Anarchy in the U.K.-Copycat (Sex Pistols cover)
Staying Alive (Bee Gees cover)-Anastacia
Tags: Picture of the day
I loves me some overly melodramatic folk. Sometimes. I also loved Harold and Maude. One of the greatest movies ever about what everyone who listens to Cat Stevens wants to do: Attempt suicide.
2. Trouble-Pearl Jam. An Eddie Vedder emoting twofer!
3. Here Comes My Baby-Yo La Tengo. From their fabulous “Fakebook” album.
4. Father and Son-Leigh Nash. When I was in college, I was listening to this song over and over. I was massively depressed, and I couldn’t figure out where he “had to go” to. My roommate came in and saw me sitting in the dark hitting rewind on the tape deck, and I asked him: “Where is this guy going?” My sadistic and dry roommate pondered for a few moments, and then said: “He’s going to die.” I don’t think he’s right anymore, but at the time death seemed like a great idea. OH! The joys of heroin!
5. If You Want To Sing Out-Ghost Mice. A very strange singalong.
6. Trouble-Kristin Hersh (of Throwing Muses). I loved loved loved! this band! And Kristin’s solo work is nothing to sneeze at, either.
7. Mr. Brownstone (Guns N’ Roses) & Crazy Train (Ozzy Osbourne) & The Wind (Cat Stevens)-Tenacious D. Jack Black singing Cat.
8. Trouble-Elliot Smith. The only singer/songwriter MORE depressing than Cat!
9. Plastic Jesus/Where Do the Children Play-Jack Johnson
10. Peace Train-Gary Jules. Remember how Gary turned Tears For Fears’ funeral dirge “Mad World” into a slow-burning, mystical somewhat-less-depressing pop song that instead of making you want to die, it just made you want to hit yourself in the face with a shovel? (See the soundtrack to Donnie Darko.) Well, now he takes the most optimistic, upbeat Cat Stevens chant and turns it into a slow-burning, mystical somewhat-less-depressing pop song that instead of making you want to die, it just made you want to hit yourself in the face with a shovel. Great job!
11. Wild World-Matt Nathanson.
Tags: Covers
Instrumental albums are hard to pull off. When I heard that Andrew Bird’s next project would be all music, no singing, I was shocked (and disappointed). I never find myself turning to instrumental records. And as for jazz . . . Well, let’s just say others enjoy it a lot more than I do. So the prospect of reviewing Jazz musician Marco Benevento’s new album wasn’t exactly enticing. But I did my duty, and I have to admit: It’s damn good.
Part of what makes the album work is that it’s full of covers.
The originals are as good as the covers; he interprets songs by My Morning Jacket, Leonard Cohen and Led Zeppelin, giving each a flavor unheard in the original. Most of the songs are piano-driven, but the percussion is surprisingly good as well. I say surprising because I understand it’s mostly machines.
Each song on the record is remarkably different. Lead track “Golden” (a My Morning Jacket cover) is fast, experimental indie pop, anchored by a piano playing the somewhat-familiar melody of the original. I bet most folks won’t even recognize it at first, but by the time the drums take over and the songs implodes, you’ll be saying, “Wow!” Other familiar tunes include Led Zeppelin’s “Friends,” a heavy instrumental, and “Seems So Long Ago, Nancy” by Leonard Cohen, but he also tackles lesser-known songs like Heartbeats (The Knife), Sing It Again (Beck), and Run Of The Mill (George Harrison). Even the originals are good. “Mephisto” is jazzy, while “Now They’re Writing Music” is fantastic indie rock that cries for lyrics.
Best of all, the promotions department actually got it right this time, picking for the single, “Twin Killers,” (a Deerhoof cover) that is most definitely one of the strongest songs on this very good record. It gets my highest recommendation.
Tour dates:
February 2 / Don Quixote’s International Music Hall / Felton, CA
February 3 / Yoshi’s / Oakland, CA
February 5 / The Triple Door / Seattle, WA
February 6 / Axe & Fiddle / Cottage Grove, OR
February 7 / The Goodfoot / Portland, OR
February 10 / Yoshi’s / Oakland, CA
February 11 / Largo / Los Angeles, CA (w/ Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey)
February 17 / Yoshi’s / Oakland, CA
February 24 / Yoshi’s / Oakland, CA
March 7 / The Bell House / Brooklyn, NY
One of my all-time favorite boots. Fogerty puts on a phenomenal live show, and this night, an AIDS benefit in Oakland, CA, was no exception. But he was joined by the unusually un-noodly Jerry Garcia, Jerry’s boyfriend Bobby, and local resident, the saxy big man Clarence. Fantastic show. A few tastes and a zip . . . And drop a comment if you’re grateful, for God’s sake!
Set List:
01 Born On The Bayou.
02 Green River
03 Down on the Corner
04 Rock And Roll Girls
05 Centerfield
06 Proud Mary
07 Midnight Special
08 Bad Moon Rising
09 Fortunate Son
10 Suzy Q
11 Long Tall Sally
ZIP!
Tags: Bootleg, Grateful Dead
like about half of what The New Pornographers put out, and about a quarter of Neko Case’s solo work. So in 2004, when A.C. Newman released his solo debut, The Slow Wonder, I wasn’t all that excited. But when I heard it, I realized that, like Kurt Cobain and (to a lesser extent) George Harrison, Newman was the most underrated member of a supergroup with an overrated front man. It was a wonderful record.
Then, nothing.
Now, five years later, A.C. Newman has returned with Get Guilty, and he hasn’t fallen prey to the Sophmore slump. The best songs here will instantly recall the best of the New Pornographers; songs like “Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer” and “The Palace At 4 A.M.” have obscure lyrics and themes and name-drop stuff you only learn about if you have an affair with a college professor, but at the same time the songs sport instantly familiar refrains, so you find yourself singing along to lyrics you don’t understand. The more experimental, pschyopop western, “The Heartbreak Rides For Free” is fascinating, and succeeds where most stuff like this comes off sterile and unapproachable.
There’s very little here that will move you, but I don’t say that in a critical way. Newman doesn’t make intimate songs, he doesn’t make ballads, he doesn’t try to reach his listeners on an emotional level. This is pop, pure and clear, but also smart, quirky, and never boring. And, on occasion, even beautiful. The harmonies on the almost-accappella “Young Atlantis” recall Donovan’s airy whimsy—the kind of music that makes you feel high, even when you’re stone sober.
Coming from Matador in January 2009.
Cali rapper Tunji, who goes by “Inverse,” wants you to hear the new EP, “So True,” so badly that he’s giving it away! It’s a very laid back record, as you might guess from the roster of producers and guests. Here’s the tracklist:
1. Rise and Shine [produced by Cook Classics]
2. So True feat. Deacon (of CunninLynguists) [produced by Decapbeats]
3. SunnyCalifornia Part 2 [produced by Adam Berg & Cook Classics]
4. Spark My Soul feat. Substantial [produced by Kno]
5. Beautiful City [produced by Cook Classics]
6. Goodnight Goodnight [produced by Kno]
I’m not familiar with Inverse, but this EP is impressive. So laid back it’s practically horizontal, the key track is “So True,” which features Deacon of Cunnylinguists. It has a smooth ‘90s West Coast flow with a hook that’s straight up Nate Dogg, but the fade out has scratching, which you’ll never hear on a Dr. Dre production. The mix of styles works well—it’s radio ready, hot and buttery. “Rise and Shine” is another really hot track that sounds like a single, with a gentle R&B hook behind the hook: “Something like a day like this makes me wanna raise my fist!” Another interesting juxtaposition. “Rise and Shine” is lyrically the best song on the record, hands down. I don’t think anything else here will blow you away, but it should still satisfy. Great for a drive, good for a session on the couch with a lady, and a solid, promising EP.
Try So True.
Full EP (link one)
Ah, regret. That most bitterestest of pills. That which consists of commenters saying, “You asshole! You forgot ____!” or the more polite, “Excuse me, dear blogger, but you forgot _____. You asshole.” Or even of me, alone at night with a shuffle and a pair of ears, silently sobbing, “Oh, dear God. I forgot ____. I’m such an asshole.”
My best of 2008 post is here. Below are six records you won’t find on it, but probably should have, listed in order of “D’oh!”
6. Introducing Gentleman Jesse-Gentleman Jesse. Simple, solid songs and the vocal quality to back them up.
5. “The Rustic Contemporary Sounds Of Anna Kramer & The Lost Cause”-Anna Kramer & The Lost Cause. Solid bar-room blues by a woman with a phenomenal voice. I found this album on emusic after the New Year, based on a recommendation from some blog I read but can’t remember. And boy was I grateful.
You Think You Know Me-Anna Kramer
4. “Can’t Forget”-Rukus. Available as a CD or digital download from CD Baby for just ten bucks, Rukus is the future of hip hop. From the Lupe/Kanye/Common school, this Houston emcee is simply extraordinary. He’s got great vocab, effortless flow, and deep content. Everything you need.
3. “Dent May and his Magnificent Ukulele and the Way Back Machine”-s/t. I reviewed this after I got my 2008 list together. So witty.
2. Parc Avenue-Plants and Animals. Simply astounding indie rock and pop, nearly as deep and powerful as Thao’s “We Brave Bee Stings and All.”
1. “Saint Dymphna”-Gang Gang Dance. How did I resist the magical wonderfulness that is the Brookyn-based Gang Gang Dance? Even when so many others were telling me how great it was? The answer is simple: I’m an asshole.
Honorable mention:
- Vic Chesnutt, Elf Power, and the Amorphous Strums, “Dark Developments.”
So, I’ve posted tributes to bands like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, and artists like Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen . . . Recognized greats. But what about the really lame artists, the one-hit-wonders, and the teeny poppers? I have to admit, I love ‘em just as much.
And you do, too. You hate to say it, but when Paula Abdul comes on, you don’t turn the dial. Just because it’s silly doesn’t mean it isn’t good. Just ask Eric Idle.
So, today marks the first Guilty Pleasure of the Day post. I hope to make this a semi-regular feature.
I [heart] Hanson. At least their first album. No joke, I thought it was one of the best pop debuts I’d ever heard.
Ahem.
