I got a bunch of new records recently.Some free online, some really cheap through the Amazon daily mp3 deals, some through emusic…here is my quick rundown.What do you all think of these?
(Warning: these reviews are not fair, not well thought out, and some of them I haven’t even heard all the way through…Enjoy!)
Grizzly Bear – Veckimewhatever
I don’t get it.It just sounds like all the joy comes from ‘experimentation’ but at the expense of a song or of even emotion.BUT I know a lot of folks like them and perhaps this will grown on me, I’m willing to keep trying.
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Beware
This one is great.The music can best be described as the surface of water in a large bowl that is slowly rocking back and forth.As the weight shifts from side to side so does the entire body of water, and you keep thinking it will spill over but it never does.Loose and fun and dark all at once.
Samantha Crain & The Midnight Shivers – Songs In The Night
Full disclosure she is my friend and gave this to me but the songs are great and so is the band.I would like to have heard a few extra bits of instrumentation like some piano or pedal steel but all in all a great listen.Vocals are the key to this one.
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Some very, very catchy songs.I see clips of them playing live though and I get BORED TO TEARS.Three dudes at a table bobbing their heads up and down?Well, maybe the music is good enough to save them, I don’t know.
Passion Pit – Manners
Some more very, very catchy songs.On first listen I’m thinking that they knocked it out of the park.On second and thirdlistens it comes down to the classic too-much-sugar-is-fun-at-first-but-not-later analogy.Again, we’ll see how it grows.
Phosphorescent – To Willie
Best record I’ve heard in a long time!Of course it has an unfair advantage of being all WILLIE NELSON SONGS.Still, the treatment is right.
Jay Bennett – Whatever Happened I Apologize
Found out about a free download for this after he passed away.All acoustic solo songs.Pretty good, it would be so much better with backing band.But I’m a ‘songs’ guy so I am by no means complaining.
Jeremy Enigk – OK Bear
Tough one.I’ve loved him and all his bands for so long.This feels like a big improvement over the last few records.Still could use that extra bit of darkness/wildness that Sunny Day Real Estate brought to the table.Here’s hoping for a reunion!
Bob Dylan – Together Through Life
This one is pure fun to me.Not amazing, but a heckuva good time.The accordion throughout is a plus I say (a lot of reviews seem to say otherwise).The accordion on the intro to “Feel A Change Comin’ On” reminds me of The Band’s treatment of “When I Paint My Masterpiece” and that’s a great thing.
Bruce Springsteen – Workin’ On A Dream
So hard for me.What can I say it’s not his greatest record ever.“My Lucky Day” is awesome.So is the title track.I can’t say I’ve had this one stuck in the CD player though.
Dark Was The Night – Various Artists Compilation
Another full disclosure, my good friend Ryan designed the cover, etc for this.My Brightest Diamond, Sufjan, Arcade Fire, and a handful of others were fantastic.As a whole it’s a tedious listen.Maybe if as background music it works better?
Wilco – Wilco (The Album (The Stream))
Such a range after two or three listens online.The first song is killer.The second is soo boring.The third (?) about the Bull Black Nova is killer.The one with Feist is boring.Ha!We’ll see…like with Bruce, it’s hard for me to be objective with these guys.
I had a strange dream last night.I was back in Inola, OK at my old high school in 2nd hour history.All the old classmates were there and we were still students in high school, but it was also simultaneously a reunion – you know how dreams are.Word had gotten around that I had started a band so I was chosen to lead our 2nd hour class in the GNR version of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” later that day at the pep assembly (?!?!?!).The mic was in the middle of the room, so I walked up to it and the song started over the speakers.Oh, and I was holding a donut, filled with the kind of strange and squishy meat you find in a dumpling sold on the street here in New York.So I started singing and these words came to me:
We had a rehearsal last night for our show on Saturday.It was an acoustic one since we don’t have
our loft/practice space anymore where we can get loud.It was cool to actually hear what everyone
was playing for once, made us sound purty good.
Missed seeing the Phillies win the World Series…dang I wanted
to watch that.
My hair is way too long, I’m having it cut today back to a
normal look.We’ll see what I end up
with.
blah blah blah blah
it’s these kind of posts that make me want to stop
updating.but I’m going to trudge
through.
whenever you begin a new exercise regimen its always hard to get over the initial bout of inertia. i've noticed the same thing with xanga. so today i'm going out of my way to make a post, and hopefully get back on track and to one day even be one tenth as good as tyler. we shall see.
last night jodi and i made taco salad for dinner and watched the charlie brown halloween christmas special. i made it with ground beef but no taco seasoning packet like i usually do...just with garlic and onion and cumin. came out purty good. then she fell asleep and i watched a 'cops' knockoff called 'jail'. one of the segments was filmed in tulsa, but i didn't see nathan or reese get picked up for lewd behaviour like i thought i might so that got boring.
back to tyler - he has so monopolized the xanga daily entry that i cannot help but think of ryan adams when i get on here. so lets talk ryan adams. how is the new album? should i buy it? i tend to look at current artists in a light of "how will this person be seen in thirty years?". i'm not proud of that and i actually think its detrimental to do so but i can't help it. although i enjoy a lot of ryan adams i can't help but think that he will be our generation's don henly. dunno if that's good or bad. 'boys of summer' is an awesome song but the djimbe version of 'hotel california' and all versions of 'desperado' send me climbing up the walls. i know ryan adams is nowhere near as popular. oh well i really do love his 'heartbreaker' album and that forgives him for any number of other mistakes he may have made.
sometimes i think everyone should stop making new albums if FREAKING LEGENDS like bob dylan, neil young and bruce are making albums that are still some of the best of their career. or maybe that is strong language, maybe people can keep making records but no one can buy or listen to them until everyone has listened to and digested what the LEGENDS still have to say. am i being ridiculous?
