Random (sometimes second) Thoughts on Music from the Road

Thanks to a recent purchasing binge and a great big ole stack of discs that Wobs dropped on me right before vacation, there was quite a bit of new music listening--or I should say listening to music that was new to me and some of it was actually new. So here are a few random thoughts on those discs (although truth be told I didn't get to all of them--I mean really you have to know that someone who goes to the same place for vacation each summer isn't in all that an experimental mood when he hits the road for a summer break!).

• John Mayer Okay, so I already wrote about On Any Given Thursday and some of you pointed out that all the entertainment/gossip reporting about JM might get in the way of appreciating his music--and indeed it did seem that for the two weeks after I picked up the disc, I saw pictures of this in every mag rack I passed (do I get points for not naming names and posting a picture in a shameless attempt to drive traffic to my site?). Now I am sure that there are hipsters out there who will be just too cool for this album given his pop status (since all things pop are, well, not hip), but I am going to stick by this pick, although I am not sure it means I am going to go out and buy a bunch of his studio albums.
• Fleet Foxes This one was on my list to get from the first review I read and after hearing the cut "Mykonos" which leads off the Mixwit comp over there on the right (although it is from an earlier EP and not on this first full album). Critics have pretty universally talked-up this album and as I noted earlier, the comparisons to CSN abound. But I gotta say, I am not quite there. It is a decent first album--decent. There is some fine singing and wonderful harmonies (sometimes more Beach Boys than CSN) and the lead, Robin Pecknold, has a really strong voice. But as an album--despite having listened to it a lot (and noting Neats' eyeroll each time) I just haven't been as impressed as some. The songs weren't consistently strong, the mix seemed a bit foggy to me somehow, and it didn't make me want to play it until the grooves were gone. I could see checking out another effort from them as they clearly have lots of talent, but this would get one of those 3 and 1/2 out of 5 ratings for me making one wonder if it was more 4 or more 3. I will let you be the judge.
• Loose Fur Stripped down Wilco credited with leading to a line-up change and new sound for Wilco heading into their fourth album. Any Wilco fan is going to dig this album, Born Again in the USA, but the question for me is if and where to start dipping into the Jim O'Rourke discography--the solo one, although feel free to educate me on his Sonic Youth stint as well. You can check out Loose Fur's "The Ruling Class" on the Mixwit comp as well.
• The Walkmen Okay so Wobs laid two of their discs on me, Bows and Arrows (which made me think of some amped up version of U2) and A Hundred Miles Off which I immediately liked more. I confess to not having listened to either carefully enough to comment critically, although I can't quite tell if they are one of those bands that are just a bit too something for me, or if I am eventually going to really like. I recently read a review of their new album You and Me over at Pitchfork where they noted: "You & Me isn't as hard or immediate as the band's earlier records, but that's not a complaint; its sound is coy, and invites you to spend time with it." Perhaps that will be the way with these guys for me.
  
• Bon Iver Lastly, as this seems to be going on, I never came back to Bon Iver after my first mention of this album and my hopes that it would be as strong as "Skinny Love" which is the first tune I heard--it is. I am not sure how to describe this meditative and yet edgy disc. The guitar sound (and work in many cases) is quite unique--the singing and lyrics are intriguing and the overall songs are wonderful (and yes it does somehow sound composed by a guy in a cabin in winter). Many have commented on the strength of this album, so I won't go on, but here is one observation that might not have shown up anywhere and that is about how many of the songs end. They seem to come undone, to disassemble--as if the song is so constructed, so tightly constructed, that he just can't hold it together and it all falls apart in some clanky chaos--and somehow that fits just perfectly with this album for me.

Okay, so that is enough for now--meant to comment on the new Beck, but I think I will leave that for another post. And just a heads up--the nights are beginning to have that autumnal feeling to them, so you can imagine to see a slight shift into more posts about jazz here. It will be interesting to see how genre specific folks are in their listening habits!

Nothing Says "Vote For Me" Like . . .

I already noted John Mellencamp's request of the McCain campaign regarding their use of his tunes on the campaign trail. Now it appears that someone has stepped in to fill the void and provide "The Maverick" with his own custom rally tune.

So let's open up the blog lines here and see what people think about campaign tunes. Best campaign tunes from the past? If you could pick a campaign tune for Obama or McCain (or your candidate), what would it be?

Open Thread: You Spin Me Right Round

Okay, so we have veered into this topic a couple of times already in the comment threads here at The TR, but lets see if anyone is around enough to engage this open thread.

Is vinyl making a comeback?

Payton has more details, but I am cynical/futuristic on this topic and hope for a new medium where we get the benefits of digital music and the quality of vinyl. I also think this is more generational than anything--says the older guy with the vinyl bias.

What do you all think or hope or argue?

Growing Up with Joe and John: Part II

So as I pointed out in Part I, I grew up (for part of my life) with Joe Jackson--that is, I bought album after album as they came out at different moments in my high school and college years (they went on for a while), but now I seem to have lost a bit of my enthusiasm for JJ. It is as if my attachment to his music seems to have been completely bound by the time that I was experiencing and loving his music. And I wonder about whether or not that has to do with the fact that while his music has shifted some over time, it has always been a kind of art school, cultural criticism of a sort rather than developing with him/me through time.

This question really came to me, not just because of JJ's new release, but because I got it at the same time as I got John Mellencamp's new disc: Life, Death, Love and Freedom. Here is the deal. Unlike JJ, I have not owned many Mellencamp albums, but the ones I do own seem to match my attitude and place in life. Let's look at my bookend albums as examples.

The first album I owned, was the silly-covered 1983 release Uh-Huh which, of course, included the smash hit, "Pink Houses" as well as "The Authority Song." But it was "Play Guitar" on the B-side that I was attracted to as a just graduated from high-school, guitar-playing wanna be singer-songwriter (I also loved how it followed "Jackie-O"). What 18-year old (insecure skinny white guy) wouldn't be attracted to lyrics like these (with some rockin' guitar of course)?

All women around the world want a phony rock star
Who plays guitar
You can pump your iron and shine your shoes
And wear your hair just right
You go down out on cruisin' street
'Cause you want to score tonight
Ra da ra da ra da
And you really want to show your scars
Forget all about that macho shit
And learn how to play guitar

Fast forward 25 years (yes, people, 25 years!) and we find Mellencamp releasing this T-Bone Burnett produced reflection on life that sounds more like John Prine than Johnny Cougar. The album opens with this uplifting verse:

It seems like once upon a time ago
I was where I was supposed to be
My vision was true and my heart was too
There was no end to what I could dream
I walked like a hero into the setting sun
Everyone called out my name
Death to me was just a mystery
I was too busy raisin up Cain

Now I am not saying that I am currently obsessing about death or having some mid-life angst (been there done that), but Cougar's reflection on life on this album does speak to me--in ways I suspect it would not have so many years ago--but in that same way that Uh-huh did when I was 18. It makes me want to go back and buy random Mellencamp albums and see if they reflect my attitudes at those times, but I doubt that would work. Still, it is interesting to me that Mellencamp's music has developed pretty much over the time that I was a serious music-listener. There aren't many artists that hang on that long in any relevant way and fit so neatly into this period of my life. So I am pretty sure I will be revisiting and exploring a few more of his offerings that I don't have--and recommendations are welcome.

As for the most recent album, if you have got the implication in this post, it gets a hardy thumbs-up from me, but you need to be in a mood to listen. It is dark (I think Rolling Stone referred to it as "American Gothic"). Mellencamp considers death from many an angle, laments the lack of freedom in this country as much as celebrates it, and, as usual, paints important landscapes of his America. I think there is always a temptation to think of Mellencamp's songs as simplistic (made for Republican presidential campaigns and Chevy commercials), but I am going to bet that many will go down as important reflections on our culture and country. And finally, while I am starting to wonder if T Bone Burnett is working to get his picture in the dictionary next to the word "ubiquitous," the music and production on this album are wonderful and set a perfect context for the lyrics.

Here is a slightly more upbeat live version of "If I Die Sudden."

Let's Talk Mr. Louris and The Jayhawks

The new Gary Louris disc Vagabonds is wonderful, as many critics point out. Great acoustic album with a church-like feel thanks to the "choir" of sorts behind him. Thoughtful quiet lyrics on many tunes but not sappy. Lots of comparisons made to CSN&Y in the reviews, although I am not so sure that is what it makes me think of--although I don't have a better one to offer up . . .oh, just go buy it.

But first let's hear what you all have to say about those Jayhawks from whence Mr. Louris comes. What ya'll think--best effort? favorite effort? duds to avoid? And is this just one more reason we should all really just go get some Golden Smog?

And while you ponder, here is a title-track-treat from Vagabonds.

The 50 Best (and Worst?)

I am off to the big work gig in the Windy City (link for Dave) and won’t return for what will feel like an eternity, but, in fact, will be only five days. So for your entertainment, I give you the (Boston) Phoenix’s July 4^th list of Best Band Ever/Best Solo Artist/Best New Band by state.

Please agree with, argue about, and append.

Taking on such an enterprise is bound to lead to disagreements—I mean really, can you pick Prince or Dylan for Minnesota? An apple and an orange, no? And since you don’t have to, why do it? Cuz it is a fun exercise people! So let’s hear what you think they got right and what they got wrong.

And for an alternative extra credit assignment, I would like to challenge folks to come up with the worst band and worst artist for a state (perhaps yours?)—now that is fun!

Open Thread: REM

What say you?

1. Acquire?
2. At least borrow it?
3. Not the worth the time?

(and I guess I should admit this one is a "1" in my book)