Harps and Angels, Randy Newman - There’s a good chance that if you think you’re hip and you know who Randy Newman is, you’ve probably written him off as the piano guy who writes songs for movies. And there is some truth to what you’re thinking. He is after all a piano guy who does write songs for movies (most recently computer animated fare, such as Monster’s, Inc. and Cars). However, what you don’t factor into the equation is that the songs he writes for these films are good — amazing, actually.
Newman is the rare singer-songwriter who has the ability to do something completely mainstream and commercial without losing a bit of his street cred. And the only reason this is true is his unbelievable songwriting ability and lyrical wordplay.
On Harpsand Angels, Newman takes on America, culturally, spiritually and politically. In songs such as “A Few Words in Defense of our Country,” he wittily points out that we’ve become a fear-obsessed, torture-defending nation in a way that is condemnatious without being condescending. Later in that same song, he directly goes after the Supreme Court in a spoken-word-over-piano rant:
“You know, it pisses me off a little that this ole Supreme Court is gonna outlive me / A couple of Italian fellows and a brother on the Court now, too / But I defy you, anywhere in the world, to find me two Italians as tight-assed as the two Italians we did / And as for the brother, well, Pluto’s not a planet anymore either.”
The record is filled with New Orleans jazz inspired tunes which are clever, entertaining and occaisionally beautiful. Randy Newman is a gem. He is very successful but almost completely unknown outside of small circles of film and music fans. If you are a fan of smart, literate lyrics, you could do worse than to check out Harps and Angels.
Also, this record is my winner for the best album cover of the year. It’s brilliant in its simplicity.
Exposion, White Denim - When I first learned of this record, I read several reviews which called it minimalist blues rock in the garage rock vein of bands that are White and Black. I don’t really see that with this Texas trio, however. Certainly, there are bluesy elements to this music, but this would better be described as indie prog rock. No, not math rock, which I tend to hate (Battles, I’m looking in your direction), but straight up virtuostic composed rock played by complete slackers. It’s a lo-fi affair to be certain, but there is an immense amount of power in this weird music. This is the first record on the list that I don’t feel obligated to apologize for in some way, and it should definitely belong in your collection if you are a fan of adventurous music.
Also, from what I understand, White Denim puts on a live show that is not to be missed. So catch them if they come to your neighborhood.
The Raconteurs just re-recorded “Old Enough” from their most recent record Consolers of the Lonely with Ashley Monroe and bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs. There’s a video from the sessions below. Enjoy.
Evil Urges, My Morning Jacket - In late 2005, My Morning Jacket released a record, Z, that was truly amazing. I had enjoyed MMJ’s literate country rock in the past, but other than a few standout tracks, I really didn’t quite get them. Z changed everything. It was a major evolutionary step forward, and my mind was rightfully blown. There were still elements of the old MMJ, particularly the reverb-soaked vocals of frontman Jim James. But this record was different: hints of space rock, 60’s pop, Carribean beats, blue-eyed soul and electronic drum tones. And it was great. A sound evolution revolution. Needless to say, I had high hopes for Evil Urges, the studio follow-up to Z.
I was disappointed.
It’s funny, I’ve started my top 25 list with two records that let me down. Sometimes the great artists, the risk takers, do that. And without a doubt, Evil Urges is a letdown when compared to the sublime Z. The experimentation that takes place on this record is a little much at times, such as the bizarre Prince (by way of Cameo)-inspired “Highly Suspicious.” Lyrically, it gets a little silly as well, on tracks like “The Librarian,” which probably didn’t guess is a song about hiding in a library and checking out the staff. Does it get any more ridiculous than this?
“Simple little bookworm / buried underneath / is the sexiest librarian / take off those glasses and let down your hair for me.”
For all of its shortcomings, there are some fantastic tracks, such as the title track, “Evil Urges,” “I’m Amazed,” and “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream, parts 1 and 2.” And even the failures have grown on me. I find myself going back to “Highly Suspicious” as a guilty pleasure, even though it is, in every way, a terrible song.
I have intimate knowledge of 2005’s Z. I have listened to it too many times to count. Evil Urges is, at best, a large step backwards from the brilliance of that record. But, it is still a strong enough record to be included among the best of this year’s releases, and I would recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed MMJ in the past.
Folks, December is all about the year 2008. In addition to my promised top 25 records of 2008, I’m going t be writing about some of the other things that happened this year, both positive and dubious. And now, I give you some of the dubiosity:
i can haz recording contract?
That’s right, for whatever reason, Scarlett Johannson, Hollywood actress and bull-style nose ring enthusiast, decided that she wasn’t content serving as Woody Allen’s muse. No, little miss hot shit decided that she needed to cover her favorite songs from the Tom Waits catalog. Why Mrs. Ryan Reynolds decided to cover one of the most beloved artists of all times is beyond me; she would likely draw less ire if she covered Bob Dylan.
Now, unlike most every self-respecting music fan out there, I have never liked Tom Waits. Some of his songs are amazing, but I can’t stand his singing voice. So I feel like I am the perfect person to judge the covers record, Anywhere I Lay My Head. And let me tell you, this a bad record. No, not just bad. A colossal failure. Epic tragedy of the Sophoclean variety.
I won’t go into detail. I don’t need to. The mere idea speaks for itself. Picture Kathleen Turner trying to sing like Annie Lenox covering Tom Waits. That’s all you need to know.
Modern Guilt, Beck - I fought with myself over including this record in the top 25. It’s hard for me to even call it a good record, although it most certainly is. Danger Mouse, who has done wonderful production work on records by artists as stylistically varied as the Black Keys, Gorillaz and Sparklehorse, has done decent work with Beck on Modern Guilt. But it’s certainly not great work, and it doesn’t compare to his other accomplishments. Thematically, however, the record is sound, and even an “okay” Beck record is better than 99% of the crap that comes out these days.
And honestly, it doesn’t get much better than the psychedelic sadness of the album’s best track, “Chemtrails.”
My best music of 2008 list is about to debut, so keep your eyes peeled. I’m counting down the 25 best records of the year. That’s right, this is my contribution to the overly bloated listing blogosphere. I haven’t posted much lately because I’ve been busy listening to all the crap that came out this year so that you don’t have to.
Starting on December 1 and ending on Christmas day, I’ll be posting my favorite records of the year, on album a day. Additionally, I’ll be adding some of my insights regarding music and culture in 2008. Tune in! It’s going to be exciting.
Until then, things will be mostly quiet. I’m going on vacation.
Am I the only one who watches this show? Last night’s penultimate episode for the series may have been the best hour of television I’ve ever watched. I am on the edge of my seat waiting to know how everything is going to play out. If you’re watching, too, leave a comment. Let me know how you think it all goes down.
Of course, you already knew what I’m about to tell you, but I’d like to say it anyway. I don’t care what your excuse is; there is never ANY reason to walk into a Wal-mart. Just don’t do it. The Waltons don’t care about the towns that their inheritance destroyed. Wal-mart’s CEO doesn’t care about the working conditions of the foreign labor that makes it’s products. And most importantly, no one at Wal-mart cares about you. They want to expand and profit at all costs. There is such a thing as corporate responsibility, whether companies see it that way or not. Wal-mart pisses all over what made this country good. Is that really worth paying $0.28 less for something?
I’m really proud of a local suburb in Memphis. Cordova voted to keep another Wal-mart out of their community. I wish we could all do this, until there was no more mega-crapfest store.
For one week only, the folks over at pitchfork.tv have the new Silver Jews documentary, creatively named Silver Jew available for your viewing pleasure. If you’ve never checked out pitchfork.tv, they pretty much have a different music documentary every week, and there’s always some great music performances and interviews there. I’m going to post a video from the site in a minute to prove it’s awesomeness if I can just get the embed code to work.
Are the Fleet Foxes the best band of 2008? Was their self titled debut really that good? Was Sun Giant, the EP that preceded it, a five-song masterpiece? I’ll let you judge for yourself. But I would like to offer up one argment for yes, the blissful, angelic tune, “Mykonos.” Youtube was the only place I could find it, but there’s no actual video, so you’ll just have to imagine what they look like singing.
Today’s recommendations are records that have been in my collection for a long time, but I never really listened to at all. I guess that’s what happens when you have so much music available at the click of a download button.
Aldhils Arboretum, of Montreal - I’ve never listened to of Montreal. I’ve been meaning to, of course, as I am a wannabe hipster and apparently you have to completely “get” of Montreal in order to be a hipster. Its seems like it’s a requirement. So, I started with Aldhils Arboretum, which is supposed to be one of their best. It sounds like spacey orchestral pop a la the Athens, GA based Elephant 6 collective, of which of Montreal are considered friends but not members. This is not a great record, but it’s certainly not a bad one either. In the pantheon of Athens-area psych-pop artists, of Montreal are David Bowie to the Apples in Stereo’s Beatles and The Olivia Tremor Control’s Barrett-era Floyd. A lot of the record reminds me of Camper Van Beethoven, but I can’t explain why. If you are into short psychedelic tunes which are complex, but not fully realized, then you will probably enjoy this record. Aldhils Arboretum is one of those records that will never be at the top of my playlist, but I’d imagine I’ll come back to it whenever I’m in the mood for some aural mind altering.
The Stage Names, Okkervil River - I’m not going to pretend like I know a lot about Okkervil River because I don’t know anything about Okkervil River. But I like what I hear so far. This record reminds me a lot of the Arcade Fire, except I don’t want to reach through my skin and peel my biceps from the bone when I hear it, which is basically to say that the production techniques (particularly the mix of drums and guitar) are similar, but the songs are much better. There are hints of Springsteen and U2 in the songwriting (which could be good or completely awful, but in this case is good). This is a good modern rock record. I wish I’d given Okkervil River a listen sooner.
I originally wrote this a while back, but I wanted to post it again. If you are going to St. Louis, visit City Museum:
The name seems innocuous at best, banal at worst. When I first heard the name City Museum a year ago (before my first adult trip to St. Louis), I pictured stuffy artwork, hipsters, and muted cassette tapes guiding me from one exhibit to the next. So, let’s start with the most important fact: City Museum is not a museum. Not even a little.
When you walk up to the building, the first thing you would normally notice is a school bus dangling halfway off the top of the building. The bus, however, is probably the last thing to catch your eye. Instead, what you see is a metal monstrosity, suspended by high grade cable that extends into the air some 45 feet and runs the length of the building (about half a city block). This art deco nightmare is actually a huge system of scrap metal, a fire truck, and two gutted airplanes, woven together to create a four-story jungle gym.
Yes, folks, for the low, low price of $12 admission, you and your friends can play in a four story (and growing) house of wonder.
Guess what they're going to pump out of my stomach on this tour.
Well, we just elected a black president, so many of my Southern counterparts (read: backwoods pseudo-religious morons) are looking for the next sign of the impending Apocalypse. Look no further. The original lineup of Faces (or The Faces depending on who you believe) are reuniting to tour. That includes urban legend inspiring Rod Stewart and general legend of debauchery Ronnie Wood.
Now, let me be clear. Early seventies Faces rocked. They rocked themselves straight into infighting and self-destruction. Present day, Rod Stewart is in no way cool, and being an aging road warrior dating a Russian teenager isn’t doing Ron Wood any favors. I expect Wood’s other band, the Stones, to tour forever. It’s kind of one of those sad, “we sold our souls to the devil for rock ‘n roll, and now we have to play for the rest of eternity” things. But Faces aren’t the Stones, and they don’t need to do this. FOR GOD’S SAKE, GENTLEMEN, PLEASE LET FACES STAY DEAD. Don’t ruin one of the only mythical things that remain for me in rock lore.
Keith Moon is dead. The Who tours defiantly.
John Bonham is dead. Led Zeppelin tours defiantly (and as rumor has it, will be doing it without Robert Plant - what’s the difference, I guess, Bonham is dead).
Keith Richards is dead. The Stones tour defiantly (with him).
But no original members of Faces are dead. They just all suck now. Please kill this tour. A bullet behind the ear will do just fine. And if you want to put one in Rod Stewart as well, you’d be doing the world a favor.
