation on <i>Sky</i> <i>Blue Sky</i>’s gossamer “Impossible Germany,” but the end result has a soft/LOUD, tension/release excitement quotient all its own, one further distinguished by a twist of Steely Dan-like pretzel logic. It’s right here that the band opens up the hood of the deceptively serene <i>Wilco (the album) </i>to show off the massive horsepower lurking in its purring power plant.</div> <div> </div> <div><b><span style="color:black;">9. Sam Roberts, “Them Kids”:</span></b><span style="color:black;"> For a half decade now it’s been the same story for Roberts, who’s Springsteen big in Canada and can’t get arrested in the States (assuming he doesn’t attempt to get through customs with a bag of weed in his road case). This burner turns on a wicked-clever premise: Sam is bummed that “the kids don't know how to dance to rock & roll,” and he’s worked up a backbeat-powered stomp in hopes they’ll snap shut their cellphones and come around. Otherwise, “If nobody listens, will we disappear?” But the best lines get right to the heart of being the keeper of a flickering flame: “We're under pressure to reconcile/our point of view with contemporary style.” You said it, Sam. </span></div> <div><span style="color:red;"> </span></div> <div><b><span style="color:black;">10. Harlem Shakes, “Strictly Game”:</span></b><span style="color:black;"> These smart-ass post-collegians may not have gotten the lavish attention bestowed on Vampire Weekend last year, but they’re similarly charming in that shambling, playful way. Mixing harsh reality and life-embracing optimism, “Strictly Game” slaps together organic and robotic rhythmic elements, intercut with hints of world beat and glee-club ingenuousness, en route to as refrain that sounds like a communal singalong. “This will be a better year,” they sing in unison, their voices as reassuring as their message.</span></div> <div> </div> <div><b><span style="color:black;">11. Franz Ferdinand, “Ulysses”:</span></b><span style="color:black;"> Franz puts across this paean to the conjoined pleasures of sex and drugs with the arch, swaggering irony of early Roxy Music. Alex Kapranos manages to slide upward to a fey falsetto while keeping his tongue jammed into his cheek, while Bob Hardy plucks out a bassline as thick and flexible as Monster cable, uncoiling a tantalizing groove that’s laid-back and lascivious at the same time. Note: these Scots will get some competition in the archly swaggering department from England’s Wild Beasts when Domino puts out their <i>Two Dancers </i>in September.</span></div> <div> </div> <div><b>12. Phoenix, “1901”: </b>I keep reading that “Lisztomania,” the opening track of <i>Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix</i>, is a contender for track of the summer, but I’m partial to this spikier cut, which follows, as super-compressed power chords sandblast the balmy soundscape.</div> <div> </div> <div><b>13. Empire of the Sun, “Walking on a Dream”:</b> We now arrive at the prime MGMT moment of the last six months, courtesy of Aussie eccentric <span style="color:black;">Luke Steele</span>. He lost me on the second Sleepy Jackson album, but he’s lured me back with this sparkling bit of sunny pop, studio-tweaked so that it seems to be wafting out of a radio in some parallel universe.</div> <div> </div> <div><b>14. The Bird and the Bee, “My Love”:</b> Who woulda thunk that Lowell George’s daughter Inara would grow up to be an alterna-diva, flitting from an orchestral LP with Dad’s pal Van Dyke Parks to a synth-pop workout with <span style="color:black;">Greg Kurstin</span> that sports this luminous neo-new wave romantic ditty? </div> <div> </div> <div><b>15. Brendan Benson, “Eyes on the Horizon”:</b> This piano-powered midtempo gem from the upcoming <i>My Old, Familiar Friend </i>evokes Runt-era Todd Rundgren, from the surging bass notes on the ivories to the cascading melody. I hope Benson meant to make that lift, cuz Todd is quite possibly the most important artist to be shunned by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (although I could—and have—named a bunch more on my <a target="_blank" href="http://rocksbackpages.com/">rocksbackpages.com</a> blog). Benson has been building up to his big moment since the mid-’90s; could this LP be the one that does it. And if it is, will anybody notice? Let’s hope the Raconteurs connection makes a difference this time out. </div> <div> </div> <div><b>16. Sweet/Hoffs: “Couldn’t I Just Tell You”:</b> Rundgren was the only artist to get covered twice by Matthew and Sue on <i>Under the Covers Vol. 2</i>, and both selections come from <i>Something/Anything?</i> I adore their take on “Hello It’s Me,” with Matthew handling the lead vocal while his longtime cohort Greg Leisz plays lead with characteristic silkiness, but listening to this perfectly rendered performance of Todd’s power-pop classic, with its chiming guitars, layer-cake harmonies and eruptive bridge raises goosebumps as big as the ones that popped up every time I blasted the original on my KLH stereo back in the day.</div> <div> </div> <div><b>17. New York Dolls: “Nobody Got No Bizness”: </b>Todd produced the Dolls for the first time since their hugely influential debut album in 1973, and this winking chunk of strutting old-school R&B hews close to the spirit of their early days. David Jo’s dee-lite-ful spoken shtick also recalls <span style="color:black;">“Loosen Up” from Todd’s teenage group the Nazz, itself a goof on Archie Bell & the Drells’ “Tighten Up.”</span></div> <div> </div> <div><b>18. Derek Trucks Band, “Down in the Flood”:</b> Another Dylan cover that honors the original without worshiping it. No longer locked into purist live-off-the-floor recording, Trucks layers the track with overdubbed parts over a groove as taut as military corners, interweaving an acoustic rhythm pattern, a keening slide part that sounds like a siren-like female voice and a shimmering <span style="color:black;">dobro</span> lick plucked right out of old weird America.</div> <div> </div> <div><b>19. Bob Dylan, “It’s All Good”:</b> Here’s the Bard himself, capturing the zeitgeist as only he can on a bluesy basher that finds him ferociously playing off the most obnoxious phrase in the current American vernacular. Dylan’s sensational combo, augmented by David Hidalgo’s Tex-ex accordion runs, powers through a deep-gut groove cut from the same rugged cloth as <i>Modern Times</i>’ “Someday Baby.”</div> <div> </div> <div><b>20. Wilco, “I’ll Fight”:</b> Here, over a ’50s-style acoustic rock & roll arrangement accented by Del Shannon-style carnival organ and hillbilly lap steel, Tweedy unleashes a lyric composed almost entirely of one-syllable words, hitting like a flurry of quick jabs and generating a sense of desperate earnestness as he works himself up to the ultimate vow: “I’ll die, I’ll die, I’ll die for you I will, I will, I will.”</div> <div> </div> <div><b>21. Pete Yorn, “Don’t Wanna Cry”:</b> Just heard this track in a promo for an upcoming movie (wish I could remember which one), and I expect music supes to jump all over it in the coming months, because it is <i>the</i> <i>kind</i>. A brokenhearted ballad sung with tattered intensity by Pete, as he goes from muted to unhinged, “Cry” splits the difference between Tom Petty circa <i>Wildflowers </i>and Sufjan Stevens circa <i>Nebraska</i>. Kidding—Sufjan hasn’t gotten around to that state yet, but Yorn cut this album in Omaha with Conor Oberst producer Mike Mogis and arranger Nate Walcott, who’ve crafted a stirring outro using a one-off orchestra of local horn players. Like “You Never Know” and “Magnificent,” this track sounds like it’s been around forever.</div> <div> </div> <div><b>22. U2, “Unknown Caller”:</b> The U2 of <i>No Line on the Horizon </i>is a six-piece that includes musician/cowriters Eno and Daniel Lanois, and the expanded lineup delivers the goods on this intoxicating slab of sonic bliss climaxing charting the course of a long night’s journey into day with a rare solo from the Edge that seems to part the clouds and let the sunshine in. </div> <div> </div> <div><b>23. Sweet/Hoffs: “Back of a Car”:</b> The most knowing proponent of the Big Star school, Sweet gets every nuance right as he burrows deep inside the stoned hormonal bliss of this <i>Radio</i><i> City</i> cornerstone. Where other pop groups strive for perfect circles, Big Star worked with oblong shapes, and Matthew, more than any Chilton-Bell acolyte, understands how compelling the results of drawing outside the lines can be. If Picasso had been a rocker, he might’ve sounded like this. </div> <div> </div> <div><b>24. Wilco, “You and I”:</b> The perfectly imperfect coupling of Tweedy and Feist’s voices on this unabashedly tender duet ineffably captures the sense of wonder of a guy and a girl in a long-term relationship who are still discovering things about each other while keeping certain parts of their respective psyches private. “You don’t have to tell me . . . everything,” they harmonize at one key moment. It’s a way of saying that one and one makes three—lovely notion. </div> <div> </div> <div><b>25. M. Ward, “Outro”:</b> The Portland-based singer/songwriter has a way with words, spooling them into modern-day folk songs armed with metaphysical payloads, but I’m going with the instrumental closer of <i>Hold Time</i>—mainly because it’s so durn purdy. For what it’s worth, this shimmering nocturne, in which Ward’s tremolo guitar curls like smoke rings around the hovering strings, encapsulates the album’s collective contemplations with wordless eloquence, though it holds up beautifully on its own . . . or at the end of this playlist.</div>Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-37781163362211840992009-05-24T07:40:00.000-07:002009-05-24T08:00:07.291-07:00BIG STARS IN THEIR EYES<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0oxnuKqyeR8_Te8H3eDJhmkQc6Li_yOBB-8vOy1K8iGzUNXD1HPeyFnC9FuOFS5x45xVvqy9uXQSrVThcOhLZFCLIkKKVLjpIa9O7K5YewSsrQtdGivDkopl9gagrfzQUU9fhyUfbpo/s1600-h/Altered+Beast.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0oxnuKqyeR8_Te8H3eDJhmkQc6Li_yOBB-8vOy1K8iGzUNXD1HPeyFnC9FuOFS5x45xVvqy9uXQSrVThcOhLZFCLIkKKVLjpIa9O7K5YewSsrQtdGivDkopl9gagrfzQUU9fhyUfbpo/s320/Altered+Beast.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339401250142621650" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaP_777jf88O25kHk5OTQFh9hIE3wEIV9pDONoJZldmfXycpP2e0cNEWkmcdj4GWoWiVziiREF7IeVxCjLvC-ZHGiEt6PAxJGA6eRigZRMi3SxWGA1XPfAb7oqXl3hzioKWxhKlp-a0Y/s1600-h/Radio+City.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaP_777jf88O25kHk5OTQFh9hIE3wEIV9pDONoJZldmfXycpP2e0cNEWkmcdj4GWoWiVziiREF7IeVxCjLvC-ZHGiEt6PAxJGA6eRigZRMi3SxWGA1XPfAb7oqXl3hzioKWxhKlp-a0Y/s320/Radio+City.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339401148145995234" border="0" /></a><br /><div class="blog_text"> <p><span style="font-style: italic;">Note: I was assigned this piece the spring of 2000 by </span>Revolver<span style="font-style: italic;">, but the mag was recast as a metal monthly while I was working on it. So it s been languishing in my computer ever since.</span></p> <p>In the early '70s, four youngsters from Memphis, the birthplace of rock and soul, put together a pop band (of all things) and proceeded to make music that merged the architectural majesty of the original Byrds with the charged mystery of <span style="font-style: italic;">Revolver</span>-era Beatles, adding to this rich brew an element of anxiety that gave it a dark undercurrent not usually associated with guitar-pop music. In retrospect, the fact that Big Star remained improbably obscure during and after its brief existence only added to its appeal for subsequent generations of musicians, who turned each other on to this music as if it were a secret religion or a new drug. For Big Star acolytes like Dan Wilson, now of Semisonic, the band s obscurity rendered its music extra-beautiful. "I think the way Alex Chilton wrote songs actually might have put up a wall that most people couldn t get over, so the few of us who made it over the wall got the music plus the treat of feeling special."</p> <p>"One of the coolest things about the whole Big Star legend is that they’ve always been such an enigma," says Ric Menck, co-leader of the Velvet Crush and longtime drummer in Matthew Sweet s band. "Big Star are right up there with the Velvet Underground as perhaps the greatest cult group of all time. The only other groups working in a similar style at the time were Badfinger and the Raspberries, both of whom had hits and therefore weren’t as mysterious as Big Star, who, of course, didn’t. This only adds to Big Star’s allure, and Chilton has been very good at perpetuating that mystery over the years by being incredibly idiosyncratic about his career and his regard for his former rock combo."</p> <p>But what about the music itself? Where does Big Star fit in? Mitch Easter, the former leader of Let s Active and R.E.M. s first producer, tosses out some reference points via e-mail: "Obviously, there’s that slippery soul guitar thing heard on 'O My Soul,' 'September Gurls,' etc., that’s related to Steve Cropper, Joe South, etc., the George Harrison/other Brits Beautiful-Descending-Chords deal, like 'Back of a Car.' Generally [they purveyed] '60s-style writing, with some late-'60s/early-'70s guitar playing and flash drumming, which a lot of people were (sort of) doing, although only Big Star put it together at that time from that place. Sort of English-style prettiness, but with soul elements. People who make comparisons to, say, the Raspberries are right, except they’re completely wrong, y know? I just think Big Star was a real band, like the Beatles, and the Raspberries were formalist fans, like a tribute band to their record collections. I guess it was the words, and the soul and taste of the musicianship. And the fact that Big Star evolved (devolved?) pretty quickly (like the Truly Heavy bands) so that eventually, one has to look to, oh, Skip Spence s <span style="font-style: italic;">Oar </span>for comparisons in the last days! But I think there are usually some legit comparisons, keeping them in sort of the mainstream of songwriting."</p> <p>The original Big Star cultist may well have been North Carolinian Chris Stamey, who played bass in Chilton s New York band in '77 and the next year formed the Big Star-infatuated dB s as well as releasing Chris Bell's "I Am the Cosmos" b/w "You and Your Sister" as a single on his Car label. Following Stamey s kick-start, the myth grew through the '80s, aided by R.E.M. and the Replacements (although Easter, who should know, doesn t buy the much-cited Big Star-R.E.M. connection), until, by the early '90s, Big Star s influence could be heard everywhere, although only the initiated realized it.</p> <p>The whole thing reached its crescendo in 1993. From where I sat at the time--the A&R chair at Zoo Records--I didn t have to look far for evidence, as Matthew Sweet made the dark epic <span style="font-style: italic;">Altered Beast</span>, labelmates and recent Big Star converts the Odds released the tormented but melodious <span style="font-style: italic;">Bed Bugs</span>, and Chilton agreed to play a Big Star reunion show with Jody Stephens and the Posies Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, which we happily recorded and released under the title <span style="font-style: italic;">Columbia </span>(after the Missouri college town where the performance took place). The Posies' own <span style="font-style: italic;">Frosting on the Beater</span> came out the same month, April, the reunion took place, while the worshipful Gigolo Aunts (whom I kept running into at Big Star shows from San Francisco to London) came with their own covert tribute, <span style="font-style: italic;">Flippin' Out</span>. Teenage Fanclub borrowed the title of one of Chilton s most memorable Big Star songs for its album, <span style="font-style: italic;">Thirteen</span>. More prominently, Starophiles the Gin Blossoms and Counting Crows (who anonymously opened a Big Star show as "the Shatners" ) ruled the airwaves with albums made at hallowed Ardent Studios in Memphis, where Big Star had recorded.</p> <p>That year also marked the commercial apogee and psychological flashpoint of another artist Ric Menck sees as being emotionally connected to Big Star and its leader as no other. "Back when Nirvana were big, everyone was constantly comparing Kurt Cobain to John Lennon, but to me he always seemed more like Chilton in that he was flawed and real and couldn’t portray himself in any other light," Menck pointed out to me in an e-mail. I m not certain whether Cobain ever listened to too much Big Star, but more than any of the groups on your list, I think Nirvana had both the sense of melody and pathos that Big Star had."</p> <p>But most of the bands that aspired to pick up where their heroes had left off possessed neither the insight nor the talent for the job, according to Easter. "Nobody got the lyrical thing that the best Big Star songs had (I mean as in the lyrics ), which is why I’ve always cringed at every record I’ve heard that’s described as being like Big Star. To most people, that seemed to mean some kind of pop formalism that really missed the boat as far as I could tell. I mean, I find myself thinking, Those guys don’t even qualify for polishing Big Star’s platform shoes."</p> <p>While I don't dispute that the bulk of the Big Star-influenced bands and artists fell far short of the lofty heights of their avatars, a handful did capture the elusive spirit of the source music--its juxtaposition of beauty and danger, the uneasy romance of angels and demons, or the seductive pressure of unexpected chords and oblong grooves against lithe melodies. Here s a subjective top 10 in this admittedly ambiguous category.</p> <p>Matthew Sweet: <span style="font-style: italic;">Altered Beast</span> (Zoo, 1993): If his classic <span style="font-style: italic;">Girlfriend </span>(Zoo, 1991) reflected #1 Record s fusion of pop richness, smarts and heart, this gutsy follow-up paralleled the unlikely juxtaposition of troubling themes and lovely melodies of <span style="font-style: italic;">Third/Sisterlovers</span>. <span style="font-style: italic;">Altered Beast</span> shudders with anxiety, paranoia and mortal dread, as a young man anticipates the loss of all that is dear to him as he goes through his allotted years. Heavy and very real, this album is especially dear to Sweet's diehard fans.</p> <p>Jayhawks: <span style="font-style: italic;">Sound of Lies</span> (American/Columbia, 2000) Posies<span style="font-style: italic;"></span>: On its second album since the departure of founding member Mark Olson, the veteran heartland band completes its seamless transition from alt-country avatars to pop-rock masters in the Big Star tradition, with the expert help of storied producer Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, KISS). The unlikely pairing results in a thrilling widescreen opus that merges '70s-style rockisms (screaming guitars, lush orchestrations, massive chorales), modern loop-aided grooves and the dlectable hooks that current bandleader Gary Louris is so adept at concocting. The life-affirming <span style="font-style: italic;"> Smile </span>is a compelling companion piece to 1997 s dark classic, <span style="font-style: italic;">Sound of Lies</span> (American/Reprise, 1997). <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">Frosting on the Beater</span> (DGC, 1993): Says Jody Stephens, who handpicked the Posies to fill in the holes for the reunited Big Star: "<span style="font-style: italic;">Frosting on the Beater </span>does to me what all my favorite albums do: They surprise me with a sense of wonder much like the kids in ET must have felt when all their bikes took to the air." Also <span style="font-style: italic;">The Best of--Dream All Day</span> (Geffen, 2000) for Auer's touching rendition of Bell's "I Am the Cosmos."</p> <p>Matt Wilson: <span style="font-style: italic;">Burnt, White and Blue</span> (Planetmaker, 1998): Says Dan Wilson, who once worked with his brother in avant-pop group Trip Shakespeare, "The melancholy of <span style="font-style: italic;">Burnt</span>, along with chimy guitars and built-in downward-spiraling vibe, does make it the perfect reincarnation of Big Star."</p> <p>Velvet Crush: <span style="font-style: italic;">Teenage Symphonies to God</span> (Sony 550/Creation, 1994): "Although people are constantly comparing us to them, I m not sure anything the Velvet Crush has ever done is very much like Big Star," says Menck. Also <span style="font-style: italic;">Free Expression</span> (Bobsled, 1999), recorded and produced by Matthew Sweet in his home studio, Lolina Lane.</p> <p>R.E.M.: <span style="font-style: italic;">Murmur</span> (IRS, 1983)<br />Also <span style="font-style: italic;">Lifes Rich Pageant</span> (IRS, 1986)</p> <p>dB's: <span style="font-style: italic;">Stands for Decibels</span> (I.R.S., 1981)</p> <p>Teenage Fanclub: <span style="font-style: italic;">Bandwagonesque </span>(DGC/Creation, 1993)<br />Also <span style="font-style: italic;">Songs From Northern Britain</span> (Creation/Columbia, 1997)</p> <p>Aimee Mann: <span style="font-style: italic;">I'm With Stupid</span> (DGC, 1995)<br />Also <span style="font-style: italic;">Bachelor No. 2</span> (SuperEgo, 2000)</p> <p>Wilco: <span style="font-style: italic;">Being There</span> (Reprise, 1996)</p> </div>Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-88702657582666549582009-04-13T19:16:00.000-07:002009-04-13T19:29:03.942-07:00ANOTHER ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySVPKOStWxOyhnhpgpkDA00R8Wh-RWrYFjDVzhmv0w_Rc9BNuxsw9gm-bEiAryNln75dEAzzR7LDhMwKTJ0sZ0OTLtXILTOHHwDyMDfxOptyRtJDHne0n-fGipeDJHtv1g9Rsw1eHfNI/s1600-h/Young+and+Rich.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324366573968030370" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySVPKOStWxOyhnhpgpkDA00R8Wh-RWrYFjDVzhmv0w_Rc9BNuxsw9gm-bEiAryNln75dEAzzR7LDhMwKTJ0sZ0OTLtXILTOHHwDyMDfxOptyRtJDHne0n-fGipeDJHtv1g9Rsw1eHfNI/s320/Young+and+Rich.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I’ve been wanting to do this for years (as one of my inductees famously ad-libbed), and was reminded of this long-intended mission by reading Barney Hoskyns’ RBP blog entitled “<a href="http://www.rocksbackpagesblogs.com/?p=311">The Perennial Joys of “Godd” Rundgren</a>, wherein he writ, “I think I’m more loyal to Todd than to any other single artist; I just keep coming back for more and more. Please discover the rabbit-toothed magus of rock if you haven’t already done so.” I second that emotion, big time, and extend it to the following loves of my life (inductees to the “real” R&RHOF excluded; 25-year rule ignored):<br /><br />Todd Rundgren<br />Procol Harum<br />Gram Parsons<br />Little Feat<br />Big Star<br />Mott the Hoople<br />The Tubes<br />Roxy Music<br />Robert Palmer<br />New York Dolls<br />Fairport Convention<br />Crowded House<br />Lindsey Buckingham<br />Matthew Sweet<br />The Odds<br />The Jayhawks<br />Beck<br />Radiohead<br />Wilco<br />Spoon<br />Kings of Leon </div>Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-3766853780159114502009-03-23T19:50:00.000-07:002009-03-23T19:54:42.348-07:00THE DECEMBERISTS, THE HAZARDS OF LOVE (CAPITOL)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARqlqTRtJRP-I30s39vH2CYhht-ERXnOa1KQ42KGta_ze6UfpZeqLejcrh4PUou19CV_ThI_lVMnt1mlh3DFaIyjmjPoqlJI6aHuJcPkz8p_2Va9VDxf5Cg_WDdVX8wjzCRq6p67tlf8/s1600-h/Hazards+of+Love+cover.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316582106900351826" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARqlqTRtJRP-I30s39vH2CYhht-ERXnOa1KQ42KGta_ze6UfpZeqLejcrh4PUou19CV_ThI_lVMnt1mlh3DFaIyjmjPoqlJI6aHuJcPkz8p_2Va9VDxf5Cg_WDdVX8wjzCRq6p67tlf8/s200/Hazards+of+Love+cover.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Uncut</em>, April issue<br /><br /><em>Whip-smart concept album twists the esoteric into arresting new shapes, makes a compelling case for the album as enduring art form.</em><br /><br />Since relocating from his hometown of Missoula, Montana, to Portland, Oregon, and forming the Decemberists in 2000, Colin Meloy has been embedding archaic verbiage into songs that draw on the British electric-folk movement—particularly Fairport Convention—and prog-rock fantasias. Along the way, the lyrics of this former creative writing major have hewn to a rigorous style that evokes the rollicking seafaring yarns of Patrick O’Brian and the fabulist fiction of Steven Millhauser, with whom Meloy shares a piquant sense of irony. These aspects are readily apparent in the song titles themselves: “The Legionnaire’s Lament” from 2002’s <em>Castaways and Cutouts</em>, “The Gymnast, High Above the Ground” from 2003’s <em>Her Majesty</em>, “The Mariner’s Revenge Song” from 2005’s <em>Picaresque</em> and “The Shankhill Butchers” from <em>The Crane Wife</em>.<br /><br />This penchant for tongue-in-cheek arcana (I suspect he’d spell his lyrics in Middle English just for laughs if he could get away with it) is accompanied by a thematic ambition that manifests itself in extended pieces like <em>The Tain</em>, a five-part, nearly 19-minute piece based on the ancient Irish epic poem of the same title) that takes up an entire EP, and the three-part title song of <em>The Crane Wife</em>, which spans 15 minutes-plus. Both are laden with orchestral motifs and movements crisply executed with standard rock instrumentation. Given all of the above, it’s a good thing that Meloy possesses a wicked sense of humor, and that his band plays with such visceral intensity.<br /><br /><em>The Hazards of Love</em>, then, stands as a culmination of all these tendencies. Set in an enchanted forest, it’s a 17-track suite (I hesitate to call it a rock opera, but the term wouldn’t be far off) of striking musical and verbal intricacy that unfolds over the course of nearly an hour. This thumbnail description makes the album sound stultifying, but this is far from the case, thanks to a steady stream of surprises and a depth of detail that reveals itself incrementally, like the layers of an onion. But it takes just one listen for the key melodies, refrains and riffs to ingrain themselves, because they keep leaping out of the fabric. The title song gets no less than four parallel treatments over 18 minutes, the deliriously melodic “The Wanting Comes in Waves” comes up twice and the twinkling guitar figure from Chris Funk (who’s a cross between Richard Thompson and Wilco’s Nels Cline) that first appears in “A Bower Scene” and recurs in “The Abduction of Margaret.”<br /><br />As always, Meloy sings with the accent of an American actor imitating an Englishman in a 1930s film, and one might expect that this stylized approach might get tiresome over time, but that’s a non-issue on <em>The Hazards of Love</em>. He shares the lead vocal duties with Lavender Diamond’s Becky Sharp, presumably chosen to play the part of the imperiled heroine Margaret because she’s the closest approximation of Sandy Denny Meloy could find, and My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden, who attacks her part as the forest queen with the confrontational eroticism of Heart’s Ann Wilson tearing into “Barracuda”. Additionally, the album is bedecked with stacked harmonies, with My Morning Jacket’s Jim James and the Spinanes’ Rebecca Gates joining in here and there. The guest list is completed by Robyn Hitchcock, who plays electric on a mid-album instrumental interlude – and whose “My Wife and My Dead Wife” would have fit right into this plot.<br /><br />The Decemberists are now on their second major label album (having timed the jump perfectly, as did Death Cab For Cutie), and their following has grown to the extent that they filled the 18,000-seat Hollywood Bowl in a 2007 concert with the L.A. Philharmonic. In short, they know exactly what they’re doing, and that includes making sure their concept albums contain at least one hooky stand-alone track for airplay and encores. The last album contained “The Perfect Crime #2,” a pumping rocker that picked up where “Life During Wartime” left off, and <em>The Hazards of Love</em> sports “The Rake’s Song,” powered by a springy single-note acoustic riff from Meloy and savage drumming from John Moen, who plays with the relentless precision of Radiohead’s Phil Selway. The lyric concerns another cold-blooded killer, who systematically offs his children, celebrates when his wife dies in childbirth and, once he’s finally free, expresses relief rather than remorse. The tale would be horrific and tasteless if set in the modern world and described in straightforward language, but in Meloy’s deft hands it comes off like a newly discovered chapter of <em>The Canterbury Tales</em>.<br /><br />If there’s a movie version, the Coen Brothers need to get the first call.<br /><br /><strong>EMAIL Q&A WITH COLIN MELOY<br />First things first, Colin: How do you follow what is essentially a Chaucerian rock opera? Pete Townshend followed Tommy with Quadrophenia; a scary precedent.<br /></strong>Wait. . .who?. . . what? Who wrote a Chaucerian rock opera? Did I? Hmmmm.<br /><br /><strong>You mention a connection between Fairport and Black Sabbath, and I’m picking up a bit of Jethro Tull and even Heart. Specifically, what did you draw on musically from British electric folk and classic rock?<br /></strong>I was listening to the Smiths and Hüsker Dü during what should've been my teenage metal-stoner phase. I'm belatedly living it out now. I dress exclusively in nicotine-soaked denim and stand across the street from my house at lunch time, smoking cigarettes and hitting a 3' bong named "Schindler's Twist." My wife and child are understandably concerned.<br /><br /><strong>I imagine you prowling used-book stores in search of source material. What are your primary literary reference points? Anything contemporary to go with the antique?<br /></strong>You do? What else do you imagine me doing? I'm thrilled that I seem to live a parallel life in your imagination. I wonder if you wouldn't mind imagining me lying in some quiet hammocked tropical veranda, drinking a mai-thai and being fanned by a modestly dressed "Breathless"-era Jean Seberg. Thanks. Perhaps you=2 0could imagine me reading some Dave Eggers, Gary Shteyngart or George Saunders -- they are three of my favorite contemporary writers.<br /><br /><strong>Following this line, what do traditional idioms and classic literature tell us about modern-day issues?<br /></strong>As far as I can tell, the Brit folk revivalist were by and large drawn to songs that involved drinking, murder and rape. Anne Briggs' first record, the namesake of ours, "The Hazards of Love," included 4 songs that warned of just that -- the apparent hazards of being an amorous person in the auld days. I believe there were relatively more dangers that could befall your typical Spenserian teenager. A lack of prophylactic being a major contributor to this. But I a lot of those dangers remain the same. It's of the "don't talk to strangers" cloth.<br /><br /><strong>Did the narrative lead you toward any particular themes, or vice versa?<br /></strong>I suppose so. I was just following the example of a bunch of old folk songs I was into at the time. They supplied the themes mostly.<br /><br /><strong>Like “Perfect Crime” before it, “The Rake’s Song” doubles as a supremely catchy single, and another homicidal one as well. It’s intriguing how this corrosive and disturbing subject matter is acceptable when couched in archaic rather than modern language.<br /></strong>Yeah. I think that's one of the things that the folk revivalists were into. A lot of women singers of that era were arranging songs in which misogyny and rape figured kind of largely. I think they discovered it was safer to explore those sorts of themes in older songs -- it also gives an interesting perspective into sex relations in the 16th century.<br /><br /><strong>With its seamlessness, this is emphatically an ALBUM in a singles era. Were you consciously doing your part to preserve or advance the form?<br /></strong>I don't know, not really. It just worked, I guess. I've always been a fan of ostentatious narrative records. This is our contribution to that form.<br /><br /><strong>Hypothetically, if this story were to be made into a movie, what directors would be on your short list to bring it to life? I’m thinking Coen brothers…<br /></strong>Guy Maddin. Full stop.</div>Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-68529612345921191022009-03-21T08:13:00.000-07:002009-03-21T08:28:24.549-07:00FIRST 2009 PLAYLIST: BREATHE1. "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat," <strong>Beck</strong>, <em>War Child Presents Heroes</em><br />2. "Get On Your Boots," <strong>U2</strong>, <em>No Line on the Horizon</em><br />3. "No You Girls," <strong>Franz Ferdinand</strong>, <em>Tonight: Franz Ferdinand</em><br />4. "The Rake's Song," <strong>The Decemberists</strong>, <em>The Haazards of Love</em><br />5. "The Bones Of You," <strong>Elbow</strong>, <em>The Seldom Seen Kid </em>(2008)<br />6. "Magnificent," U2, <em>No Line on the Horizon</em><br />7. "My Love," <strong>The Bird and the Bee</strong>, <em>Ray Guns Are Not the Future</em><br />8. "Don't Wanna Cry," <strong>Pete Yorn</strong>, <em>Back and Forth </em>(June release)<br />9. "No Line on the Horizon," U2, <em>No Line on the Horizon</em><br />10. <em>"</em>Eyes on the Horizon," <strong>Brendan Benson</strong>, unreleased<br />11. "Love at the End of the World," Sam Roberts, <em>Love at the End of the World</em><br />12. "Ulysses," Franz Ferdinand, <em>Tonight: Franz Ferdinand</em><br />13. "Down in the Flood," <strong>Derek Trucks Band</strong>, <em>Already Free</em><br />14. "Never Had Nobody Like You," <strong>M. Ward</strong>, <em>Hold Time</em><br />15. "Fixed to Ruin," Sam Roberts, <em>Love at the End of the World<br /></em>16. "Breathe," U2, <em>No Line on the Horizon</em><br />17. "You Belong to Me," <strong>The Like</strong>, <em>War Child Presents Heroes</em><br />18. "Move You (SSSPII)," <strong>Anya Marina</strong>, <em>Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II</em><br />19. "My Girls," <strong>Animal Collective</strong>, <em>Merriweather Post Pavilion</em><br />20. "Unknown Caller," U2, <em>No Line on the Horizon</em>Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-28196673923501065362009-03-20T15:07:00.000-07:002009-03-23T19:58:13.870-07:00M. WARD, HOLD TIME (Merge)<em>Uncut</em>, March issue<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315398173994763378" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDDK5UY_F-ZT5KBFpOd72wm6TU8t_YWczkeqB-noI4QCqgTh1EJXRN8JjL02jamNqivHKtHM3LZGS9Pto1T0QYgBn_27jJOO6ZhTCzDeTtofUjKS28rhkfkgNgk_q-Xj_vpMGQYyyjor0/s200/Hold+Time+cover.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><em>Lo-fi tinkerer completes his transfiguration into major artist.</em><br /><br />When Matt Ward released his first solo album, <em>Duet For Guitars #2</em>, in 1999, he appeared to be yet another hermit in his bedroom with a 4-track recorder, inhabiting his private universe at the margins of the bustling indie scene. But through the course of the ’00s, the Portland, Oregon, native has progressively shown himself to be a multitalented art monster, popping up all over the map and establishing himself as a go-to guy musician. Among his many accomplishments: touring and recording with the comparably ambitious Conor Oberst and Bright Eyes; co-producing and playing guitar on <em>Rabbit Fur Coat</em>, the first album of Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis; forming She & Him with actress/singer Zooey Deschanel and concocting 2008’s soft-rock homage <em>Volume One</em>; and making significant contributions to the records of artists ranging from Cat Power to Beth Orton and Norah Jones.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Ward’s own albums have incrementally expanded on the artist’s lo-fi roots, which put him alongside such fingerpicking solipsists as the Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle, Smog’s Bill Callahan, Will Oldham and fellow Portlander Elliott Smith. His studio output, which now stands at six LPs, reveals him as a virtuoso guitarist and expressive singer, a passionate conservator of American roots music and a purveyor of Big Themes. All that is special about Ward is encapsulated in the captivating “Chinese Translation” from 2006’s <em>Post-War</em>; it's an epic metaphysical parable enclosed in a lilting alt-country song, embedding poetic verbiage about the cycle of life into the playful arrangement with a Swiss watchmaker’s precision.<br /><br />Ward’s heady and ambitious sixth studio album, <em>Hold Time</em>, finds him delving deeper into the sounds and themes of <em>Post-War</em> and “Chinese Translation”. The LP will undoubtedly be perceived by some as a religious tract because its rich Biblical imagery and intimations of immortality – and yes, he does thank God in his acknowledgments. But Hold Time is not an album-long testimony of belief; instead, it plays out as an extended meditation on the preciousness of time, the dance of life and death, and what evidence man can perceive of a spiritual dimension in the physical universe.<br /><br />After the hushed opener “For Beginners,” the first of several contemplations of sin and salvation, Ward wastes no time connecting divine love with its human corollary. On “Nobody Like You”, he describes the redemptive power of true love via a lyric that intermixes the language of traditional songs (“I trusted liars and thieves in my blindness”) and Motown (“But now it’s just like ABC/Life’s just like 1…2…3”), in the finger-snappin’ context of a reverb-drenched arrangement straight out of Dave Edmunds. Then comes the sprightly, string-enhanced shuffle “Jailbird,” which follows the final minutes of a condemned man – one human who knows precisely when the life will go out of his body, which is what interests Ward in the subject. The words he puts in the mouth of his dead man walking directly address the album’s prevailing theme: “Save my soul ’fore they lay my old body down.”<br /><br />It’s easy to get lost in Ward’s lyrics, but this artist’s thematic concerns can’t be separated from his sonic impulses, which deftly draw on the handmade sounds of Appalachian music, country blues, clapboard-church gospel and early rock’n’roll connect with his own roots. At the same time, the album has all the lo-fi signifiers, from Ward’s imperfectly doubled lead vocals – his wobbly baritone tends to sound like he has a chronic case of cottonmouth – to the gauze of reverb he throws over the tracks like an aural tarp. But these intimate elements co-exist with the most expansive arrangements of Ward’s career.<br /><br />The album’s leitmotif is its lush, dreamy string sections, which bring a gorgeous poignancy not only to the metaphysical songs “For Beginners”, “Hold Time”, “Save Me”, “Fisher Of Men” and Epistemology”, but also to his radical reworkings of a pair of ’50s rockers, Buddy Holly’s “Rave On” (a duet with Deschanel) and Don Gibson’s “Oh Lonesome Me” (with Lucinda Williams), each slowed to the purr of an idling engine. A third cover closes the album; it’s the Sinatra ballad “I’m a Fool to Want You”, with Ward soloing existentially on tremolo electric guitar over vibes and clouds of synthesized strings, transforming it into the end-title theme for an imaginary spaghetti western that doubles as a wordless hymn.<br /><br />“I have a lot of questions about that relationship between love and death,” Ward said in 2003. He’s pondering those questions in earnest now. This is a deep, delectable, utterly timeless work.<br /><br /><strong>EMAIL Q&A WITH M. WARD</strong><br /><strong>Can you describe the overarching theme of the album, and of "Hold Time" in particular?<br /></strong>its inspired by being asked where my inspiration comes from. its the hardest question in the world to answer, so i decided to make a record that tried to answer the question.<br /><br /><strong>While listening to the new album, "Chinese Translation" keeps circulating in my consciousness. Is it fair to say the album is an extension of, or further inquiry into, the metaphysical realm?<br /></strong>i guess i m more interested in stories/songs that raise questions instead of pretending to have all the answers. theres not many elements of daily life that can take people to those areas - but i think music can.<br /><br /><strong>With songs like "Epistemology" and "Blake's View," the album practically shouts Big Ideas. What are you trying to get at, and how do you avoid pretentiousness? Can a pop song actually contain this level of ambition?</strong><br />lyrically, i wanted this record to begin to cover the "inspiration question" for me, so i think i was aiming higher than normal. production-wise, i wanted the big sounds i was playing with from "post-war" to be bigger and the smaller sounds to be even thinner. i wanted to find a balance between rich string sounds and thin, pawn-shop sounds.<br /><br /><strong>Why did you decide to do the Buddy Holly and Don Gibson covers?<br /></strong>the short answer is that ive loved those songs as long as ive loved any song - theyre both love songs but also polar opposites - the long answer is that id like to erase any kind of timeframe on these records im making - i believe in healthy confusion when youre listening to a record - some kind of a chronological disorientation. i like it when i hear a song on the radio and i dont know how old it is, or where certain sounds are coming from. it was a thrill to duet with lucinda on "oh lonesome me" and zooey on "rave on" - their voices are completely opposite sounds to work with.<br /><br /><strong>There's a gospel feel to the music and, in a refracted way, the lyrics on the album, especially as it culminates. What was behind the impulse to go in that direction?<br /></strong>this question reminds me of what its like for me to answer the "inspiration question" - i think the "impulse question" is just as good but just as confounding because i really dont know where it comes from - somewhere in my mind improvisation is equal to inspiration and instincts and impulses...<br /><br /><strong>Your arrangements are more lush than ever before, and yet you've retained the lo-fi character that has always defined your records. Has lo-fi become an aesthetic principle for you, and if so, how would you define it?<br /></strong>growing up with making so many 4-track tapes, that sound is forever in my head and tied to my memory in some way so it has personal value - ive always viewed my larger studio work as an expansion on those sounds as opposed to a replacement.Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-67775650470598080832009-01-02T12:43:00.000-08:002009-01-02T12:52:54.549-08:00BEST of 2008, ONE MORE TIME<span style="font-weight: bold;">ALBUMS</span><br />Pictures and Sound, <span style="font-style: italic;">Pictures and Sound</span> (Vanguard)<br />Randy Newman, <span style="font-style: italic;">Harps and Angels</span> (Nonesuch)<br />TV on the Radio, <span style="font-style: italic;">Dear Science</span> (Interscope)<br />Kings of Leon, <span style="font-style: italic;">Only by the Night</span> (RCA)<br />Mudcrutch, <span style="font-style: italic;">Mudcrutch </span>(Reprise)<br />My Morning Jacket, <span style="font-style: italic;">Evil Urges </span>(ATO)<br />Beck, <span style="font-style: italic;">Modern Guilt</span> (DGC)<br />Teddy Thompson, <span style="font-style: italic;">A Piece of What You Need</span> (Decca)<br />Explorers Club, <span style="font-style: italic;">Freedom Wind</span> (Dead Oceans)<br />Fleet Foxes, <span style="font-style: italic;">Fleet Foxes (</span>Sub Pop)<br />Lindsey Buckingham, <span style="font-style: italic;">Gift of Screws</span> (Reprise)<br />Ray LaMontagne, <span style="font-style: italic;">Gossip in the Grain</span> (RCA)<br />Vampire Weekend, <span style="font-style: italic;">Vampire Weekend</span> (XL)<br />Elbow, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Seldom Seen Kid</span> (Fiction/Geffen)<br />Matthew Sweet, <span style="font-style: italic;">Sunshine Lies</span> (Shout! Factory)<br />Death Cab for Cutie, <span style="font-style: italic;">Narrow Stairs </span>(Atlantic)<br />The Raconteurs, <span style="font-style: italic;">Consolers of the Lonely</span> (Third Man/Warner Bros.)<br />Robin Danar, <span style="font-style: italic;">Altered States</span> (Shanachie)<br />Boz Scaggs, <span style="font-style: italic;">Speak Low</span> (Decca)<br />Lucinda Williams, <span style="font-style: italic;">Little Honey</span> (Lost Highway)<br />Coldplay, <span style="font-style: italic;">Viva La Vida…</span> (Capitol)<br />Brian Wilson, <span style="font-style: italic;">That Lucky Old Sun</span> (Capitol)<br />John Mellencamp, <span style="font-style: italic;">Life Death Love and Freedom</span> (Hear Music)<br />Willie Nelson/Wynton Marsalis, <span style="font-style: italic;">Two Men With the Blues</span> (Blue Note)<br />Shelby Lynne, <span style="font-style: italic;">Just a Little Lovin’ </span>(Lost Highway)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY</span><br />Bon Iver, <span style="font-style: italic;">For Emma, Forever Ago </span>(Jagjaguwar)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ESSENTIAL ARCHIVAL RELEASES</span><br />Neil Young, <span style="font-style: italic;">Sugar Mountain – Live at Canterbury House 1968</span> (Reprise)<br />Bob Dylan, <span style="font-style: italic;">Tell Tale Signs: Bootleg Series Vol. 8 </span>(Columbia Legacy)<br />Nick Lowe, <span style="font-style: italic;">Jesus of Cool</span> (Yep Roc)<br />Dennis Wilson, <span style="font-style: italic;">Pacific Ocean Blue</span> (Caribou/Epic Legacy)<br />Blue Ash, <span style="font-style: italic;">No More, No Less </span>(Collectors Choice/UMe)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">CONCERTS</span><br />Radiohead (@ Hollywood Bowl) gets the godhead award.<br />Kings of Leon (@ Nokia Theatre) is rapidly growing into the best rock & roll band on the planet, period.<br />Mudcrutch (@ the Tropubadour) set off a rollicking blast from the past.<br />Beck (@ Club Nokia) fused phat beats and arena-rock riffage.<br />Ray LaMontagne (@ the Wiltern) proved you don't have to be loud to be heavy (to borrow Tom Morello’s line).<br />Plant/Krauss (@ Santa Barbara County Bowl), I imagine, but there was a ticket snafu, so I can’t say for sure.Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-89685357914853674162008-12-26T09:20:00.000-08:002008-12-26T09:29:19.544-08:00100 DIRECTIONS / BUD'S 2008 PLAYLIST<b>Fleet Foxes, “White Winter Hymnal” (from <i>Fleet Foxes</i>, Sub Pop):</b> This sort of rustic, open-throated harmonizing could only be made by guys with unmanicured beards. I could’ve picked practically anything off the young Seattle group’s self-titled album or <span style="font-style: italic;">Sun Giant</span> EP, both out this year, but this one adds a lovely seasonal angle.<br /><br /><b>Vampire Weekend, “A-Punk” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Vampire Weekend</span>, XL):</b> A short, sharp blast of bratty exuberance from the Ivy League upstarts, part Talking Heads, part Ramones, part Paul Simon.<br /><br /><b>Pictures and Sound, “100 Directions” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Pictures and Sound</span>, Vanguard):</b> My fave track of 2008—from my fave album of 2008—mounts a wonderfully big-hearted lyric opening into a captivating hook atop a groove that jumps with the visceral momentum of Spoon. A totally inspired take on a perfectly written song.<br /><br /><b>Kings of Leon, “Use Somebody” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Only by the Night</span>, RCA):</b> I still don’t understand why 2007’s fully awesome, wildly inventive <span style="font-style: italic;">Because of the Times</span> wasn’t the commercial breakthrough the Followills were destined to pull off as the most exciting young rock & roll band on the planet. Not only that, but it’s ironic that KOL’s first U.S. hit track was the pumping but thematically knuckleheaded “Sex on Fire,” which Caleb had to be talked into finishing by his bandmates. This one, the follow-up single, is far more satisfying, applying the muscular backing vocals of the previous album’s thrilling “Knocked Up” to an Arcade Fire-style anthem. Only by the Night also boasts a ferocious Stones-meet-Zeppelin rocker “Crawl” and the sleeper “I Want You,” a classic summertime lazy groover.<br /><br /><b>TV on the Radio, “Halfway Home” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Dear Science</span>, Interscope):</b> With its Beach Boys-derived <span style="font-style: italic;">Bah-bah-bahs</span> and thrilling payoff in which Tunde Adibimpe slides upward into falsetto, the rousing opener from <span style="font-style: italic;">Dear Science</span>, the New York band’s artistic triumph and mega-hookfest, churns through genre distinctions as if they were dead-set on obliterating them. The first time I heard it was on the iPod of Scott Cresto, my friend from Chrysalis, the band’s publisher, just before Radiohead took the stage at the Hollywood Bowl, providing me with the perfect lead-in for the show of the year.<br /><br /><b>Coldplay, “Strawberry Swing” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Viva La Vida</span>, Capitol):</b> For me, <span style="font-style: italic;">Viva La Vida</span> is missing something. It doesn’t pack the punch of <span style="font-style: italic;">X&Y </span>or roll out the parade of hooks that made <span style="font-style: italic;">A Rushj of Blood to the Head </span>so endlessly playable. But this Beatlesque beauty stands with the band’s grabbiest, most tuneful cuts; the secret weapon is the squad of cellos that thickens the chords in the chorus.<br /><br /><b>Lindsey Buckingham, “The Right Place to Fade” (From <span style="font-style: italic;">Gift of Screws</span>, Reprise):</b> Think of this cut as “Son of Secondhand News,” topped off with a “Take that, Jack White” rawk solo from the great eccentric. Yup, that’s Mick Fleetwood hammering away on the drums; Mick and John McVie reunite with Lindsey on the shredding title track and the crunchy rocker Wait for You”; neither plays on the sparkly “Love Runs Deeper,” according to the credits, but it sure sounds like they do. Actually, as I listen to these tracks again, I’m leaning toward “Love Runs Deeper” on my year-end compilation.<br /><br /><b>The Raconteurs, “Old Enough” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Consolers of the Lonely</span>, Third Man/WB):</b> Jack and Brendan find the perfect balance between Gram Parsons, Blind Faith and Crosby, Stills & Nash on this delightful roots romp.<br /><br /><b>My Morning Jacket, “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Evil Urges</span>, ATO):</b> The Louisville band’s second terrific album in a row, Evil Urges was produced by the veteran Joe Chiccarelli, who did a similarly killer job engineering the Raconteurs’ <span style="font-style: italic;">Consoler of the Lonely</span>. With its elegant groove and dusky atmosphere, this one is as close as MMJ gets to Radiohead.<br /><br /><b>TV on the Radio, “Golden Age” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Dear Science</span>, Interscope):</b> Inspirational lines from Kip Malone: “The age of miracles. The age of sound. Well there’s a Golden Age. Comin’ round, comin’ round, comin’ round!” And what a groove they’ve cooked up to go with it.<br /><br /><b>Beck, “Youthless” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Modern Guilt</span>, Geffen):</b> Here, Beck and Danger Mouse seem to take TVOTR’s groove and strip it down to the bone, so that it’s as dry as the desert. But there’s real power in the austerity they’ve created, and that goes for the album as a whole.<br /><br /><b>Elbow, “Grounds for Divorce” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">The Seldom Seen Kid</span>, Fiction/Geffen):</b> Utterly spot-on classic-rock-throwback track reinvents the power ballad for the ’00s.<br /><br /><b>Aimee Mann, “Freeway” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">@#%&*! Smilers</span>, SuperEgo):</b> I sold this album a bit short in my three-star review, resisting the synth-focused, guitar-less musical premise, but man, this track grooves, setting up a classic Aimee pop hook. The song I singled out in the review, sounds even more epic now than it did at the time.<br /><br /><b>Matthew Sweet, “Byrdgirl” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Sunshine Lies</span>, Shout! Factory):</b> Delivers on the promise of the title with maximum jangle and the implied poignancy that’s a Matthew trademark.<br /><br /><b>Lucinda Williams, “Real Love” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Little Honey</span>, Lost Highway):</b> I had the honor of hooking up Lucinda Williams with Matthew, who did the vocal arrangement on this track as well as “Little Rock Star,” and sang the harmonies with Susanna Hoffs, the other half of Sid and Susie.<br /><br /><b>Bob Dylan, “Everything Is Broken” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">The Bootleg Series Vol. 8, Tell Tale Signs</span>, Columbia Legacy):</b> This finger-snapping alternate take from 1989’s Oh Mercy anticipates the more recent chuggers “Things Have Changed” and “Someday Baby” (both of which appear on this collection in radically altered form). It also anticipates the mess the world is in two decades later, but that prescience is what we’ve come to expect from Bob.<br /><br /><b>John Mellencamp, “Troubled Land” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Life Death Love and Freedom</span>, Hear Music):</b> T Bone Burnett has yet to produce his old pal Dylan, but on this Mellencamp LP, he hints at what such a collaboration might sound like. In feel as well as theme, this is very much a companion piece to “Everything Is Broken.”<br /><br /><b>Mudcrutch, “Scare Easy” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Mudcrutch</span>, Reprise):</b> Here’s one of Tom Petty’s signature credo anthems, right up there with “I Won’t Back Down” and “Refugee.” How interesting that it took the odd notion of cutting the album Petty’s pre-Heartbreakers band didn’t last long enough to make to re-inspire him to do his best work since Wildflowers in 1994.<br /><br /><b>Teddy Thompson, “In My Arms” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">A Piece of What You Need</span>, Verve):</b> In which Richard Thompson’s talented kid locates his inner Roy Orbison. Think of the rollicking electric keyboard solo as a bonus hit.<br /><br /><b>Explorers Club, “Safe Distance” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Freedom Wind</span>, Dead Oceans):</b> Lil Wayne and Kanye West weren’t the only artists to mess around with zeroed-out Auto-Tune. You wouldn’t expect to find the tonal trickery in a Beach Boys-style ballad, but Jason Brewer pulls it off, turning incongruity into intrigue. From one of the year’s most fully realized albums—who knew a bunch of obsessed kids from Charleston, South Carolina, would possess the arcane skills to pick up where Holland left off?<br /><br /><b>Robin Danar w/Jesca Hoop, “Yell” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Altered States</span>, Shanachie):</b> Here’s my 2008 pick for an absolute smash in a perfect world. Producer Danar mixed and matched familiar songs with a variety of vocalists, who do their thing over beats he’s created. This one departs from the concept in that writer/singer Hoop came up with the lyric and melody on the spot, and the resulting piece is as seductive as anything I heard this year. Also worth checking out from the same album: the Blue Nile’s Paul Buchanan putting his romantic stamp on Chrissie Hynde’s “Message of Love.”<br /><br /><b>Death Cab for Cutie, “I Will Possess Your Heart” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Narrow Stairs</span>, Atlantic):</b> The five-minute instrumental buildup to the meat of the song is somewhere between dancing about architecture and wordless poetry; it’s the sort of thing the Beatles might’ve done.<br /><br /><b>Randy Newman, “Losing You” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Harps and Angels</span>, Nonesuch):</b> A string-drenched ballad from the old master as gorgeous as it is sad, this song is right up there with “Marie” from Good Ol’ Boys—meaning as good as it gets.<br /><br /><b>Ray LaMontagne, “I Still Care for You” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Gossip in the Grain</span>, RCA):</b> The bearded one carries along the existential emptiness of “Losing You” as if Newman had handed off to him during a pickup football game. The track’s dark beauty is deepened by the arrangement and drumming of producer/collaborator Ethan Johns that culminates in a synth wash as hopeless as Cormac McCarthy’s <span style="font-style: italic;">The Road</span>.<br /><br /><b>Radiohead, “House of Cards” (from the live-in-studio DVD <span style="font-style: italic;">From the Basement</span>, TBD/ATO):</b> Practically a singer/songwriter-ish solo perf by Thom Yorke, who coaxes a ton of mood out of his acoustic. The very definition of haunting.<br /><br /><b>Pictures and Sound, “It’s You” (from <span style="font-style: italic;">Pictures and Sound</span>, Vanguard):</b> I first heard this in the car as I was turning onto my street on the way back from buying my wife’s birthday present, and its clear-eyed tenderness captivated me. When Luke Reynolds sings the hook, “It’s you I love, not just the thought of you,” I can’t help but sing along every time while pondering the implications of the notion at the same time. This is something rare—a truly original love song.Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-78058653991199298902008-11-05T07:47:00.000-08:002008-11-05T07:52:31.236-08:00AHEAD OF THE CURVE: TWEEDY ON OBAMA, 9/05<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDtPF9LVLJfwFw8j1edsCahyphenhyphenRvgCBCHZvdfOPWL8EzGJXfzhHKe_33LuRiNBLPHOISJvc9_HOv73ynfQc1wf7EBgY3uD6EglOphvI6vsxpM9McfTz1DhXLMQOfujuBzIh1zyVbt8uL92c/s1600-h/Tweedy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 118px; height: 89px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDtPF9LVLJfwFw8j1edsCahyphenhyphenRvgCBCHZvdfOPWL8EzGJXfzhHKe_33LuRiNBLPHOISJvc9_HOv73ynfQc1wf7EBgY3uD6EglOphvI6vsxpM9McfTz1DhXLMQOfujuBzIh1zyVbt8uL92c/s200/Tweedy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265201569068487938" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I first posted the following in February, but the occasion demands that I pull it out of the archives and put it up again. What an amazing moment this is.</span><br /><br />This is shaping up to be one of those memorable years—and I’m not just referring to how brilliantly the <strong>Lakers</strong> have been playing since the trade for <strong>Pau Gasol</strong>. What I’m referring to is the <strong>Barack Obama</strong> phenomenon, which is unlike anything in my experience since the decade of the <strong>Kennedys</strong>,<strong> Beatles</strong>, <strong>Dylan</strong> and <strong>Muhammad Ali</strong>; it’s enough to restore hope to a nation of hardened cynics.<br /><br />That got me to thinking about the first individual I came across who was aglow with the Barack effect—<strong>Jeff Tweedy</strong> of <strong>Wilco</strong>. The following is an unpublished exchange from a phone conversation that took place in September of 2005:<br /><br /><strong>We’re living in an age where it’s hard not to be cynical. It’s insane not to be cynical, actually.<br /></strong>I kind of disagree with that. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and it certainly does feel like it’s hard not to be cynical. But I think what we’re experiencing is the worst kind of fucking cynicism that there is. You could not have a more cynical philosophy than the people that are running this country. And what’s so cynical about it is they’re asking everybody to give up completely on the notion that the future could be better. And because of that, everybody is scared to death, trying to do everything they possibly can to hang on to the way things were. I just don’t think you can motivate people to do anything other than destroy when they’re terrified of the future. If there was a lack of cynicism; if you could combat that cynicism with something like… At one point, we were all kind of working towards helping feed the poor, for example. I know I’m sounding totally naïve, but this is a mass movement that we’re witnessing, and it’s a mass movement of people that are fucking scared to death about the future being worse than it is now. Other movements in our time have been based on thinking that the future could be fucking great, and generally those movements have done a lot more good, even though they could definitely use some perspective as well.<br /><br />I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to start lecturing. But if people could find something that could give them some kind of hope that you could make it better, if you really ask people to start thinking in a really concerted way about conservation and [the idea] that the children’s future could actually be really bright, I think you’d have a lot more people willing to vote for people like…you know, Obama. I got to meet him not too long ago; he introduced us at Farm Aid. It’s pretty hard not to wanna hang on desperately to someone like that as a life raft. Please save us [laughs].<br /><br /><strong>He definitely has a lot of character, and it comes across as impeccable.<br /></strong>He was great. He was really kind of normal and fun to hang out with, and at the same time very, very sharp.<br /><br /><strong>We need somebody very sharp at this point.<br /></strong>Like a razor.Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-28710296665055730742008-10-05T14:28:00.001-07:002008-10-05T14:28:39.444-07:00Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-48287802599466828082008-10-05T14:10:00.000-07:002008-10-05T14:35:21.403-07:00IT'S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidrpcOczwHDX-_ft9TyRkGCklIBKcibr0PX_3G3rRSoLP80ZlbNjw2Zn0K9iqVjnKHKYxclVxjYn-tUb7suOaZjwGceh8DCYY0yPeWkTdSkp5w0Vyr_3hcXWY2VLyz1zUhzTTngcdIR5I/s1600-h/Gift+of+Screws.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253784603231736706" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidrpcOczwHDX-_ft9TyRkGCklIBKcibr0PX_3G3rRSoLP80ZlbNjw2Zn0K9iqVjnKHKYxclVxjYn-tUb7suOaZjwGceh8DCYY0yPeWkTdSkp5w0Vyr_3hcXWY2VLyz1zUhzTTngcdIR5I/s200/Gift+of+Screws.jpg" border="0" /></a><em>Uncut </em>magazine put out the call to contributors for our top 10s of 2008. Here's what my lists of best (or favorite) albums, singles and reissues look like as of early October. I fudged on certain really good albums I haven't yet spent enough time with (like Lindsey Buckingham's latest) by putting key tracks in my singles list. Below those lists are a pair of top 10 LP lists from 1972, which I just discovered in a trunk in my garage.<br /><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>ALBUMS<br /></strong>1. Pictures and Sound, <em>Pictures and Sound</em> (Vanguard)<br />2. Kings of Leon, <em>Only by the Night</em> (RCA)<br />3. Teddy Thompson, <em>A Piece of What You Need</em> (Decca)<br />4. Mudcrutch, <em>Mudcrutch</em> (Reprise)<br />5. My Morning Jacket, <em>Evil Urges</em> (ATO)<br />6. Randy Newman, <em>Harps and Angels</em> (Nonesuch)<br />7. Explorers Club, <em>Freedom Wind</em> (Dead Oceans)<br />8. Beck, <em>Modern Guilt</em> (DGC)<br />9. Ray LaMontagne, <em>Gossip in the Grain</em> (RCA)<br />10. TV on the Radio, <em>Dear Science</em> (Interscope)<br /><br /><strong>TRACKS (listed alphabetically)<br /></strong>Lindsey Buckingham, “The Right Place to Fade” (Reprise)<br />Robin Danar w/Jesca Hoop, “Yell” (Shanachie)<br />Death Cab for Cutie, “I Will Possess Your Heart” (Atlantic)<br />Elbow, “Grounds for Divorce” (Fiction/Geffen)<br />Fleet Foxes, “Ragged Wood” (Sub Pop)<br />Aimee Mann, “Freeway” (SuperEgo)<br />Pictures and Sound, “100 Directions” (Vanguard)<br />The Raconteurs, “Old Enough” (Third Man/WB)<br />Matthew Sweet, “Byrdgirl” (Shout! Factory)<br />Lucinda Williams, “Real Love” (Lost Highway)<br /><br /><strong>REISSUES (listed alphabetically)<br /></strong>Blue Ash, <em>No More, No Less</em> (Collectors Choice/UMe)<br />Creedence Clearwater Revival, 40th Anniversary reissues (Fantasy/Concord)<br />The Doors, <em>Live in Pittsburgh 1970</em> (DMC/Bright Midnight/Rhino)<br />Elton John, <em>Tumbleweed Connection</em> (UMe)<br />Little Richard, <em>The Very Best Of…</em> (Specialty/Concord)<br />Nick Lowe, <em>Jesus of Cool</em> (Yep Roc)<br /><em>Old Records Never Die: The Mott the Hoople/Ian Hunter Anthology</em> (Shout! Factory)<br />Otis Redding, Otis Blue/<em>Otis Redding Sings Soul</em> (ATCO/Rhino)<br />Ike & Tina Turner, <em>Sing the Blues</em> (Acrobat Music)<br />Dennis Wilson, <em>Pacific Ocean Blue</em> (Columbia/Legacy)<br /><br /><br /><strong>The 1972 Top 10 I submitted to <em>Fusion</em> mag:</strong><br />Jackson Browne, <em>Jackson Browne</em></div><div>Rod Stewart, <em>Never a Dull Moment</em></div><div>Mott The Hoople, <em>All theYoung Dudes</em></div><div>Little Feat, <em>Sailin’ Shoes<br /></em>Jesse Winchester, <em>Jesse Winchester<br /></em>The Eagles, <em>The Eagles</em><br />David Bowie, <em>The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars</em><br />The Rolling Stones, <em>Exile on Main Street</em></div><div>Flying Burrito Brothers, <em>The Last of the Red Hot Burritos<br /></em>Brinsley Schwarz, <em>Silver Pistol</em>/<em>Nervous on the Road<br /></em><br /><strong>The 1972 top 10 of the late, great Paul Nelson:</strong><br />The Rolling Stones, <em>Exile on Main Street</em><br />Jackson Browne, <em>Jackson Browne</em><br />Rod Stewart, <em>Never a Dull Moment</em><br />Mott The Hoople, <em>All theYoung Dudes<br /></em>Randy Newman, <em>Sail Away</em><br />Steve Young, <em>Seven Bridges Road<br /></em>John Fahey, <em>Of Rivers and Religion<br /></em>David Bowie, <em>The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars<br /></em>The Kinks, <em>Everybody’s in Showbiz<br /></em>Wilderness Road, <em>Wilderness Road<br /></em></div>Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-28134830585076262132008-09-14T10:39:00.000-07:002008-09-14T10:50:34.196-07:00BECK STOPS KIDDING AROUND<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBlyHaGEWLUtR7Zisx4r8P4MWcpBC9VJ2AbNQDYiSNIum6NFcci96_ZYSA3KJCWsz1zPguE4R8QVwJpx6SsI7x5rXgPv9oPvXmnNvRL9lSg_rtiil477CVjch8CH4MqRkfSSYH6ky0Yo/s1600-h/modern+guilt+cover.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245935767154118306" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBlyHaGEWLUtR7Zisx4r8P4MWcpBC9VJ2AbNQDYiSNIum6NFcci96_ZYSA3KJCWsz1zPguE4R8QVwJpx6SsI7x5rXgPv9oPvXmnNvRL9lSg_rtiil477CVjch8CH4MqRkfSSYH6ky0Yo/s200/modern+guilt+cover.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8f_spAgKW2j7YsLrdkgH1XqARfbAPXLwgxXgDbLRaYgZxbS_6c7UGmFxWPCA4vM-AvsOhaUCXwRKeW03_SgTh0sfV0nVcv_bURi4Mv8c3igHywTvO5Yw4hHSYjTAML0251c-oCU8udg/s1600-h/modern+guilt+cover.jpg"></a><strong>Beck<br /></strong><em>Modern Guilt<br /></em>DGC<br /><br /><em>Modern Guilt</em> is Beck Hansen’s fourth album of this decade, following his exquisite 2002 breakup album <em>Sea Change</em>, 2005’s scintillating, hook- and groove-packed <em>Guero</em>—my nominee for the quintessential modern-day SoCal album—and the spotty <em>The Information</em> in 2006. Although the most recent LP yielded a pair of grabbers in “I Think I’m in Love” and “Cellphone’s Dead,” even hard-core fans were forced to acknowledge that it just wasn’t “sticky,” like Beck’s best work, which has always hit above the neck and below the waist with equal force.<br /><br />If <em>The Information</em> failed to stick, the new album is even more resistant to an easy embrace—but the fact that it plays hard to get doesn’t mean it isn’t beguiling in its rhythmic, textural and time-traveling adventurousness. <em>Modern Guilt</em> is Beck’s first collaboration with Danger Mouse (a.k.a. Brian Burton), a restless, iconoclastic sonic architect who somehow managed to sculpt two of the stickiest smashes of the ’00s in the Gorillaz’ “Feel Good Inc.” and Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy.” While you’ll find nothing that accessible here, there’s a universe of intriguing detail—though grasping it at any given moment proves to be as tricky as catching a hummingbird with your bare hands.<br /><br />One way of looking at the album is as a postmillennial, postmodern refraction of ’60s acid rock, in which the sounds have been so radically treated that there’s no longer more than a fleeting hint of discernible instrumentation. The psychedelic flavor extends to the elliptically metaphysical lyrics, buried deep in Danger Mouse’s mixes so that Beck’s vocals are part of the wash rather than central features (this is one album for which the printed lyrics are essential). This record is a sort of Zen riddle in that the harder you try to absorb it, the more it resists. Better to follow the lead of the original acid-rock crowd—get your consciousness into a more receptive space and let it seep in through the pores.<br /><br />These 10 tracks are sci-fi soundscapes disguised as retro pop songs…or the other way around…or both at the same time. It’s like Bowie’s Major Tom took them into space with him 40 years ago and has just transmitted them back to earth, now barely recognizable artifacts after being warped by the space-time continuum.<br /><br />From the first line of the opening “Orphans”—“I think I’m stranded but I don’t know where”—punctuated by a mutation of the Phil Spector Wall-of-Sound drum beat, it’s apparent that Beck has something weighing heavily on him, as a Byrds-y guitar and Beach Boys-style oohs shimmer in the distance, like memories of better times. “Gamma Ray” harnesses a vintage go-go beat and surf guitar to a futuristic fable in which icecaps are melting, “the heatwave’s calling your name” and the Chevrolet terraplane is the preferred form of conveyance. The eerie “Chemtrails” sets off teeming post-apocalyptic imagery against symphonic-rock pomp on the order of the Moody Blues’ <em>Days of Future Passed</em>, exploding at midpoint into hallucinatory grandeur a la <em>Revolver</em>’s “Tomorrow Never Knows,” complete with a burbling, McCartney-esque bass pattern from Jason Falkner and Ringo-style drum fills from Joey Waronker, as Beck envisions climbing “in a hole in the sky.” “Modern Guilt,” in which he confesses hopelessly, “I don’t know what I’ve done but I feel ashamed,” appropriates and soups up the shuffle beat of the Turtles’ “Happy Together” and the descending bass pattern of the Doors’ “People Are Strange,” before giving way to the punchy “Youthless,” with Larry Corbett’s cello doubling Matt Mahaffey’s bass line while Danger Mouse’s synth bleeps like C3-PO.<br /><br />This is an elusive, rigorously avant-garde piece of work that seems to exist in constant flux, like an aural kaleidoscope, its rhythmic, melodic and harmonic elements seeming to move independently of each other—so much so that when a conventional rock backbeat and overdriven guitar riff finally appear on the next-to-last track “Profanity Prayers,” it’s a relief—even more so when a strummed acoustic and a George Harrison-style slide guitar make a brief appearance near the song’s end.<br /><br />The closing “Volcano” returns to the panoramic balladry of <em>Sea Change</em>, offering what passes for a coherent summing up of the album’s accumulated unease, as Beck, whose vocal for the first time is placed front and center, muses: “I don’t know if it’s my illusions that keep me alive… I’m tired of evil and all that it feeds, but I don’t know / I’ve been drifting on this wave so long / I don’t know if it’s already crashed on the shore…” In all, he utters the words “I don’t know” seven times, along with an “I can’t tell,” before turning his questioning mind to “the Japanese girl who jumped into the volcano / Was she trying to make it back to the womb of the world?” For him, the volcano beckons only because he wants “to warm my bones on that fire a while,” as the album cycles from capturing the zeitgeist with unsettling vividness to pondering the universal imponderables.<br /><br />A master of Dylanesque free association, Beck has never been more purposeful or theme-serving in his expression, as if the verbal playfulness of his past writing is no longer enough. On <em>Modern Guilt</em>, he’s getting at the grinding sense of uncertainty that we all carry with us in these freaky times—frequently through the prism of freaky times past—as what we believed to be the most permanent of edifices crumble around us, one after another, along with the protections and reassurances they offered. <em>Modern Guilt</em> is the sound of life being lived as things fall apart.<br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>(This review originally appeared on <a href="http://www.sonicboomers.com/">http://www.sonicboomers.com/</a>.)</div></div>Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3932782802072541088.post-18330786395180628572008-09-12T11:19:00.000-07:002008-09-12T15:51:10.975-07:00SHE WENT THATAWAY<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245201562707600818" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEG2ga1k9upAQYP7kyDc_dEOwpa9gDTXKSGoPWKtAOg25qmqbXx07ybW5CKbbj5WxnJDM7MzM6hLt5VN1nLHTOhXrFerLLlsKQ5PcGPYhi9sw_yHf1h7re5vIElJPSvuL4-3XgnwrQcCk/s320/Essie+back.jpg" border="0" /><br />Two weeks ago, our fave spinning instructor <strong>Essie Shure</strong> (see posts from 9/28/07 and 5/26/08 below) made the move to Blacksburg, Va. While we wish her the best, it's a major drag for us regular spinners at the Sports Center in Toluca Lake, because no other trainer played better music or maintained a more infectious sense of groove. Because I'd been putting together spin compilations for her to use since 2003, it seemed fitting to make one for her crosscountry drive. Here's what I came up with...<br /><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br /><strong><em>AUTUMN SWEATER</em></strong><br /><strong>For Essie, August 31, 2008</strong><br />1. "Free Fallin'," <strong>John Mayer </strong>(4:24)<br />2. "Big Screen," <strong>Pictures And Sound </strong>(4:10)<br />3. "Strange Overtones," <strong>David Byrne & Brian Eno </strong>(4:18)<br />4. "Chicago," <strong>Sufjan Stevens </strong>(6:05)<br />5. "House of Cards," <strong>Radiohead </strong>(5:28)<br />6. "All I Got Is Me," <strong>Spoon </strong>(3:26)<br />7. "Message to My Girl," <strong>Split Enz </strong>(4:02)<br />8. "Real Love," <strong>Lucinda Williams </strong>(3:45)<br />9. "You Are the Best Thing," <strong>Ray Lamontagne </strong>(3:55)<br />10. "Two Ways Out," <strong>Darker My Love </strong>(3:23)<br />11. "The Youth," <strong>Pictures And Sound </strong>(4:12)<br />12. "Via Chicago," <strong>Wilco </strong>(5:34)<br />13. "Float On," <strong>Ben Lee </strong>(4:08)<br />14. "Safe Distance," <strong>The Explorers Club </strong>(2:07)<br />15. "Everything in Its Right Place," Radiohead (4:11)<br />16. "We Can Work It Out," <strong>The Beatles </strong>(2:16)<br />17. "A Falling Through," Ray LaMontagne (4:28)<br />18. "Autumn Sweater," <strong>Yo La Tengo </strong>(5:18)<br />19. "Surf's Up," <strong>The Beach Boys </strong>(4:12)<br /><br />Just got this <strong>Facebook</strong> Wall to Wall note, which is precisely the sort of response that has made the day of mixtape compilers since the invention of the audiocassette basck in the previous century:<br /><br />BUUUUD!!<br />Firstly, I really can't thank you enough for the travel cd you made for me. I'm kinda embarrassed to admit this, but I got teary-eyed on a couple of them ("Free Fallin'" got me good)... & that little inconspicuous "we'll keep a seat warm for you, Ess" note on the cover was quite nice. Pictures And Sound, awesome!...<br />thank you, thank you :D<br />I really do miss you guys. I'm gonna miss showing up to teach, greeted w/a fresh new set of tunes placed on my handlebars... (sigh) <: \ Please tell Peg "hello" from me."<br /><br />Recommended reading: <strong>Rob Sheffield</strong>, <em>Love Is a Mix Tape </em>(Three Rivers Press, 2007)Bud Scoppahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324502337040746493noreply@blogger.com1