tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-330205502024-03-07T07:56:27.001-06:00Page 300the devil take your stereo and your record collection!Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.comBlogger444125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-86607800358968815772020-12-31T13:45:00.012-06:002020-12-31T13:56:55.829-06:00Albums Of The Year 2020<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hi. Remember me? I used to write a music blog. But then life happened. Marriage, kids, career... the usual suspects. And I just didn't listen to as much new music as I used to. But this year has been different, obviously. And with more free time than I've had in quite a while, I listened to a LOT of new music this year. It's one of the things that helped me survive this crazy calendar. So I figured, what the hell, let's post an end of year recap, for old times sake. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm doing things a little differently this time than I have in the past. I used to limit my best of to a top five. But this year, I literally couldn't whittle it down to just five. So there are six. I'm also not ranking them this year. 2020. No rules, right? It's a little heavier on mid-tempo stuff than it might have been in years past, but then it was kind of a mid-tempo year, wasn't it? So here we go...</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61YUYVZqL5L._SX425_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="425" height="362" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61YUYVZqL5L._SX425_.jpg" width="362" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Matt Berninger - </span><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Serpentine-Prison-Matt-Berninger/dp/B08DC1Z981/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=matt+berninger&qid=1609439228&sr=8-1" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank">Serpentine Prison</a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Considering that I didn't connect at all with El Vy, Berninger's first foray outside of the National, I was surprised at how much I loved his first solo album. I actually like it better than the last couple of albums his main group has put out. Bringing on Booker T. Jones as producer was an inspired choice. The list of collaborators and co-songwriters is long, so it's surprising how cohesive this all feels. And the songs seem more focused as well. </span></p>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2464248264/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=743397465/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://mattberninger.bandcamp.com/album/serpentine-prison">Serpentine Prison by Matt Berninger</a></iframe><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81bagP9JqvL._SX425_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="425" height="362" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81bagP9JqvL._SX425_.jpg" width="362" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Brian Fallon - </span><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Local-Honey-Brian-Fallon/dp/B082JNS2HP/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=brian+fallon&qid=1609439839&sr=8-1" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank">Local Honey</a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fallon's first two solo albums were great, but they basically felt like Gaslight Anthem lite. They had the same kind of sound and themes, just slowed down and a little more rootsy. With his third solo effort, he seems to have finally struck a vein that his old band never really mined. The songs are as fantastic than ever, but the themes are more mature, and he no longer wears the Springsteen influence so visibly on his sleeve. My only complaint about this album is that I wish there were more of it. It's eight songs clock in at just 31 minutes. But it's all killer, no filler, so who am I to complain?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/718455364&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3113951595_16.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="368" src="https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3113951595_16.jpg" width="368" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Lees Of Memory - <a href="https://theleesofmemory.bandcamp.com/album/moon-shot" target="_blank">Moon Shot</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For their first couple of albums, the former Superdrag cohorts' influences were easy to spot. <a href="https://theleesofmemory.bandcamp.com/album/sisyphus-says" target="_blank">Sysyphus Says</a> had them labeled as a shoegazer outfit, while their third album <a href="https://theleesofmemory.bandcamp.com/album/the-blinding-white-of-nothing-at-all" target="_blank">The Blinding Light Of Nothing At All</a> leaned heavily into sixties psychedelia. With their fourth full length, all the same influences are there, but they are more balanced into a cohesive whole. Nothing is overpowering, resulting in their strongest set of songs yet.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=530092693/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=2528377309/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://theleesofmemory.bandcamp.com/album/moon-shot">Moon Shot by The Lees Of Memory</a></iframe>
<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0433179081_16.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="385" src="https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0433179081_16.jpg" width="385" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Luke Schneider - <a href="https://lukeschneider.bandcamp.com/album/altar-of-harmony" target="_blank">Altar of Harmony</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This was probably my most anticipated release of the year. Ever since he posted a snippet last year, I couldn't wait to hear it. After spending a decade or so playing with some of Nashville's best indie bands, and then spending the last few years touring the world with Margot Price, Schneider finally put out his first solo record. Although Third Man Record's promo material proudly called it New Age, this is really an Ambient album. It's otherworldly sounds were produced solely with a pedal steel guitar. It's been in regular rotation all year when I've wanted to relax and unwind, and who hasn't needed to spend some time doing that this year?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4129547178/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=4008751970/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://lukeschneider.bandcamp.com/album/altar-of-harmony">Altar of Harmony by Luke Schneider</a></iframe>
<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0721381643_16.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="373" src="https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0721381643_16.jpg" width="373" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Emma Swift - <a href="https://emmaswift.bandcamp.com/album/blonde-on-the-tracks" target="_blank">Blonde On The Tracks</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Tribute records are tough to do well. Generally they either stick too much to well trodden material, or the artist is so faithful to the source material that they don't offer anything new. With this album, Swift does a masterful job at avoiding these pitfalls. The songs are deep enough in the Bob Dylan catalog that they don't feel worn out (in fact, one of them Bob just released himself earlier this year). With the help of her collaborators (including Robyn Hitchcock and Wilco's Patrick Sansone), she keeps the arrangements fresh while still keeping the songs recognizable. My only complaint is that there isn't more of it. Clocking it at just eight songs, here's hoping that a few years down the line we might see a sequel.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4061890943/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=244313666/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://emmaswift.bandcamp.com/album/blonde-on-the-tracks">Blonde On The Tracks by Emma Swift</a></iframe>
<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81OReT%2B-6JL._SX425_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="425" height="361" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81OReT%2B-6JL._SX425_.jpg" width="361" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Taylor Swift - <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/folklore-Taylor-Swift/dp/B08DC84LWL/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=taylor+swift+folklore&qid=1609443138&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Folklore</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you had Taylor Swift collaborating with members of the National on your 2020 bingo card, raise your hand. No? Me neither. In a year full of surprises, this one was certainly a home run. That Swift can turn a phrase isn't a surprise to anyone who's been able to look past the tabloid headlines and Swedish pop machine beats over the past decade. But she's never had an album so full of stellar songwriting as this. 2020 was the perfect time for her to throw out this curveball. And the fact that she's already followed it up with an almost equally stellar sequel is nothing short of amazing.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sorry, no song link on this one.</span></div>
Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-67641812023428461702016-06-01T21:41:00.000-05:002016-06-09T08:46:06.446-05:00High As A Kite<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/23868195@N00/26799726683/in/photostream/" title="IMG_20160513_232013"><img alt="IMG_20160513_232013" height="429" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7095/26799726683_ac23b64b16_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Marty Willson-Piper's Acres of Space, with HuDost and Christine Lenee</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Blood:Water, Nashville, TN</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Friday, May 13, 2016</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">So it's been two weeks since this show happened, and I'm still buzzing from it like it was last night. I don't think I've been this affected by a show since I saw <a href="http://page300.blogspot.com/2006/10/when-irish-eyes-are-smiling.html" target="_blank">The Pogues ten years ago</a>. It was simply a phenomenal night of music. And like a lot of great nights, this one has a back story.</span></span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Marty Willson-Piper is one of my all time favorite guitarists. He spent 33 years as one of the twin guitar pillars of The Church, along with releasing nine solo albums, three more albums as Noctorum, and countless side projects and collaborations along the way. I spent hours upon hours listening to his first three solo albums in my college dorms and apartments, and his second album <i>Art Attack</i> is pretty much the reason I bought a 12 string acoustic guitar. So I was crushed when I got a Facebook message on Thursday from a friend that Marty had played the previous night at Music City Roots in Franklin, TN, a mere half hour drive from my house. I'd seen him half a dozen times with The Church over the years, but I'd never gotten the chance to catch one of his solo shows. And it looked liked I'd missed a prime opportunity to do so in my backyard. My disappointment was blessedly short lived however. About a half an hour later I got another message from the same friend, with a link that Marty would be playing the following night at Blood:Water here in Nashville.</span></span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjw682E0frMAhUm3IMKHVLZDrQQFggpMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bloodwater.org%2F&usg=AFQjCNEve_1jrk5nBz8h4ENHJHFmnim2JQ&sig2=5g05Dsm05hdkSK6eFdkpTA" target="_blank">Blood:Water</a> is not a venue, it's the offices of the organization founded by members Jars of Clay to fight HIV/AIDS and water crises in Africa. It is however a beautiful space, and it made for an intimate venue for an amazing night of music. The musicians were set up in a semi-circle, and chairs and couches were arranged facing them, so that both the band and the audience were in a unbroken circle facing each other. The night served a a low key start up for their tour (Music City Roots had actually been the band's very first performance).</span></span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://christielenee.com/" target="_blank">Christie Lenee</a> started the night off with a solo set of folky pop songs highlighted by an impressive display of acoustic guitar tapping. After a brief break, <a href="http://hudost.com/" target="_blank">HuDost</a> took the stage. Over the years, I've discovered some of my favorite bands when they opened for someone else. HuDost has now joined that list. They describe themselves as "Neo Folk World Rock," and while that is certainly and accurate description, it would be more succinct to simply call them magical. They seamlessly blend world music, atmospheric guitar rock, and beautiful harmonies into a whole that is definitely more than the sum of its parts. And as if their own songs weren't amazing enough, they brought up the evening's host Dan Haseltine for a gorgeous duet on Jars Of Clay's "Inland."</span></span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">After a brief break and a switch of bass players, HuDost became Acres of Space and backed up Willson-Piper for an incredible set that pulled from his solo albums, Noctorum songs, and even a trio of Church classics ("She'll Come Back For You Tomorrow," "Tristesse," and "Spark"). And as if it wasn't great enough hearing these songs live that were such a part of my musically formative years, the band really brought them to life. Harmonies that were only hinted at on the albums swam through the room and firmly embedded themselves in our ears. They managed to faithfully reproduce the arrangements and add new nuances at the same time. Marty told whimsical stories (ie bold faced lies) between songs. The fact that a band could sounds this amazing after only a couple of rehearsals and three shows was awe inspiring. It was simply an incredible evening, one that you didn't really want to come to an end.</span></span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The remaining tour dates for the Acres Of Space/HuDost shows are listed below. If they come anywhere near you, I'd highly recommend you make it out. Additional dates are currently in the works, so check out the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MWPAcresOfSpaceHuDostTour/" target="_blank">tour's Facebook page</a> for details.</span></span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">June 8 - Tin Angel, Philadelphia, PA</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">June 10 - Whitney Center for the Arts, Pittsfield, MA</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">June 12 - CoSM, Wappingers Falls, NY</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">June 21 - The Cutting Room, New York, NY</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">June 25 - ONCE, Somerville, MA</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">HuDost will also be returning to Nashville on their own for a show at <a href="http://liberationnashville.squarespace.com/" target="_blank">Liberation Yoga</a> on Friday, June 3.</span></span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/38036145&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/226643126&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-21880138598692972282012-06-08T13:47:00.000-05:002012-08-05T13:56:37.374-05:00Little Broken Hearts<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61GOtgHv6bL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">Norah Jones - </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00723NWJE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00723NWJE&linkCode=as2&tag=dmrdestin" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">Little Broken Hearts</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B00723NWJE" style="border: none !important; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">What is it about breakup albums that inspires artists to reach their greatest artistic achievements? From Dylan’s </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">Blood On The Tracks </i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">to Fleetwood Mac’s </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">Rumours</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">, or more recent examples like Spiritualized’s </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%;"> or Adele’s </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">21</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">, the history of popular music is filled with singer/songwriters who reach their greatest creative heights when they are at their worst emotional lows. With </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">Little Broken Hearts</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">, we can now add </span><a href="http://www2.norahjones.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%;" target="_blank">Norah Jones</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%;"> to that list.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">Jones has spent the past several years trying to branch out from the jazz/pop/country/folk hybrid sound that made her both a star and a millionaire. From her art project/joke band El Madmo to her collaborations with Outkast, Belle And Sebastian, Q-Tip, and Foo Fighters, she’s shown that there aren’t too many genre’s she’s not interested in. Her last album, </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002NWRMVS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002NWRMVS&linkCode=as2&tag=dmrdestin">The Fall</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B002NWRMVS" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">, steered her artistic course in a much more pop oriented direction. And on her newest record, producer/collaborator/co-writer Brian Burton (aka Dangermouse) has guided her further down that path and helped her create the best album of her career. Lyrically, the album is filled with the kind of regret, sorrow, confusion, longing and bitterness that generally accompanies failed romances and infidelity. Several of the songs talk about moving on, but in a way that you know there is a whole lot of baggage going along on the journey. Highlights include “Take It Back,” “Good Morning,” and “Miriam,” a straight up murder ballad made even more creepy by the fact that it’s sung in such a honey sweet voice. It’s definitely a late night, turn off the lights and drink away your sorrows kind of album.</span>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-25542767352031199962012-05-04T12:17:00.000-05:002012-08-05T13:53:28.275-05:00Valentina<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41e5RwKAB7L._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /> <br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">The Wedding Present - </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00748FSXK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00748FSXK&linkCode=as2&tag=dmrdestin"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">Valentina</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B00748FSXK" style="border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">David Gedge is one of my all-time favorite songwriters. The way the guy can turn a phrase would make most indie screenwriters green with envy, and his skewed take on (mostly failed) relationships has made for a catalog filled to the brim with brilliant pop gems. So it’s a bit disappointing that this album just isn’t grabbing me. Sonically <a href="http://www.scopitones.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Wedding Present</a> seem to be aiming for the kind of sparse production that Steve Albini provided for their seminal 1991 album <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005NOSW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00005NOSW&linkCode=as2&tag=dmrdestin">Sea Monsters</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B00005NOSW" style="border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i>, but the songs simply don’t have the hooks that we’ve become accustomed to. It’s like when you make one of your favorite dishes but it doesn’t turn out right… all the ingredients are the same, you prepare it the same way you always do, but when it comes out of the oven it’s just not good as it usually is. Whether that’s the result of the band’s lineup changes (apart from Gedge, the entire roster has turned over since their last album, 2008’s <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00175G71I/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00175G71I&linkCode=as2&tag=dmrdestin">El Rey</a> </i>), or it’s just the kind of inevitable down cycle that comes during a 27 year career, I’m having to file <i>Valentina</i> under D for disappointment.</span>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-25424642392826180802012-04-20T10:49:00.000-05:002012-08-05T12:48:03.944-05:00All Together Now<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8428/7662345160_301c285958_z.jpg" /> <br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">All For The Hall</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">Tuesday, April 10, 2012</span><br />
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<span id="yiv210806609yui_3_2_0_15_133521645831246" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">There are some concerts you go to that simply couldn’t happen anywhere else. Keith Urban and Vince Gill’s annual “All For the Hall” benefit for the Country Music Hall of Fame is definitely one of those “only in Nashville” kind of events. They’ve become a kind of annual tradition for my wife and I. She has been to all three of the events, and while last year was my first, it’s turned into a show that I wouldn’t miss. I wouldn’t exactly call myself a huge country fan, but I’m definitely well versed enough to appreciate the history and reverence that these concerts promote. But you don’t have to be a music nerd to enjoy it. With a dozen plus acts and a pre-Ticketmaster ripoff… err, fees price of $35, the entertainment value would be a bargain at twice the price.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">The theme of this year’s concert was “All Together Now,” and the advertised lineup featured all duos and groups. The mix of old(er) and new groups meant that there was no need for last year’s hook, when each performer did one of their own songs and then followed up with a cover from a hall of famer that they admired. There was plenty of history just with each performer doing two of their own songs. As usual, Urban kicked off the show with a brief set from his band, and then Gill took the mic and paid tribute to the groups concept of the evening by playing “Amie” from his Pure Prairie League days, and then gave a plug.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">The newer groups on the bill were represented by Thompson Square, Little Big Town, The Band Perry, and Rascall Flatts, and though all were well received, they were definitely outshined by Lady Antebellum and Pistol Annies. In general though, the “old timers” got the biggest applause of the night. Diamond Rio were the first out of the gate, and though their set was well received, they simply got blown out of the water when the Oak Ridge Boys took the stage. You wouldn’t have expected four guys who are pushing 70 (William Lee Golden actually past that birthday three years ago) to have brought so much energy to the stage. Simply put, they killed with “Elvira” and “Bobbie Sue.” Alabama went in the exact opposite direction energy wise, though their “unplugged” style takes on “Feels So Right” and “Lady Down on Love” were every bit as magical. Their harmonies sounded amazing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">Two of the advertised groups, Exile and Allison Kraus and Union Stations, were no shows, but in their place we got two special guests that more than made up for it. Midway through the show Don Williams came out to do “Imagine That” and “Tulsa Time.” But the hands down highlight of the evening was when Keith and crew brought out Merle Haggard. Being that he is The Hag, his set wasn't constrained to just two songs, and after tearing through "I'll Just Stay Here And Drink," "Today I Started Loving You Again," and "Working Man Blues," Urban staged a one man encore chant, and Haggard obliged with "Silver Wings."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">The night ended on an odd note when all the performers returned to the stage for a ramshackle cover of The Beatle's "I Saw Her Standing There." Being that it was a benefit for the Country Music Hall of Fame, closing with a Brittish Invasion rock and roll hit seemed peculiar, but it captured the spirit of fun that these concerts are all about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: x-small;">photo by Tonya Peacock</span><br />
<br /></div>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-89533359621713124252012-03-30T09:42:00.000-05:002012-08-05T12:56:19.786-05:00More Juice<img src="http://f0.bcbits.com/z/27/40/2740464149-1.jpg" /> <br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">Epic Ditch – </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;"><a href="http://www.velocityofsound.com/epic-ditch-36-hour-ep/" target="_blank">36 Hour EP</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">For their recond release, Nashville’s skate rock super group </span><a href="http://www.epicditch.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">Epic Ditch</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;"> have managed to dial up both their punk and pop elements. Opener “More Juice” is probably the most intense song they have released to date, and closer “Resistance Is Victory” isn’t too far behind. But in between those two hardcore jams, they are also covering the poppier terrain that brought the band leaders to prominence in the first place. Like on their first EP, Stewart Pack’s contributions tend to be a bit more melodic, but Superdrag fans who have been dismayed by John Davis’ straight up hardcore songs with this outfit will probably be pleased with “Unexploded Ordinance,” which is undoubtedly the catchiest song the band had released to date. You can stream the EP in it’s entirety on </span><a href="http://epicditch.bandcamp.com/album/36-hour-ep" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">Bandcamp</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">.</span><br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=4016236642/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400">&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://epicditch.bandcamp.com/track/unexploded-ordnance"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Unexploded Ordnance by Epic Ditch&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe> </div>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-49985128694408739582012-03-05T18:03:00.000-06:002012-08-05T13:41:09.169-05:00Let's Go Eat The Factory<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513o7ZmuaPL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Guided By Voices - </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006GSRHNI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006GSRHNI"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Let's Go Eat the Factory</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B006GSRHNI" style="border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Christmas came early for indie rock fans last year when </span><a href="http://robertpollard.net/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Robert Pollard</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> announced that after a year plus of reunion touring, the “classic” lineup for </span><a href="http://www.gbv.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Guided By Voices</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> had recorded a new album. And even though we had to wait until January to get our hands on it, I’m sure there more than a few hardcore fans that were as giddy as a kid on Christmas Eve waiting for old Saint Nick to arrive. The results are worth the wait. It’s easily one of the best albums Pollard has released since the classic GBV’s last album together, 1997’s </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000036UW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0000036UW"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Under the Bushes Under the Stars</span></em></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I’ve read descriptions of <em>Let’s Go Eat The Factory</em> that describe it as “every bit a classic GBV record,” and that it harkens back to their </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000002363/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000002363"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Bee Thousand</span></em></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B000002363" style="border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />/</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000036TL/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0000036TL"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Alien Lanes</span></em></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B0000036TL" style="border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> days. I think that anyone who describes it like that is getting more caught up in the moment than they are being honest. To me, it sounds like they are picking up where the left off after the classic lineup’s contributions to </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000036XD/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0000036XD"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mag Earwhig!</span></em></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">, with their hints of synthesizers and increased production quality, even </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">by lo-fi standards. The ensuing years Pollard spent developing his craft and improving his songwriting also shows. The songs are generally more developed than they were during the band’s early days, and 30 second song fragments that used to litter their albums are in short supply. Luckily, the hooks are still abundant.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">One of my biggest problems with Pollard’s post GBV solo output is that he had outsourced large parts of the creative process. He would basically have his collaborators create music and then he’d put lyrics and melodies over the top of them. Bob called it “delegating” in a recent interview, but I always just kind of viewed it as laziness, and I think the music suffered for it (with some notable exceptions; the albums he did this way with Tobin Sprout and Doug Gillard were every bit as good as their band collaborations). So for me the most welcome thing on this album is the return of Robert Pollard the guitar player. I think that, more so than the return of Toby, Mitch, Kevin and Greg (as well as Pollard’s brother Jim) is what really makes this sound like an old school GBV record.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><a href="http://robertpollard.net/sounds/guided_by_voices_the_unsinkable_fats_domino.mp3" target=""><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Guided By Voices - "The Unsinkable Fats Domino"</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> (mp3)</span></span></div>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-67487048602799261072012-02-14T16:41:00.002-06:002012-02-14T16:44:02.786-06:00Kisses On The Bottom<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZKYoOV2oL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Paul McCartney - </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006OAB3ME/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006OAB3ME"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Kisses On The Bottom</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B006OAB3ME" width="1" border="0" /> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">OK, first things first. The album title. It's terrible. I'm sure Paul liked the cheekiness of it (pun intended), but he really should have thought better. In theory, it's a line from the album's opener "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself A Letter," but here's the thing; I've probably heard a couple of dozen versions of that song, and I've always heard it sung "kisses <strong>AT</strong> the bottom," so it's not even the right line. But I digress...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I’ll admit that despite being a fan of both <a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.paulmccartney.com/&sa=U&ei=V-M6T8zmA4eUtwf87ajsCg&ved=0CCgQFjAD&usg=AFQjCNFW7LkjG5_gjMrZCxEXZma2igYNjw">McCartney</a> (definitely my favorite Beatle) and what’s known as “The Great American Songbook,” I was only marginally interested in checking this album out when I first heard about it. For the last few years it seems like the CD section of your favorite discount store is littered with albums of aging rockers doing their interpretations of old standards. But my interest level shot up about one hundred percent when I learned that Macca had <a href="http://www.dianakrall.com/">Diana Krall</a> and her band backing him up on the project. Rather than the kind of milquetoast orchestral schmaltz that Rod Stewart has been releasing for the past decade, McCartney and company turn in an understated and elegant set of overlooked classics. While a handful of the songs do have orchestral arrangements, most of the record is just McCartney singing with Krall’s quartet. A few of the songs are hardly obscure, but he mostly stays away from the obvious choices, which makes the album seem a lot fresher than similar projects from other artists. And it’s a testament to his continued skill as a songwriter that unless you’re looking at the credits, you’d be hard pressed to pick out the two new originals (“My Valentine” and “Only Our Hearts”) from the songs that are older than he is (the deluxe edition of the album also includes a new take on “Baby’s Request” from the final Wings’ album, <em>Back To The Egg</em>).<br /><br />It’s almost surprising that it took Paul so long to make an album like this. From the beginning of his career he’s written songs in this kind of style, so a project like this almost seemed inevitable. But the results were definitely worth the wait. It’s probably the most engaging solo album he’s made since he teamed up with Krall’s husband, one </span><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Costello&sa=U&ei=6OI6T7bPH5Cctweiv4DSCg&ved=0CCMQFjAB&usg=AFQjCNFymVOg6BRfczDFK7wf11DiJ7R-kw"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Declan McManus</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">, for 1989’s <em>Flowers In The Dirt</em>.</span>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-72397779261979008832012-02-12T18:52:00.032-06:002012-02-12T22:44:31.218-06:002012 Grammy Awards Live Blog<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I've made a last minute decision to live blog the 2012 Grammy Awards, since the slate of performers actually looks watchable this year, and I don't have anything better to do. So with five minutes to go, I'll grab a drink, and we'll get started.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">7:03 - Dear all country stars, please learn from The Boss how to write a pro-America song without sounding jingoistic. Springsteen... never not awesome.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">7:06 - My wife... "LL Cool J looks like a ninja turtle."</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">7:12 - Bruno Mars - Prince would be proud.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">7:24 - Every single performer nominated against Adele tonight has to know that they really don't have a shot in hell.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">7:36 - Way to be unpredictable with the Rap award Grammy voters.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">7:39 - Kelly Clarkson wins the award for least flattering dress. She sounds great though. She could easily have a country career if she wanted.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">7:48 - Playing drums for the Foo Fighters is my dream job.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">8:02 - I know that Coldplay wants to do everything that U2 has done, but they should have let them have the Rhianna collaboration. Common denominator... both of them sucked.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">8:06 - Is it just me, or does Coldplay's bassist kinda look like Adam Levine?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">8:25 - Fun fact (for me anyway); I saw The Beach Boys in 1985. It was awesome. I'm not sure I'd bet on Brian to make it through this reunion.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">8:34 - The new Paul McCartney album is surprisingly awesome. I'll have a review up on Tuesday.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">8:45 - Dear Taylor, the whole "Wow, I cant believe people are clapping for me" face is getting old.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">8:56 - Just when you think Katy Perry's costumes cant get any more ridiculous...</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">9:07 - The only thing bigger than Adele's voice are her eyelashes.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">9:22 - This Glen Campbell tribute started off great, and has gotten progressively worse, at least as far as the songs go.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">9:38 - Best way to improve award shows? Quit letting the presidents of the organizations talk.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">9:45 - Since the whole Whitney Houston tribute was inevitable, that was actually fairly understated and bearable.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">9:58 - Dance music might be fun to experience live, but it's not very compelling television.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">10:10 - Nicki Minaj was hands down the weirdest performance I've ever seen on an awards show.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">10:20 - Poor Lady Gaga... all dressed up and no one cares.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">10:30 - That finale was awesome. I figured there would be a medley, but to get THAT medley was pretty badass.</span>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-23644355810168437832012-02-11T11:02:00.000-06:002012-02-11T11:03:10.554-06:00Albums Of The Year 2011<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2011 unfortunately saw me probably the least involved musically as any year I can remember, as evidenced by the scarcity of my posting over the past twelve months. But that doesn't mean I wasn't listening, and it certainly doesn't mean there weren't any records that I didn't absolutely love. So here it is, from the "better late than never" file, but favorite albums of last year.</span><br /><br /><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41WsXV7AuPL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">1. The Duke Spirit – </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006CCXPTI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006CCXPTI"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Bruiser</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B006CCXPTI" width="1" height="1" /><br /><br />At this point <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDcQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthedukespirit.com%2F&ei=UZ42T9jlDs2utwfGyr3RAg&usg=AFQjCNGRiZ9lLhV1eBJ2TEDXwT-Zr_AEvA">The Duke Spirit</a> ought to be a household name, at least among the more musically minded. They have an incredible live show, they’re road warriors that are almost constantly touring, they’ve got a great sound that isn’t derivative of anyone else, their songwriting keeps getting better and better, and they have possibly the best front woman out there right now. This is their third album on their third different label, a run of bad luck that would derail the path of less dedicated bands. <em>Bruiser</em> manages to sound a bit more lush and melodic than <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014DBZWE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0014DBZWE">Neptune</a>, but without going soft. The hooks are bigger, but without sounding overly polished. After being released over the pond last September, and getting a digital release in the states in November, it finally got released domestically on CD last week (with bonus tracks!), so go find out what you've probably been missing out on.<br /><br /></span><br /><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51y8NPzs2NL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2. Foo Fighters – </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LUHQ1G/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004LUHQ1G"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Wasting Light</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B004LUHQ1G" width="1" height="1" /><br /><br />Dave Grohl and company get back to doing what they do best… rocking the fuck out. Sure, there are still plenty of arena sized anthems, but they come without the MOR blandness that was starting to infect their last couple of albums. If I were ranking albums based on how often they got cranked up to a deafening volume in the car this year, this album would be number one with a bullet. Read our </span><a href="http://page300.blogspot.com/2011/05/wasting-light.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">original review from May</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">.</span><br /><br /><img src="http://f0.bcbits.com/z/30/85/3085405518-1.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">3. Epic Ditch – </span><a href="http://epicditch.bandcamp.com/album/ep"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">EP</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br /><br />The first time I heard the debut release from </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/epicditch"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Epic Ditch</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> I was in a friend’s machine shop, which was a perfect setting for the introduction. With his new band, Superdrag’s John Davis strips away pop flourishes of his previous work and leaves only the hardened punk edginess. Davis and fellow singer/guitarist Stewart Pack have a kind of Bob Mould/Grant Hart thing going on, with Davis doing the more aggressive, politically charged songs, and Pack providing the more melodic tracks. Regardless of who’s doing the singing, it kicks all kinds of ass.</span><br /><br /><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BWZTI7YHL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">4. Beady Eye – </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LGPBZI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004LGPBZI"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Different Gear Still Speeding</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B004LGPBZI" width="1" height="1" /><br /><br />Raise your hand if you thought Liam Gallagher’s first post-Oasis album would be better than his brother Noel’s… yeah, me neither. But I’ve heard four tracks from </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005N0C0JQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005N0C0JQ"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B005N0C0JQ" width="1" height="1" />, and so far and none of them have been enough for me to go out and buy it. Beady Eye may not be blazing down any new paths, but unlike his big brother’s, this album is actually fun. Read our </span><a href="http://page300.blogspot.com/2011/04/different-gear-still-speeding.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">original review from April</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">.</span><br /></span><br /><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ToraiNbEL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">5. R.E.M. – </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004G5ZXVQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004G5ZXVQ"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Collapse into Now</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B004G5ZXVQ" width="1" height="1" /><br /><br />Conventional wisdom may say otherwise, but thank God R.E.M. didn't break up seven years earlier. While I am sure there are plenty who think the band should have hung it up the moment Bill Berry walked into the sunset, it would have been monumentally depressing if their swan song had been </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002W4UVG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0002W4UVG"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Around the Sun</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B0002W4UVG" width="1" height="1" />, the one album that most band completists don't even own. Instead they went out with two albums that may not have equaled their late 80's and early 90's triumphs, but at least harkened back to that era. Read our </span><a href="http://page300.blogspot.com/2011/03/collapse-into-now.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">original review from March</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">. </span>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-14290319250878248272012-01-17T21:40:00.002-06:002012-01-17T21:43:00.663-06:00Best In Show 2011<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7167/6718068619_7392ab3943_z.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Surprisingly, I haven't done a concerts of the year post since the very first year I started blogging </span><a href="http://page300.blogspot.com/2007/01/best-in-show-2006.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">five years ago</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">. So it's a big odd that I am doing one for the year that I have blogged the least. Despite the fact that I felt somewhat disconnected from music last year, I still saw some great shows. So here are the top five...<br /><br />1. </span><a href="http://www.u2.com/index/home"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">U2</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br />Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, TN - 7/2/11<br /><br />I hate stadium shows. They are big, they are impersonal, and during the summer they are a hot, sweaty, stinky mess. Despite all that, U2 takes the top spot as my favorite show this year. And that speaks to what an amazing live band they are. They overcome the distance between the performer and the poor schmuck who has seats in the top row of a football stadium, and make it feel as intimate as a club show. Sure their massive stage is a spectacle, but lots of bands play on big massive stages and can’t make you feel the way U2 does. Twenty four years after the first time I saw them live, they are still the best live band I’ve ever seen. Read our </span><a href="http://page300.blogspot.com/2011/07/u2-music-city-magnificient.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">original review from July</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">.<br /><br />2. </span><a href="http://www.taylorswift.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Taylor Swift</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br />Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN - 9/17/11<br /><br />Yeah, seriously. Ever since she released </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WTE886/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003WTE886"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Speak Now</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B003WTE886" width="1" height="1" /> last year, I’ve really grown to not just appreciate Taylor Swift, but actually like her. She is a great songwriter, and if some indie darling wrote a line like “you made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter,” it’d be hailed as genius. Her songs are full of clever wordplay, and I think if it weren’t for the fact she’s cute, young, and admittedly a mediocre vocalist, she’d get a lot more props for her songwriting than she does.<br /><br />That said I’d have never gone to this concert if my wife hadn’t wanted to go. But I’m glad she did. It definitely shattered expectations, pretty much from the moment we entered the building. The first thing we noticed is that the average age of the crowd was a lot older than we would have expected. It was definitely predominately female, and while there were a fair share of teeny boppers, there were also a whole lot of twenty and thirty somethings. As the lights went down to the sound of Tom Petty’s “American Girl,” the crowd went apeshit, and Taylor literally exploded on to the stage to the sounds of “Sparks Fly.” At the end of the song, I half expected her to start quoting Sally Field award speeches as she put on her trademark surprise face, like she didn’t expect to get such a thunderous response. It took a few minutes to get used to completely unspontaneous nature of the show. It seemed like every facial expression and hair toss was choreographed. But as the show went on, you realized this was almost more a broadway production than a concert. There were multiple set and costume changes, dancers and acrobats, and more pyro than you’d see anywhere outside of a Kiss show. Once you got used to the fact that this wasn’t going to be a typical concert in the way you’ve come to expect it, you could just sit back and enjoy what was one hell of a show. Swift is a born entertainer, and on stage she’s as much an actress as a singer. The way she can work a crowd almost gives Bruce Springsteen a run for his money. Combine all that with a parade of hits performed with more enthusiasm than most bands can muster and you have yourself one hell of a fun evening.<br /><br />3. </span><a href="http://www.gbv.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Guided By Voices<br /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Cannery Ballroom, Nashville, TN - 1/14/11<br /><br />Score one of nostalgia. While it wasn’t as magical as the one time I got to see the “classic” Guided By Voices line up at Exit/In back in 1995, it was definitely better than any of their shows I’ve seen since then (and that’s not a knock, GBV has always put on a great show). Even after a year of touring together, you could tell that Uncle Bob, Toby, Mitch, Greg and Kevin were having a blast playing together, and the fact that the setlist was damn near perfect meant two hours of pure pop bliss for indie geeks. Read our </span><a href="http://page300.blogspot.com/2011/01/guided-by-voices-cannery-ballroom.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">original review from January</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://gbv.com/sounds/oirsdemo.mp3">Guided By Voices - "Official Ironman Rally Song (Demo)"</a> (mp3)</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br />4. </span><a href="http://www.rush.com/rush/index.php"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Rush<br /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN - 4/3/11<br /><br />I’d pretty much given up on Rush over the last decade or so. Not only had I not bought one of their new albums since <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002NRQTI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0002NRQTI"><em>Counterparts</em></a><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B0002NRQTI" width="1" height="1" />, but I’d also skipped out on seeing them live on their last few tours. But time heals all wounds, and the stellar documentary <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003J27WFW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003J27WFW"><em>Beyond the Lighted Stage</em></a><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B003J27WFW" width="1" height="1" /> not only rekindled my love of the band, but also introduced my wife to them. You pretty much know what you’re going to get when you go see them live… note perfect renditions of their songs played with musicianship that most jazz cats would envy. And though they’ve incorporated videos into their concerts for years, they seem to be doing it with more humor than ever before, which made the concert even more fun. Read our </span><a href="http://page300.blogspot.com/2011/04/time-machine.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">original review from April</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">.<br /><br />5. </span><a href="http://www.interpolnyc.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Interpol</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> & </span><a href="http://www.sviib.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">School of Seven Bells</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN - 5/2/11<br /><br />If I was ordering this list by my favorite concert moments rather than the entire concert, Interpol performing “Lights” at the Mother Church would top the list. It was one of those absolutely transcendent concert moments that only happen a few times during the course of your life. This concert also marked the first time in years that’d I’d been so impressed by an opening act that it necessitated a trip to the merch stand to buy their CD. Read our </span><a href="http://page300.blogspot.com/2011/05/no-d-in-threesome.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">original review from May</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">.</span><br /><br /><a style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/site-images.vagrant.com/audio_items/269/01_Windstorm.mp3"><span style="font-size:85%;">School Of Seven Bells - "Windstorm"</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (mp3) from </span><a style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PBYT5S/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B003PBYT5S"><span style="font-size:85%;">Disconnect From Desire</span></a><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B003PBYT5S&camp=217145&creative=399349" width="1" height="1" />Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-64552503202163538002011-10-08T10:00:00.005-05:002011-10-09T09:34:36.740-05:00All My Rowdy Friends Are Going Home<img src="http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/3135/randy441x500.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">This is Rockin' Randy. He dances to the Monday Night Football theme. Old Randy used to occupy a proud spot in my bachelor pad kitchen. Then I got married. Now Randy occupies a box in our basement.<br /><br />For the last 20 years, Monday Night Football has been introduced by Hank Williams Jr's iconic theme song, based on his 1984 hit "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight." Earlier this week, after Bocephus made a ham fisted comment on Fox News comparing President Obama to Hitler, the Disney owned overlords at ESPN decided to pull his opening in response. After Hank Jr alternatingly</span><a href="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/04/after-a-dash-of-defiance-hank-williams-jr-apologizes/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> apologized and defended his actions</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">, ESPN decided to make the move permanent. Williams responded by claiming it was his decision to pull the song for good after ESPN violated his freedom of speech, which is basically like saying "you can't fire me, I quit!"<br /><br />How will we know if we're ready for some football now? ESPN made a short sighted, knee jerk move by pulling a song that has been a part of the MNF tradition for two decades. Sure, what Williams said was stupid, but consider the source... he's Hank Williams Jr for pete's sake. He has basically made a career out of saying stupid things. And as Pro Football Talk pointed out, ESPN didn't seem to have an issue a few years back when he </span><a href="http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/are-you-ready-some-mug-shot"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">choked a waitress</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">. How does revealing yourself as a tea bagger trump battery these days?<br /><br />Despite the momentary PR black eye, ESPN will lose nothing over this. Ratings will continue to be sky high, at least until the St Louis vs Seattle matchup in week 14 (I'm a Seahawks fan, and I still guarantee you I'll have tuned out by halftime). Bocephus' checking account however will be taking a substantial hit. Those TV broadcast fees ain't chicken scratch.<br /><br />As the dust is settling down on this whole kerfuffle, I'm left with one nagging thought... why cant Faith Hill make a comment comparing Joe Biden to Mussolini so we could get rid of her godawful Sunday Night football theme too?</span><br /><br /><object width="512" height="288"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/7K9pMLawRUWVuA_WUot_Pw"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><br /><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/7K9pMLawRUWVuA_WUot_Pw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="288" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-11760427225797811042011-09-23T19:20:00.000-05:002011-09-23T19:20:56.178-05:00Til The Day Is Done: RIP R.E.M.<img src="http://www.starbacks.ca/SunsetStrip/Studio/2633/rem_band_green_1.jpg" /><br /><br /><a href="http://remhq.com/index.php"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">R.E.M.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> has </span><a href="http://remhq.com/news_story.php?id=1446"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">called it quits</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">.<br /><br />A lot of cynics would say this move is coming about fourteen years to late, and that the band never should have reneged on their handshake deal that they'd break up if any of the original members left the group. That opinion would be wrong. Of the five albums Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, and Mike Mills have recorded since Bill Berry left the band in 1997, only one (2004's </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002W4UVG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B0002W4UVG"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Around the Sun</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B0002W4UVG&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" />) was truly a stinker, and the last two (</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013BNY2Q/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B0013BNY2Q"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Accelerate</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> and </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004G5ZXVQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B004G5ZXVQ"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Collapse into Now</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B004G5ZXVQ&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" />) have been damn good. And perhaps that's the best reason for them to throw in the towel now... it's better bow out on a creative high than to, as Nashville Scene music writer Adam Gold put it so cleverly on </span><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/GoldAdam/status/116568241085759491"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> Wednesday, "go out with a murmur."<br /><br />R.E.M. was my gateway drug into the world of college radio and alternative music. It was listening to my friends copy of </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000002UVZ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000002UVZ"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Lifes Rich Pageant</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B000002UVZ&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" />, and then my own copy of </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000002UW1/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000002UW1"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Document</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B000002UW1&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" /> a year later, that probably did more than any other band to shape my current musical tastes. It was those two albums that really primed me for falling so completely head over heals with The Church's </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000002VF0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000002VF0"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Starfish</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B000002VF0&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" />, which lead to The Cure's </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000002H70/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000002H70"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Disintegration</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B000002H70&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" />, which then splintered into loving a million different bands, some famous and others very much not.<br /><br />In honor of 31 years of making (mostly) great music, and having a more profound impact on the American indie scene than most people realize, here are my top five R.E.M. related memories.<br /><br />1. The first time I heard </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000002N9S/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000002N9S"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">New Adventures in Hi Fi</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B000002N9S&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" /></em> it was pushing midnight, and my friend Jimmy and I were on our way back to his apartment in Knoxville after having some beers with a friend of ours. A DJ on the UT college station had gotten an advance copy of the album and was playing it front to back. I'm not even sure if "E-Bow The Letter" had been released as a single yet, so it was the first we were hearing anything from it, and it was entirely awesome. We ended up driving around aimlessly for an hour so we could hear the whole thing. I remember when "Departure" kicked in, both of us were kinda of like "wow." It's still my favorite R.E.M. album.<br /><br />2. When R.E.M. played the Murphy Center at MTSU in 1989, my friend Jimmy and I snuck into the band's dressing room before the show and left a note asking them to play two covers; Television's "See No Evil," which they had recently included on a b-side, and Johnny River's "Secret Agent Man," which had been included on a well circulated bootleg from their early club days. The band did play "See No Evil," though whether that was because of our note or not is debatable. And while they didn't break out the River's tune, Mike Mills did make a reference to the bootleg that it came from when during a jazzy improvised interlude he walked up to the mic and said "welcome to the Starlite Club." For two dorky teenagers who were still on a high from actually having managed to get backstage to leave the note, it was the highlight of our night.<br /><br />3. When R.E.M. played at Starwood Ampitheater in 1995 on the Monster tour, I went with my Dad. We originally had lawn seats, but the day before the show he got reserved seats from a client, so I sold our lawn seats to a friend and we upgraded. And thank God we did. During the song "Undertow," with it's chorus of "I'm drowning..." the sky opened up and a torrential downpour started. All my friends who were sitting on the grass still say it was the worst rain shower any of them had ever been caught in. Even in our seats well under the confines of the roof, the wind was blowing enough moisture our way that we were still a bit wet. Fun fact - Radiohead opened this show, which makes me possibly the only person in the world who can say he saw Radiohead with his Dad.<br /><br />4. When Robyn Hitchcock played the </span></span><a href="http://page300.blogspot.com/2007/03/robyn-hitchcock-nashville-crawdads.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Belcourt Theater in 2007</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">, my friends and I were really excited. Most of us had seen Hitchcock three or four times, and on this tour he was touring with the newly formed Venus 3, which consists of Peter Buck and R.E.M.'s touring rhythm section, drummer Bill Rieflin and bassist Scott McCaughey. After seeing nothing but acoustic shows, we were all excited to see him backed by an actual rock band. And then a couple of weeks before the show, the listing changed from the Venus 3 to the Nashville Crawdads. Another damn acoustic show. Once we got to the show though, it turned out to be a pretty amazing night. In addition to Buck and perennial Nashville special guests Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, the lineup also included Led Zepplin bassist John Paul Jones on mandolin. So yeah, no complaints.<br /><br />5. In 2009, after seeing Hitchcock perform acoustic shows a half dozen times over a decade, I finally got to see him in front of a rock band when the Venus 3 </span><a href="http://page300.blogspot.com/2009/04/young-people-scream.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">played the Exit In</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">. The show was everything I could have asked for. The set ran the entire gamut of his career, and had just about every song I could possibly have wanted to hear. About half way through the show, one of my friends notice Mike Mills hanging out by the bar. Forty-five minutes later he was a little harder to miss, as he took to the stage to play guitar and the rest of the band played musical instruments (Buck ended up on drums). They tore into a rambunctious and ramshackle version of "Listening To The Higsons," a fun end to one of those "only in Nashville" nights.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Michael, Peter, Mike and Bill, thanks for everything.<br /><br /></span><a href="http://page300.opendrive.com/files/46309716_9V5lN/04%20Radio%20Free%20Europe%20(Live).mp3"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">R.E.M. - "Radio Free Europe (Live)"</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (mp3) from the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000008P9C/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000008P9C">Strange Currencies</a><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B000008P9C&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" /> cd single<br /></span><a href="http://page300.opendrive.com/files/46309711_Hv2kA/04%20Begin%20The%20Begin%20(Live).mp3"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">R.E.M. - "Begin The Begin (Live)"</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (mp3) from the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000008OJH/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B000008OJH"><em>Bang & Blame</em></a><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B000008OJH&camp=217145&creative=399373" width="1" height="1" /> cd single<br /><br /></span>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-68479638079125726282011-09-15T21:17:00.002-05:002011-09-15T21:18:54.303-05:00Sing For Your Meat<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61%2B%2BJMiesFL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Various Artists - </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XWB84I/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B004XWB84I"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Sing For Your Meat</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">: A Tribute to Guided By Voices<br /><br />Tribute albums are always kind of a mixed bag. Usually no matter how much you like either the artist being honored or the bands and singers doing the covers, you usually end up with an album where you really only like a few songs. That's definitely not the case with </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XWB84I/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B004XWB84I"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Sing For Your Meat</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">. </span><a href="http://www.gbv.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Guided By Voices</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> has always been one of those bands that, while not hugely popular among the masses, they are massively beloved by their fans. And a lot of those fans happen to be fellow musicians.<br /><br />For most of these songs, the artists strike a perfect balance between using the same lo-fi techniques that have always been part of GBV's appeal and putting their own spin on things. The songs stay true enough to the originals to appeal to the faithful without sounding like carbon copies of the source material. In general, the first half of this album is front loaded with the covers that sound closer to the originals, while the second half gets a little more adventurous, and a little more rewarding. Though there are several good tracks by big names you would recognize (The Flaming Lips, Thurston Moore, Lou Barlow, and ex-Breeder Kelley Deal's second career cover of an GBV song), it's the names that aren't quite so recognizable that really shine. La Sera turns "Watch Me Jumpstart" into organ fueled chamber pop. Blitzen Trapper bring out the undercurrent of bluesiness in "Hot Freaks" until it becomes a juke joint jam. Elf Power's lo-fi remake of "Man Called Aerodynamics" sounds like it might have if Pollard and company had recorded it on </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000002363/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000002363"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Bee Thousand</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B000002363&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" />. There really isn't a weak track on this album, and unlike a lot of compilations, it's one that you'll probably end up listening to more than just the first few weeks after you buy it.<br /><br /></span><a href="http://teamclermont.com/file_download/1230/westernciv_myvaluablehuntingknife.mp3"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Western Civ - "My Valuable Hunting Knife"</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (mp3)<br /></span><a href="http://teamclermont.com/file_download/1231/lasera_watchmejumpstart.mp3"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">La Sera - "Watch Me Jumpstart"</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (mp3)<br /></span><a href="http://teamclermont.com/file_download/1232/cymbalseatguitars_gleemer.mp3"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Cymbals Eat Guitars - "Gleamer"</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (mp3)</span>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-74700527179697014932011-09-11T19:53:00.000-05:002011-09-11T19:53:29.754-05:00The Sound Of Silence<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">This gave me goosebumps.</span><br /><br /><iframe height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eanv5XRjwLg" frameborder="0" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">If you've been online at all today, you're probably all 9/11'd out. But take four minutes and watch this video of Paul Simon performing "The Sound Of Silence" at the World Trade Center memorial dedication this morning. It's pretty amazing.<br /><br />Apparently he was scheduled to do "Bridge Over Troubled Water," but made a change at the last minute. It was a pretty inspired choice. </span>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-41325871770392200272011-09-11T08:50:00.002-05:002011-09-11T08:54:22.576-05:00Anniversary<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Five years ago today I wrote </span><a href="http://page300.blogspot.com/2006/09/fairytale-of-new-york.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">this</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">.<br /><br />Yesterday I wrote </span><a href="http://www.theneonlounge.com/when-will-this-end/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">this</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">, as part of </span><a href="http://www.theneonlounge.com/2011/09/11/september-11th-2001-where-were-you/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">this project</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">. My friend Tyge has compiled stories from 20 different people remembering their day 10 years ago. It's strange... after 3,652 days, and countless articles, books, movies, documentaries, and TV reports about September 11, 2001, you would think there wouldn't be much left to say that you'd be interested in hearing. But as I sat on the couch this morning drinking coffee and checking out the other contributions to the project, I found that reading other ordinary peoples thoughts and recollections from that day was a lot more compelling than watching a TV news special recounting the events. I don't need to see those images again. They are burned into my mind, and it was something that no one who was alive to experience it will ever forget. Ten years later and this day is still as confusing and conflicted as it was when it was happening.<br /><br />That said, I will now spend the rest of my Sunday watching football and avoiding listening country radio, which will be full of terrible songs by Toby Keith, Alan Jackson, and that godawful Lee Greenwood song that everyone gets the title of wrong.<br /><br />Here is a patriotic song that doesn't suck. I even like Neil Diamond's original version.<br /><br /></span><a href="http://page300.opendrive.com/files/44677708_ohqJK/10%20-%20Coming%20To%20America.mp3"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Me First And The Gimme Gimmes - "Coming To America"</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (mp3) from </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010V90AO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B0010V90AO"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Have Another Ball</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B0010V90AO&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" /><br /><br />Go Titans! </span>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-43043541599188081492011-08-10T06:57:00.001-05:002011-08-10T20:37:28.770-05:00Soul Survivior<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51bH6Aj%2B0uL.jpg" />
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<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/031603441X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=031603441X"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Life</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=031603441X&camp=217145&creative=399373" width="1" height="1" />, by Keith Richards
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<br />The Beatles or the Stones? Since the mid 1960's, it's a question that all music fans have had to answer. As Uma Thurman said in Pulp Fiction, you can like both, but everyone prefers one over the other. And despite the fact that I would definitely fall into the Beatles camp, I have probably read more books about </span><a href="http://www.rollingstones.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">The Rolling Stones</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> than any other artist. I think it's because even though The Beatles had a far greater impact on both music and society at large, the Rolling Stones story is a lot more compelling. Sure arrests, drug overdoses, and concert riots are pretty much standard fare for a lot of rock music bios, and any Stones book has those in spades. But it also has murder, political scandals, and inter-band mate swapping rivaled only by Fleetwood Mac. And it's been going on for six decades. No other band can touch that kind of longevity at the level the Stones have done it. And that makes for a great story.
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<br />You might wonder if there is any new ground to cover after all the ink that has been laid to paper in recounting the tales of </span><a href="http://www.keithrichards.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Keith Richards</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> and company. Honestly, the answer is no for the most part, but the book does give fresh insight into the stories and tall tales that have surrounded the Glimmer Twins for years. Richards doesn't hold back, so there really isn't any issue that he doesn't address. He debunks the myths surrounding the fabled Mars bar incident and rumors of having his blood changed in an effort to detox from heroin. He is incredibly frank about his issues with drug use over the years. And he details the ins and outs of both his personal and musical relationships throughout his life. And that is where the book really shines.
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<br />There were two things about the book that really stood out to me. First is that it barely mentions Bill Wyman at all. He basically is mentioned only three times in 547 pages: 1) The main reason he was asked to join the band is because he was the only one who owned an amplifier, 2) He was the band member who reached out the most during Keith's arrest in Canada, and 3) that he quit the band three years before it was publicly announced. And the second big surprise was that the bitterness and infighting between Keef and Mick Jagger lasted well past the </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00272NH04/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B00272NH04"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Steel Wheels</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B00272NH04&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" /> album and tour. I always thought that they had kissed and made up in 1989, but Richards talks about how they were still avoiding each other in the recording studio five years later while recording </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00272NH0E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B00272NH0E"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Voodoo Lounge</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B00272NH0E&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" />.
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<br />The best book about the Stones remains Stanley Booth's </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1556524005/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1556524005"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">.<img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=1556524005&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" /> And if you're looking for pure entertainment value and are less concerned about actual facts, the tabloid trash of Tony Sanchez's </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1843582635/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1843582635"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Up and Down with the Rolling Stones</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=1843582635&camp=217145&creative=399373" width="1" height="1" /> can't be beat. <em>Life</em> will mostly appeal to Stones fans, but it's an enjoyable read for anyone who liked a good rock and roll biography.
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<br /></span><a href="http://page300.opendrive.com/files/41293214_fqJoU/Wicked%20as%20It%20Seems.mp3"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Keith Richards - "Wicked As It Seems"</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (mp3) from </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000000WJ2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000000WJ2"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Main Offender</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B000000WJ2&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" /> </span>
<br />Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-6079374803696210562011-07-22T07:11:00.001-05:002011-07-22T07:11:46.323-05:00Ukulele Songs<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51R-lsJSE8L._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Eddie Vedder - </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004V6MWFU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B004V6MWFU"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Ukulele Songs</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B004V6MWFU&camp=217145&creative=399373" width="1" height="1" /><br /><br />If there isn't an old saying that states "a little ukulele goes a long way," there should be.<br /><br />It's hard to say that you didn't know what to expect with this album... it's right there in the album's title, so I kind of feel stupid for complaining about it. I really liked Eddie Vedder's solo work on the soundtrack to </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ULQV0W/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000ULQV0W"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Into the Wild</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B000ULQV0W&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" />, so I figured I'd give his first proper solo album a whirl. And it's not like it's bad or anything. Despite the fact that his career began an angry young singer from the Seattle grunge scene, his various solo material has proved that Vedder sounds equally great singing with acoustic backing. But after sixteen songs with pretty much nothing but ukulele as accompaniment, things start to get a little same-y. The credits indicate that he used at least six different kinds of ukuleles in recording the album, but that just doesn't give it the sonic variety that it really could have used. The appearance of cello on one song ("Longing To Belong") indicates the kind of subtle accompaniment variation that could have been accomplished by adding a few different instruments to the mix while still keeping the theme of the album. I just can't help but think I would have enjoyed this album more if there was some acoustic guitar or piano in the background.<br /><br />That's not to say there aren't some good songs on here. The first half is front loaded with originals, including a new take on "Can't Keep" from Pearl Jams's </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006M183/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B00006M183"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Riot Act</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B00006M183&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" />. Four of the last five songs are covers, and it's at that point that the album really starts to wear out it's wecome, despite the appearances of Chan Marshall (Cat Power) and Glen Hansard (The Frames/The Swell Season) on backing vocals. I keep wanting to compare it to the scene in Blue Valentine where Ryan Gossling serenades Michelle Williams. It's a great scene, but if Gossling would have been playing ukulele in every scene in the movie, it would have gotten old pretty quick. I feel like if Vedder had released in EP called <em>Ukulele Songs</em> instead of an album, I'd have liked it a lot more. Maybe when the songs pop up individually on shuffle on my iPod, I will.<br /><br /></span><a href="http://page300.opendrive.com/files/34880502_5hFi6/Sleeping%20By%20Myself.mp3"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Eddie Vedder - "Sleeping By Myself"</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (mp3) from </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004V6MWFU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B004V6MWFU"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Ukulele Songs</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B004V6MWFU&camp=217145&creative=399373" width="1" height="1" /> </span>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-44822194422880206202011-07-18T06:43:00.001-05:002011-07-18T06:44:23.047-05:00I Touch A Red Button<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Considering their shared penchant for dark moods and strange images, it's almost surprising that </span><a href="http://www.interpolnyc.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Interpol</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> and </span><a href="http://davidlynch.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">David Lynch</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> have never collaborated before now. For this year's Coachella music festival, the band approached Lynch about providing visuals for one of their songs, and he provided them with the following short film to accompany their song "Lights" (which as I mentioned in my </span><a href="http://page300.blogspot.com/2011/05/no-d-in-threesome.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">concert review</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> from earlier this year is hands down my favorite song from their new album). The result is just as weird as the </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSx2OSuEzDI"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">original video</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> for the song, but with none of the creepy sexuality. </span><br /><br /><iframe height="338" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/26476315?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" frameborder="0" width="601"></iframe><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">You can read a post where the band discusses the collaboration </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/interpol/david-lynch-interpol_b_893544.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">here</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">. </span>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-74078059046570249772011-07-14T07:04:00.000-05:002011-07-14T07:04:38.194-05:00Talk Talk Talk<img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6021/5936820234_a16b74f6af_z.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">The Psychedelic Furs<br />Mercy Lounge, Nashville, TN<br />Thursday, July 7, 2011<br /><br />On Thursday afternoon, the Mercy Lounge sent out a tweet warning the rock o' clock-ers not to show up for </span><a href="http://www.thepsychedelicfurs.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">The Psychedelic Furs</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> show at 10 pm, because the band would be going on promptly at 8 pm. They weren't kidding. The Butler brothers and company took the stage just a few minutes after the advertised start time and immediately tore into "Dumb Waiters," the opening track from the evening's advertised performance of their sophomore album </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012GN46I/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B0012GN46I"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Talk Talk Talk</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B0012GN46I&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" />. Although there was a decent sized crowd at the beginning of the show, the empty spaces steadily filled in throughout the first set, and anyone who showed up late missed out on their biggest hit, "Pretty In Pink," which occupies spot number two on the album's tracklisting. Like most acts on nostalgia themed tours these days, they performed the album front to back, so there weren't any surprises to start the show. Despite the fact that they had been playing the album in this manner for the past year or so, they seemed to be enjoying themselves. And if the crowd wasn't as familiar with the album tracks, they certainly didn't show it. The Furs got a enthusiastic response throughout the first set.<br /><br />After a 15 minute break, the band returned to the stage one by one to the opening strains of "Sister Europe." The rest of the set was basically culled from </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000026M1/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B0000026M1"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">All of This & Nothing</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B0000026M1&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" />, their 1988 "best of" album. After another 50 minutes and a two song encore it was over. And therein lies the rub. It's not that it wasn't a good show. The band was in top form, and apart from wearing glasses and looking a little looser in the neck area, Richard Butler looked and sounded as great as he did when I saw them at 328 Performance Hall in 1991. But I couldn't help feeling like the show would have been perfect if it was just ten minutes longer. I'm sure I wasn't the only person who left the venue lamenting that they didn't play "The Ghost In You," though I was probably the only one disappointed that they didn't do anything from </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000008JNB/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000008JNB"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Book of Days</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B000008JNB&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" /> or </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000027JQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B0000027JQ"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">World Outside</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B0000027JQ&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" />, their final two studio albums. Maybe they know their audience better than I do. The room was full of forty- and fifty-somethings who obviously hadn't been to a club show in years (honestly, it felt nice to be in the lower end of the age demographic for a change). Most of the crowd seemed content to sing along to "Love My Way" and "Heartbreak Beat." Personally I would have killed to have heard "House," or "In My Head," or even their final big single "Until She Comes." Alas, it was not to be.<br /><br />In a </span><a href="http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashvillecream/archives/2011/07/07/the-psychedelic-furs-tim-butler-the-cream-interview"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Nashville Cream interview</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">, bassist Tim Butler hinted that the band was working on a new album, which would be their first in twenty years. Richard Butler proved on his solo album (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E6ESJY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000E6ESJY">Richard Butler</a><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B000E6ESJY&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" />) a few years back that he's can still write great songs, so here's to hoping that the next time the Furs tour, it's for something a little more vital than just a greatest hits tour.<br /><br /></span><a href="http://page300.opendrive.com/files/34355097_9M8vB/Make%20It%20Mine.mp3"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">The Psychedelic Furs - "Make It Mine"</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (mp3) from the Until She Comes single </span>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-31264696265607816402011-07-13T21:55:00.002-05:002011-07-14T07:06:34.107-05:00U2, Music City... Magnificient<img src="http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/6738/u2nashville201102.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">U2, with Florence + The Machine<br />Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, TN<br />Saturday, July 2, 2011<br /><br />When you have already seen a band four times, you have a pretty good idea what to expect when you see them again. And when that band is </span><a href="http://www.u2.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">U2</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">, you pretty much know that you're going to see a amazing show. I have seen hundreds and hundreds of concerts, and U2 occupies two spots the list on my top five favorite concerts ever (Murphy Center in Murfreesboro in 1987, and Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY in 2001). In fact, they only time I've seen them and it wasn't great was at the Liberty Bowl on the Pop Mart tour, and even that was a good show, it just wasn't spectacular. You can bash them for being self important, for excessive preachiness, or even for not making a truly great album in 20 years. While I may not agree with you, I can at least see your point on any of those issues. But the one thing no one can ever say about U2 is that they aren't a truly phenominal live act. The only other performer I've ever seen who has the ability to make an arena or a stadium feel as intimate as a club show is Bruce Springsteen.<br /><br />Getting to the show was a nightmare. The lack of public parking on the Vanderbilt campus means you've got to hoof it to the stadium, and with the temperature in the mid-90s and the humidity in the same range, everyone was a hot, sweaty mess by the time they got to there. Vanderbilt Stadium has only four gates to allow entrance, which isn't a problem when you have the smallest stadium in the SEC and you still usually play to a half empty house on Saturdays in the fall. But when you have a sold out concert of 47,000 people, and one of those gates is effectively closed due to the backstage area, the bottleneck trying to get in is insufferable. It didn't get much better once you got inside, as the already narrow concourses were cluttered with beer stands (Vanderbilt usually doesn't allow alcohol sales on campus). So basically by the time I got to my seat, I was both utterly frustrated and practially soaking wet. Once I sat down, I found that the $110 ticket which the seating chart had led me to believe was on the side of the stage was actually a lot closer to the back. I kept thing how much better the setup would have been and LP Field,* and was beginning to think maybe I should have just stayed home and watched </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017F65AG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399377&creativeASIN=B0017F65AG"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Live at Red Rocks</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=dmrdestin&l=as2&o=1&a=B0017F65AG&camp=217145&creative=399377" width="1" height="1" />.<br /><br />My mood didn't get much better when </span><a href="http://florenceandthemachine.net/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Florence + The Machine</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> took the stage. I hadn't heard a lot of them before Saturday night, and their set didn't make me want to hear much of them afterwords. It wasn't terrible or anything, but it definitely wasn't my bag. Despite the presence of a harp player, the music came off as pretty generic mainstream modern rock. Imagine a less bombastic version of Muse fronted by Stevie Nicks singing opera. I guess I am just not a fan of those kind of big voiced singers.<br /><br />Considering the start the evening had gotten off to, I was legitimately concerned that the night might be beyond repair. But when U2 took to the stage, it was like suddenly being transported to another place... a cooler, dryer, happier place. It's not like it suddenly cooled off, but the heat definitely didn't seem so bad. They kicked things off with a four song blast from <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000001DTM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000001DTM">Achtung Baby</a><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B000001DTM&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" /> </em>before going all the way back to their debut album for "I Will Follow." And with them really working the 360 degree stage, the seats really didn't seem so bad after all. Over the course of two and a half hours, they played probably the coolest setlist I've ever seen them do. Sure all the concert staples were there, but sprinkled in between their greatest hits were a lot of songs that I didn't expect to hear, "Zooropa" and "Miss Sarajevo" among them. Hell, I had forgotten that "Scarlet" from </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013LPS98/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B0013LPS98"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">October</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B0013LPS98&camp=217145&creative=399369" width="1" height="1" /> even existed! "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" reminded fans that there was once a time when Bono and The Edge could do songs for a superhero project without it being a unmitigated disaster. They even gave new life to songs I was never crazy about in the first place. "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" and "Discoteque" are definitely not two of my favorite tunes, but I've got to admit that the remixed medly of the two sounded great.<br /><br />Given that this tour has been going on for two years (there were only nine shows left after Nashville), much has already been written of their massive stage, nicknamed "the claw." It was truly an impressive set up, even before giant circular video screen descended and expanded during "Zooropa." For a lot of bands, the gimmicks are needed because that's what makes the show. But with U2, the setting merely enhances what is already going to be great concert (as mentioned earlier, my favorite two shows of theirs were arena shows without all the bells and whistles).<br /><br />I think the thing that really made this such a great show was the sense of spontaneity that you usually don't get from a production like this, and even that despite their reputation I had never seen like this at a U2 show before. At the end of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," Bono whispered into The Edge's ear, and they segued into "The Wanderer" as an impromptu tribute to Johnny Cash. But the real magical moment of the show came at the very end. After playing "Moment Of Surrender" and taking their final bows, Bono started talking to a fan in the front row as the rest of the band made their way off stage. You heard him ask "What do you want to play?" and a minute later security was helping the guy onstage as Bono asked a roadie to bring him his guitar. The whole scene was was surreal... it was truly odd and you couldn't really believe it was happening. As everyone found out the next day, the guy was blind, hence all the help he needed getting on stage and getting the guitar strapped on. Once Bono and the crew got him all set up and he professed how nervous he was, he started strumming the chords to "All I Want Is You" with Bono singing along. After the second verse, the rest of the band started coming in one by one, with The Edge playing piano. It was one of those goosebump inducing moments that you very rarely get, especially in a spectacle filled stadium show. And it's exactly why for my money, U2 is without a doubt the best live band I have ever seen.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://page300.opendrive.com/files/34323349_uysBm/The%20Fly%20[The%20Lounge%20Fly%20Mix].mp3">U2 - "The Fly (Lounge Fly Mix)"</a> (mp3) from The Fly single<br /><br />*Apparently LP Field was the band's first choice of venue to hold the concert, but the Tennessee Titans weren't interested. The CMA Festival (held the first weekend in June) has it in their contract that no other concerts can be held at LP Field in the thirty days before or after their event without their permission, but it turns out that the Titans never bothered to ask them. Perhaps the fact that U2 has had to pay to resod basically every field with natural grass that they've played had (Vanderbilt included) had something to do with that.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">photo courtesy of </span></span><a href="http://www.blueshoenashville.com/u2nashville.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:78%;">Blue Shoe Nashville</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:78%;"> </span>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-13656460168702878882011-06-13T21:28:00.001-05:002011-07-11T21:52:51.485-05:00RIP WRVU<img src="http://www.cmj.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/save-wrvu1-1.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">On Tuesday, June 7 at 2:56 pm, longtime WRVU DJ (and host of hands down the best show on that station, </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nashville-Jumps/293810968959"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Nashville Jumps</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">) Pete Wilson played Johnny Thunder's "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory." And then... nine hours of static. At midnight, Nashville's beloved college radio station 91.1 </span><a href="http://www.wrvu.org/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">WRVU</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> became Classical 91.1, the all classical affiliate of Nashville Public Radio's WPLN.<br /><br />This story has been brewing for a long time, so I won't post the details. It's been covered in more detail </span><a href="http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/ArticleArchives?tag=WRVU"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">here</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">, and if you need background I suggest you read Nashville Cream's articles regarding the rape and pillage of Vanderbilt's student run radio station. As much as people rallied to fight it, I think deep down most of us knew it was a forgone conclusion once Vanderbilt Student Communications said they were "exploring the option" of selling the stations broadast license. The writing was definitely on the wall. VSC's director, Chris Carroll, has a bit of a history of dismantling college radio stations. And while there were many students, alumni and staff who were dedicated to making the station great, a vast majority of Vandy's students just didn't give a shit.<br /><br />I've been a regular listener of WRVU for over 20 years. It was where I first heard bands like R.E.M., Arcade Fire, The Replacements and Soundgarden long before they broke into the mainstream. I can't tell you the number of bands I now love who I first heard because a clued in volunteer DJ wanted to share them with the world. I've been in bands that were interviewed and performed on the station. I've attended more benefit shows than I could count. And in a round about way, I started this blog because of WRVU. It was by reading online counterpart to WRVU's </span><a href="http://outtheother.typepad.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Out The Other</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> that first got me reading music blogs, and eventually deciding that I should start one myself. To say that WRVU has had a huge influence on my life, musical and otherwise, would be an understatement.<br /><br />While WRVU isn't technically dead, it will never be the same. Online streaming is great, but it doesn't match the local reach and accessibility of terrestrial radio. And while it will still be broadcast over WPLN's HD3 channel this fall, raise your hand if you own an HD radio? Yeah, that's what I thought. If my favorite DJs and shows are back on the station this fall, I'll seek them out via online streams, but I can't say I'd blame them if they walked away. I hope they don't. </span>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-43650214822604752532011-05-20T22:03:00.000-05:002011-06-20T22:03:30.539-05:00Wasting Light<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41CN127Ha8L._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Foo Fighters - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LUHQ1G/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B004LUHQ1G">Wasting Light</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B004LUHQ1G&camp=217145&creative=399373" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" /><a href="http://www.foofighters.com/us/home">Foo Fighters</a> have been one of my favorite bands since I saw them open for Mike Watt before their first album was even released. But over their past two albums, they had kind of reached a point where the singles were good, but the rest of the albums were a little too close to MOR classic rock for my tastes. I never even got around to buying <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UFAURI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000UFAURI">Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace</a>, which is something considering what a completest I normally am. Although the news of them working with producer Butch Vig (who you might remember also produced a little known album by Dave Grohl's old band) was encouraging, he had also done the two new tracks on for their <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002OFWG7E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B002OFWG7E">Greatest Hits</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B002OFWG7E&camp=217145&creative=399369" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; font-style: italic;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> album, and "Wheels" left me kind of empty.</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Then in February one of my friends sent me a link to the Foos website, which had a 30 second preview of "Bridge Building," and I've got to say, it definitely got me paying attention. That song opens <span style="font-style: italic;">Wasting Light</span>, and pretty much sets the tone for what's to come... an almost unrelenting wall of hard rock and crunching guitars. It's not that they've suddenly stopped writing hooks, but the songs are backed by a much harder edge than they've had recently. Part of that can be attributed to the return to full time status of Pat Smear, which means most of the songs have at least three guitarists on them, and on songs like "Rope," it allows for three distinct simultaneous guitar parts. And when there are only two parts, like on "White Limo," there is a lot more OOMPH. Basically this is the hardest the Grohl has rocked since his <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00012M5S2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B00012M5S2">Probot</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B00012M5S2&camp=217145&creative=399369" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> side project, and the best Foo Fighters album since their sophomore effort, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QEIORG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000QEIORG">Colour & The Shape</a>. Call it a welcome return to form.</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >I'll also warn you that buying the Best Buy exclusive expanded version is pretty much a waste of money. The remix of "Rope" is unlistenable for most rock fans, and the other track, "Better Off," is hardly essential. So unless you like owning videos that are otherwise available on Youtube, save a couple of bucks and just buy the standard edition.</span>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-82451731842924578692011-05-08T20:33:00.003-05:002011-05-24T21:09:42.600-05:00No D In Threesome<img src="http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/1733/interpol.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Interpol, w/ School Of Seven Bells</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Monday, May 2, 2011</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I've always made it a point to get to concerts in time to see the opening act, even if I'm not familiar with them before hand. There are a lot of reasons for this. Part of it is I've played in bands off and on since high school, so I know how much it sucks to play to a half empty room. But I've also discovered some of my favorite bands by seeing them open for someone else. Of course it's not always that way. Sometimes you have to sit through 45 minutes of pure crap, as was the case last time I saw Interpol at the Ryman, and Liars opened.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">This time more than made up for that though, as </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.sviib.com/">School Of Seven Bells</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> were fantastic. They definitely have a bit of a shoegazer vibe, falling somewhere on the musical venn diagram between Curve and The Cocteau Twins. Guitarist Benjamin Curtis (ex-Secret Machines) looked like a dead ringer for Joe Jonas, but his guitar playing was a perfect combination of Kevin Shields and The Edge. With last falls departure of founding member Claudia Deheza, her twin sister Alejandra was left to cover vocals on her own, but the songs definitely didn't suffer from the lack of harmonies. And the addition of live drums gave the songs an extra kick from the loops that make up most of their recorded output. It certainly had a different feel than their albums, but it sounded equally great.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I was curious to see whether I'd enjoy </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.interpolnyc.com/">Interpol</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> as much as I did last time for two reasons. One was that bassist Carlos Dengler had departed just after releasing their latest self titled album. The other was that I found that album, </span><a style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UDBSW8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B003UDBSW8">Interpol</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B003UDBSW8&camp=217145&creative=399349" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; font-family: trebuchet ms;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">, to be a huge letdown. So I was kind of surprised that either the new songs sound a lot better live, or they just seem cooler when surrounded by selections from the rest of their catalog. Opening with "Success," the eighteen song set was equally divided between their four albums, with the early b-side "Specialist" thrown in for good measure. The highlight of the set came exactly at the halfway point with "Lights," the one standout track from their new album which sounded even more incredible live.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Throughout the evening, guitarist Daniel Kessler's epileptic Fred Astaire moves had his roadie playing cord wrangler, and Paul Banks exuded the kind of slightly goofy charm that reminds you of that guy in high school who seemed to move effortlessly through all the various cliques and was friends with everyone. Casual fans might not have even noticed that Carlos D is no longer in the band, as touring bassist Brad Truax had the same wide legged, low slung stance that Dengler often had. But there were a few moments, like on the verses of "Evil," where the bass wasn't quite as locked in with the drums as you'd want it to be. Granted, its probably not something most people would notice, but when you've spent your whole life in the rhythm section like I have, these are the things you hear. But aside from being nit picky, it's also totally forgivable, as Truax has only been playing with the band for a few weeks. And when they send you home with a killer version of "Slow Hands," it's hard to complain about anything.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/site-images.vagrant.com/audio_items/269/01_Windstorm.mp3">School Of Seven Bells - "Windstorm"</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> (mp3) from </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PBYT5S/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B003PBYT5S">Disconnect From Desire</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B003PBYT5S&camp=217145&creative=399349" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; font-family: trebuchet ms;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">photo courtesy of </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://nashville.metromix.com/events/essay_photo_gallery/flashed-interpol/2596433/content">Nashville Metromix</a></span>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33020550.post-3996917441797326352011-04-30T20:37:00.002-05:002011-05-24T21:10:07.822-05:00Different Gear, Still Speeding<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BWZTI7YHL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Beady Eye - </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LGPBZI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B004LGPBZI">Different Gear Still Speeding</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B004LGPBZI&camp=217145&creative=399349" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; font-family: trebuchet ms;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I always thought that Oasis without Noel Gallagher would suck. Turns out that's not the case at all. I guess it shouldn't be all that surprising. As the band went on, Noel began ceding the songwriting duties, to the point that on their last three albums half the songs were attributed to other band members. It was said that </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.beadyeyemusic.com/">Beady Eye</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> considered carrying on under the Oasis banner without him, but changing monikers was probably a good move. Though it hardly frees them from their history of being one of England's biggest bands of all time, it does allow them to put a new spin on things.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Their debut album really isn't a huge departure from their old band's catalog. It's a similar concept... catchy ass pop songs born from the DNA of sixties and seventies rock. That said, there is a new energy throughout the album that Oasis frankly hadn't had in years. It does suffer from some of the same weaknesses. For instance, the lyrics sometimes border on banal. But there is no doubt that Liam and the boys are having a lot of fun, especially on tracks like then anthemic "Bring The Light." And when they do evoke the sounds of their heroes, it's less of a ripoff and more of a homage. For instance, "Beatles And Stones" manages to evoke the early sixties singles of both bands without directly ripping off either. </span></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LGPBZI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dmrdestin&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B004LGPBZI">Different Gear Still Speeding</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B004LGPBZI&camp=217145&creative=399349" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">manages to be familiar and fresh at the same time. Frankly, they couldn't have picked a more perfect album title.</span></span>Darrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598714186270566806noreply@blogger.com1