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Allah-Las- Calico Review (Mexican Summer)- While many will say the early part of the 21st century was a high point for garage rock, I am partial to recent years. There are a lot of great bands out there that are authentic heirs to the Nuggets crown- The Golden Boys, The Growlers, Mystic Braves, and many more- not to mention reunions by the Sonics, Zombies, and Fleshtones, and near mainstream success of Ty Stegall and King Tuff. Like 2014’s Worship the Sun, this album is a bit uneven, but it’s still pretty great. Where the previous worked was definitely in line with the 1965 crowd, like the Mystic braves, these guys have transitioned to ’67, as if they heard Sgt Pepper’s, Forever Changes and the Velvet Underground for the first time. At times, they nail the Velvets sound, while “Famous Phone Figure” would make Colin Moulding jealous he didn’t write it first.

Banks and Steelz
Anything but Words (Warner Bros)– 2016 was a good year for some odd pairings. While I never enjoyed the Wu Tang Clan to the extent most indie fans did, I did appreciate few could make a soundscape like RZA. Here RZA aka Bobby Digital aka Bobby Steelz teams with the often underappreciated Interpol frontman Paul Banks. Debut single “Love and War” slammed like Run the Jewels. The question of course was the rest of the album as good and would it bear repeated listenings. The answers to both questions are yes. ABW is a strong album of the year contender. There’s an all-star guest list of rappers who lay rhymes over Banks’ plaintive sound; which means even with all of its differences, it’s hard not to compare to the Gorillaz. Still, top of the class.

David Bowie Blackstar (ISO)- Given the circumstances of the release, it’s hard to offer any criticism. Indeed, this is one of the most well-loved albums of the year. I will probably make no friends by offering a word of dissent, but I don’t think it is a five star album. Of course, my problem lies more with Big Indie (Pitchfork, AV Club, DiS, CoS, Spin, Quietus, etc). Upon Bowie’s death, it was immediately proclaimed that this was his masterpiece, and The Next Day wasn’t so good after all. Which is what I have a problem with. Bowie has had a solid record the last 20 years, and even though he has had some missteps in his career, there are only really a few. To me, this album reminds me of what Bowie was doing in the mid-90s. I will say it certainly is more consistent than those releases, but I don’t think it towers over his recent output. Which isn’t saying this isn’t wonderful (It is), but that his other recent albums have been quite good.

Tracy Bryant Subterranean(Burger Records)- Again, my problem is with Big Indie is that they spend time promoting Beyonce and Taylor Swift when they should really be finding artists like this. Bryant is the lead singer of Corners, a band I was not familiar with, but deals in this kind of garage and psychedelic music. This record is fantastic- more modern (a la Ty Segall) than Allah Las- style nostalgic. Allmusic compares him to the Cramps which wasn’t the first band I thought of, but does drive the point hime that if you love reverb, you should check out this great record.

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree (Bad Seeds Ltd) – Like Bowie’s record, this one is hard to separate from the tragedy (the death of his 15 year old son) , still I will try to stick to reviewing the record. Cave has been so consistently great over the years that it’s hard to compare this album to the discography and recent work. I would say better than his last, but less good than the prior to. It’s almost hard to say when this would be a defining work in anyone else’s catalogue. Cave, Warren Ellis and longtime producer Nick Launay have made an album that is sounds so intimate, it’s almost disturbingly so. For me, I prefer Cave with the traditional rock fourpiece sound of the Blixa Bargeld/Mick Harvey days to the Ellis soundscapes, but no doubt this is a good album.

Colvin and Earle
s/t (Fantasy) –Maybe not an obvious pairing, but what a great duo. I always wonder what Steve Earle is going to do next, and he always keeps you guessing. The two advertise this project as more Crosby Stills and Nash than Conway & Loretta, and it indeed is a fine folk album. Everything about the record is so well done that it almost sounds like it is all covers. (It is mostly originals, though the expanded edition includes a necessary cover of the Beatles “Baby in Black” as well as one standard from both artists career). This is one of those albums that Big Indie would never deem ‘important’, and it really isn’t much more than two friends playing songs they love, but what a great end to end listen, that I am sure I will still be listening to(in parts if not full) ten years from now.

Dinosaur Jr
Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not (Jagjaguwar)- What’s more improbable- that J, Lou and Murph have stuck together a decade since reuniting or that four albums in, they seem to make it all so effortless. It’s as if they have never stopped, and as much as I doted on their last album, it’s possible that this is even better. The gut reaction might be that it should be obvious that any time this band plugs in, a near classic will be made, but if that’s true, then why can’t the Pixies (and others) do it. It’s a Dinosaur Jr record, so I don’t know what else I can add, but they’re still going strong. It would seem ludicrous to consider that they are better now than they were in their heyday, but it’s also quite possible.
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Bad Vibes: Britpop and My Part in Its DownfallBad Vibes: Britpop and My Part in Its Downfall by Luke Haines

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This may be the best book of this kind ever. I love Luke Haines, and the first three Autuers records are great. But he's frustratingly anti-commerical to the point he makes Neil Young look like New Kids on the Block.

In recent years, his recorded output contains very few standard records, but does contain a concept album about a fox named Gene Vincent and other animals named Nick Lowe and Jimmy Pursey; and a "dance" album made with ambient sounds from a British Nuclear Bunker. Many indie bands would title an album "9 and a half Psychedelic Meditations on British Wrestling of the 1980s and 80s", but only Haines would record an album that actually is described by the title.

So, Haines generally comes off as someone with nothing to lose, which is why he may be the only person who gets away with slagging off everyone. Haines trashes everyone, with rare exception- Suede's rhythm section and Donna from Elastica (mostly) get favorable words. Everyone else is terrible, especially Ocean Colour Scene, David Gray, and Oasis (with Noel fawning over Luke everywhere he turns up). Also, as I have seen him state elsewhere, he really hated the Velvet Underground reunion.

But Haines is wickedly funny which is why it works (and not wrong). It's tempting to compare this to the much critically loved Morrissey Autobiography, but Moz was trying to hard to be Thomas Hardy and Oscar Wilde. Haines just lets it rip.

At the beginning, Haines is stuck to a dead end record label. He's mostly teetotal and drug-free. He forms a band with his girlfriend and a journeyman drummer, and takes a gig opening for the new band Suede (Drummer, says "Slade? I love 'em").

In short time, Suede explodes, and the Auteurs get good. Select Magazine run a cover article saying Suede, Autuers, Pulp., Denim and St Etienne are the future of music, but only the first two are not deemed too old to be cool.The press grabs on the song "American Guitars" and think it's an anthem against American grunge.

France thinking Autuers is a nod to the band as Francophiles, embrace the band. The first two Autuers albums are hits.

Then it goes off the rails. Haines engages in self-destructive behavior that takes him out of commision. The third album is delayed in promotion to release. It probably doesn't help that it's the antithesis of Britpop - a darkly-themed Steve Alibini record that mainly centers around grisly deaths (and lest we forget, it's brilliant).

At this point, Suede has failed to break America, and improbably, Blur embraces the most self-parodying moments of Britpop. It's a farce, but it gets worse. Kurt Cobain dies, and Oasis whose first album got middling reviews start to become the face of Alternative music.

None of which helps Haines conquer the UK, the US, or anywhere. Relegated to the also-rans, even Pulp managed to break through; and Haines hates the also-rans- there's a scene with too much acid and a bar full of members of Gene, Elastica, Sleeper and OCS among others. (I was there, though in the US and have a soft spot for the best of those bands, and as the years go by, even a softer spot for the worst- Echobelly, These Animal Man, SMASH

As time went on, the band has added a Cello Player, who never gets mentioned as anything else but The Cellist (Even Rourke and Joyce get better treatment in Moz's book). The drummer is jettisoned, for a couple of studio hands, but the magic is gone.

At Britpop's height, with Oasis hanging with the Prime Minister and The Verve with a #1 hit- Haines loathes The Verve- Haines abandons the Autuers for a electronic project that is a 'tribute' to 1970s terrorist groups like the SLA and Germany's Baader-Meinhof gang. Haines suggests Patti Smith and Patty Hearst are the correct icons, but even someone who can have a minor hit with a song about a Rudolph Valentino/Lenny Bruce mashup dream, has a hard time selling this concept.

An Auteurs tour is quickly aborted as it looks like tickets aren't selling (but only after they have flown to the States). Haines meets insane fans in Spain and Japan, who may actually kill him. The Baader Meinhof project looks to be a live act failure as they only have 29 minutes of material. they open for John Cale and little else.

The end nears as Britpop dies with the gasp of Be Here Now. In the (amusing) footnotes, Haines claism that he still has never listened to the album, but even unheard, he's not wrong. Haines is working on producing an album by John Moore- one of a succession of drummers for the Jesus and Mary Chain. Haines writes a ditty with the chorus "Life is Unfair. Kill yourself or Get Over it"- the kind of song that only a female could sing- so he hires Moore and Sarah Nixey and the book ends with the formation of Black Box Recorder.

I could not put it down. It is like Haines's best musical work in that it's irreverent but also often very funny. Haines only way of apology is the intro where he says this is the way he felt in his 20s and clearly he does not think such things now.

Intentionally or not, the book also does a tremendous job of setting the musical climate at the beginning of each chapter. For example, the first Auteurs release comes out in a world listening to the Shamen and/or Tad. Though there are moments where Britpop is mainstream, we are reminded throughout that the pop charts are always ruled by the Pop World- Jacko, Whitney, Mariah, Take That, Spice Girls and Elton. Rock music is always the footnote.



View all my reviews
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It occurred to me that I forgot to mention that I saw Joan Jett throw out the first pitch at a Chicago Cubs game.

Image result for joan jett cubs

(obviously not my photo)


If you are looking for a payoff on this sotry, there isn't one, except I can say I saw Joan Jett throw the first pitch at a Cubs game. I thought maybe she would sing the National Anthem, or more likely, at least sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the Seventh inning stretch - a Cubs tradition- though apparently that has stopped after years of butchering by the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Romo, Jim Belushi, Denise Richards, David Cross, drunk Eddie Vedder, Mr T, William Hung and countless others.

Joan just played the Main Stage at the Iowa State Fair as part of the Hall Three- three acts that are in the Rock Hall of Fame- Cheap Trick, Heart, and all.

Jett's career usually gets downplayed, likely because she is known for one huge hit which is a cover. Though to be fair, so are Soft Cell, Naked Eyes, Toni Basil, Alien Ant Farm, Pseudo Echo, Quiet Riot, Bow Wow Wow, the Ataris, and I suppose if you are splitting hairs (no pun intended) Sinead O' Connor.

Still, I do suppose it has to do with a career where her other most famous songs were covers of Tommy James, Gary Glitter, AC/DC, Sly Stone, and Jonathan Richman.

So let's not forget that she wrote or co-wrote "Cherry Bomb", "Bad Reputation" and "I Hate Myself for Loving You"- all evergreens. She produced the Germs GI album- a punk classic, and though it no longer seems revolutionary (and this is in part of her) she fronted a rock band and played guitar- things that were considered much un-ladylike a mere 35 years ago.

Speaking of the Iowa State Fair, it's time for my annual recap of the bands on the Free Stage.

I am not saying that playing on the Iowa State Fair Free Stage means you are no longer relevant and you're washed up, but... it certainly may imply that.

Besides, if you can make money by making music and not working a "real" job, more power to you.

Here goes:

Stryper  - You might be expecting me to make fun of this band, but to be honest, they are one of the most successful Christian Rock bands of all time,   They also seem to have ditched the yellow and black for a serious look, which looks somewhat silly but I also can't suggest anything better.  Cityview, the local entertainment paper doesn't say, but I believe it's the original lineup, and with the end of his campaign, Ted Cruz may be available.

The Grass roots- Who i think are underrated- "Sooner or Later" or "Let's Live for Today" are surely playing on some radio somewhere right now.  Also "Temptation Eyes" and "Midnight Confessions".  All songs that your mom likes, but I also don't change the channel when they come on.  Like The Association with guitar crunch.

Color Me Badd - One new member, still wants to sex you up.

Heffron Drive- I know that is the singer from Big Time Rush, and not so long ago, BTR were huge with a movie in theaters and stuff.  I couldn't tell you a single song, but I know they had a TV show on Nickelodeon, so I am sure I would know more if I was in the appropriate age group.  This is the serious guitars, tattoos, and facial hair years.

Deana Carter- One of many country acts that play here.  I only bring her up as she has one of the greatest album titles ever "Did I shave my legs for this?"  Okay, I will mention a few of the other country acts- Marty Stuart (who certainly has some bonafides with his connections to Johnny Cash, Bill Monroe, and Jerry Lee Lewis), , Johnny Lee ("Lookin for Love(in all the wrong places)" was a huge hit when I was a kid in those Urban Cowboy years, and is still widely known) and Leroy Van Dyke (who brought auctioneering to pop music, which I thought was really cool when I was a kid).

Vixen- Per Cityview, no original members are still with the band, but it seems to be misleading as they are referencing the 1973 lineup.  Everyone knows Vixen from the big hair and makeup days circa 1988-1990 and of the big hair and makeup acts, they were the only all-female act.  Most of that lineup that people would identify is still intact.

Lynch Mob- Which is George Lynch and whoever else, which I suppose is fine

Ratt- Drummer Bobby Blotzer is the only original member

The Temptations- Only one original member of that legendary bands.  Probably not unexpected.  Also that member isn't Kendricks or Ruffin.

Brett Michaels- Because, of course

and finally

Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters- I would certainly never reference BBT as an actor with a band.  Probably the most surprising thing about this band is that it featured Unknown Hinson (sans makeup) on bass.

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So for awhile, I have said that I don't have much time for tv, so I don't blog often about it.  I usually feel like I am a bit out of touch.  But it isn't like I don't watch tv at all.  Anyway, these are odds and ends, but things I thought worthwhile.

Ernie Ball: The Pursuit of Tone - (Audience Channel)-  This is ostensibly a series of musician interviews on one of those more obscure (but often worthwhile) satellite channels.  Episode one was Mike Ness of Social Distortion.  I do not know who else will be interviewed, and the Ernie Ball website only mentions Ness.  It is clearly not a weekly series, but my understanding is that it will be a series.  Ernie Ball, of course, being the well-known maker of guitar strings.

It was good to see Ness given the legend treatment.  I feel like he is an underrated modern musician.  He chronicled his life from childhood up to what may be his next album, with plenty of appropriate video footage and songs insomuch it feels like a totally authorized documentary.

Ness talked about his influences- Sex Pistols, T Rex, Stones, CCR, Lucinda Williams all get mentions, while he says he currently digs the Rhianna (!) record "Anti" and the Rick Rubin produced Tom Petty album "Wildflowers".

I often think Ness doesn't get the credit he deserves because he's not particularly prolific, and it is apparent from the interview, he is careful to protect the Social Distortion brand.  Even releasing the solo albums was a clear distinction in that it wasn't SD music.  He seems very particular to what is recorded and released, and I think that is apparent.  He also doesn't want to try and ape being a 20-year old forever.

It was very professionally done in comparison to similar shows.  I thought it was interesting for Ness fans and well worth it for them.  I suspect it is on demand and possibly on social media video share sites, as well as being re-ran.  (I have since seen where they have done one on Buddy Guy, and Billy Duffy of the Cult will be next.

Jackie Robinson (PBS)-  I probably don't need to recommend a Ken Burns film, but it is four hours, so figure I would give you a nudge.  I knew I would probably like it, and I did.  What I liked most about it was that it really develops the Robinson story.

Jackie had a Hollywood biopic and everyone generally knows the story (which is fascinating), but I think most people get to "Jackie made it to the Dodgers.  There was some bigotry and racism, but they got over it, because he was such a good player and made the team."

It wasn't so easy.  There were all the problems we have heard about, but they continued.  People might tolerate one black ballplayer, but what happens when a team has more blacks than whites.  What happens when there are no black coaches and some teams don't have any African American players, and Jackie is vocal about it?

Jackie becomes an activist, but he is always pushing for more, less willing to keep his mouth shut than say the loved Roy Campanella.  Jackie supports Nixon in 1960 as he feels JFK will only keep the party line in the South.  Jackie has his heart broken when Nixon refuses to do anything about the arrested Martin Luther King.  In '64, he again supports the Republicans- this time Nelson Rockefeller, and again is heartbroken when the GOP nominates Barry Goldwater, someone he cannot support.

There are a lot of uneasy questions.  The Pee Wee Reece moment comes up.  Burns says it probably never happened.  Slate says it probably did.  In any case, white America makes Pee Wee as big of a hero as Jackie.  Burns also suggests that Branch Rickey didn't sign Jackie for altruism so much as Fiorello LaGuardia was pressuring the owners.

It is, as you can guess, well done, and a fascinating fuller picture than what we usually get.  Well worth the time, and currently available on the PBS website, and surely to be shown in perpetuity

Race for the White House (CNN)  Clearly this is a ratings grab- it's an election year, and so we have President Frank Underwood narrating (from the popular House of Cards).  In any case, as a political junkie, I am in.

Kevin Spacey narrates and helped co-produce.  It is a six part series which picks six elections from the past and highlights.  There's some obvious Truman-Dewey, JFK-Nixon, Lincoln-Douglas, the contentious Andrew Jackson- JQ Adams (II) and the modern- Bush-Dukakis and Bush-Clinton.

Each episode is an hour, which for me wasn't enough.  In the hour, they cover the cycle from primary to general election, and with such a small amount of time (minus commercials) only really have time to focus on 2 or 3 main points.  I get more than an hour may be tedious for others, but that's me.

It is fascinating, and I felt I learned from each episode, despite knowing the subjects very well.  Because, it's CNN- the people they got to appear and give insight are the biggest political movers and shakers of our day- Begala, Carville, Matalin, Sununu, Buchanan, Gingrich, Estrich, Howard Dean, Wesley Clark  and David Plouffe.

I also thought the re-enactments were well done.  Some times on the History Channel or other similar stations, I feel like wrong casting or lack of budget take away from the show.  Here, everything was top notch.

Bush-Dukakis seems an odd choice (Bush-Clinton at least has Perot), but I think it was selected (and works well) because it is modern but enough time has also passed to talk about it.  Dukakis himself contributes.  Dukakis might have been better served by a little bit of Attwater-style attack ads, and his son says he knew the "tank" was a bad idea.

These will likely be re-run and seem to be available.  I would certainly recommend for political junkies.

(Note: While my intention here was to focus on recent documentaries I watched, I did catch a BBC film Nazi Titanic which was something I did not know about.  It is about the 1943 German film Titanic, which in typical Nazi propaganda style, wanted to challenge Hollywood's dominance by telling the story of how a ship is sunk because of short-sighted British and Jewish bankers, while a heroic German (!) captain warns of an impending iceberg.    It amuses to a great degree that during World War 2, the Germans wanted to win the propaganda war that they went so far as to send entire naval divisions to the filming, instead of you know, the Front, which is where they were likely better served.  The Germans spent ridiculous amounts of money on the film, and that is literally only the start of what a disaster it was.  Even more ironic is after such an over the top backstory, the film eventually gets banned by Goebells as he thinks it will hurt morale instead of improving it.   You can read more here and I suspect this film is online if you search, or certainly will be shown again on the History Channel)





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I have done this for years, but it has been awhile.  I have always had my pulse to Top 40 music.  While my passions have generally been those artists that don't make these kind of countdowns, I grew up attached to Casey Kasem's Top 40 and always looked enthusiastically at the local pop station's Top 30.

At this point of my life (I'm a Man! I'm 40!), things have inevitably-no matter how I have resisted- taken a turn for the unhip.  I inevitably don't have all the names and faces down that I would have once had.  In a strange way, having Sirius XM for three-plus years probably has me more attuned to things in the pop world than I ever would have before.

That said, I don't know for the most part what any of these artists looks like, I haven't seen music videos in years, and I often, don't even know the songs.  i just know that they scroll along at recurring rates.

So, I know Iggy Azalea is popular, even before "Fancy" took over the masses. I just figured they opened for Faster Pussycat and Guns N Roses at the Whiskey in '89.  (I am not here to bash Ms. Azalea.  I don't like her music but people are on social media every second bashing her so, I don't feel any extra need).

Sirius does play tricks on me.  Naughty Boy had a huge hit in 2014, and my assumption for some time was that Naughty by Nature.  I don't know why (obviously the number of characters) but a comeback by NBN in 2014 seemed like the most natural thing in the world.  Why hasn't Treach and the gang earned their "You Better, You Bet" moment.

Sirius has pointed me to some other comebacks, most notably Better than Ezra who had a minor hit on Adult Contemporary radio.  (I am not here to bash BTE either.  They were better than many of their contemporaries, and they had at least two bona fide hits, but they seem like the poster child for one hit wonders.



It was Sirius XM that alerted me to Tom Keifer's comeback a couple of years ago. Of all of his contemporaries, I thought he had the biggest chance of a late career redemption (Yeah, Cinderella were as made up in glam as much as anyone, but hidden was a real love for Stones-y blues). That comeback wasn't that good and the single stalled as well.

Sirius alerted me to the Adult Alternative success of Passenger's "Let Her Go" which means everyone around me was sick of the song a good four months before everyone else was sick of that song.

The state of music in 2015 also gives us the weird irony of indie rock critics fawning over the new Taylor Swift album. I don't have a problem with liking something popular, but I find it strange that the same people who complain that everything REM did after they signed to a major label, also love the pop stylings of Ms. Swift. Was 1Direction's new album too edgy?

Which reminds me, I did catch the American Music Awards. If you watched the AMAs, you were reminded that 25 years ago, the New Kids on the Block swept all the honors.

I used to hate that, but I have found a way to love the AMAs. This year, One Direction had a NKOTB-like sweep. And why not? They are probably the most popular band on the planet. Why shouldn't they win?

At least, it beats the Grammies, which tries to straddle the line of what is popular and what is 'serious' music.

For example, Christina is a serious artist, but Britney isn't. Adele is crowned as a modern-day Billy Holliday.

It also leads to the ridiculousness of awarding a metal grammy to Jethro Tull and the disgrace of that serious R&B institution that was known as Milli Vanilli.

At least the AMAs are honest about it, while the Grammys shunned bands like Led Zepplin, the Doors, the Who and so many others until many years after their relevance.

Funny enough, 1D did perform live on the show and at this point in their career look visually like Radiohead if you had the show on mute.

So that's 2015 as we start out, and 2014 in a nutshell. I wouldn't be me if I didn't leave without a joke, so here goes.

Bastille? Am I right? Is this a real band? Are we sure this isn't a Coen Brothers construct like Autobahn?

Bastille couldn't be more perfect. They sound like they want to be A Flock of Seagulls. They look like they should be in an 80s copy of Smash Hits.

And that name?

Is there a more perfect name for a nostalgic 80s act?

There's not. Verdun? Versailles? Degaulle? Marceau? Petain?

No, you can try, but there's no more perfect name. I only wish I had got there first.

Bastards.
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Not that I need to, but being a huge U2 fan for many years, feel it necessary to blog about the new album.

Right?  that's not neccesary, becuase you probably have access to it, and really don't need to know if it is any good from me.

Still, what's the point of having a blog, right, if you don't talk about such things.

Of course, right now, the actual music is besides the point.  Google search "U2 New album" and you get links like CNET telling you how to remove the files from your device.

That said, Rolling Stone did give it five stars.  Is it good?

I'm a fan and this is as much of a  love-them-or-hate-them band as anyone.  The Apple release (unlike In Rainbows which people mostly admired regardless of their views on Radiohead) pretty much falls down that divide- OMG! what a giving band or what an arrogant, self-serving corporate move.

I am generally always of the former, and appreciate the free music.

The album's concept itself falls very much into that dichotomy.  it is a band that is paying homage to its influences and it's starts.

I appreciate that, but if you hate U2, it seems ham-handed.  It's always been that way.  "This is a song Charles Manson stole from the Beatles.. we're stealing it back".

U2's influences are all ours.  This album is dedicated and influenced by the Beach Boys, the Clash, the Ramones, and Patti Smith.  These are all of our favorites.  (I asked this when Luke Haines released his New York in the 70s earlier this year.  Why can certain bands pay homage, and others do the same and look derivative).  U2 has always worn its heart on its sleeve (Beatles, Elvis, Hendrix, Billie Holiday) and being the biggest band in the world has given them access to the most unbelievable icons of our time (Sinatra, Cash, Dylan, Mick n Keef, BB King, Burroughs, Lou Reed, Bukowski, Orbison).  If you had the chance, how could you envy them.

So, the album is divisive in that respect already.  It is fair, though, to say this is the same band that released Boy.  It is their legacy.  It may not be as exciting or feel as important as when Peter Hook plays a Joy Division song or Jah Wobble and Keith Levene tour together, but in some aspects it's not that much different.

Of course, the band never went away.  That's the thing, right?  I loved this band for many, many years, but eventually everyone reaches that point.  To me, it was All that you can't Leave Behind.  The previous two albums were a bit of duds commercially, but Behind (save the single) was the first time the band no longer sounded "new".  They had been "big" for awhile, so I hesitate to say they were 'groundbreaking' in the 90s, but they were still pushing forward.

Behind sounded mature.  Time has shown my initial disappointment in that album was unfounded.  Circumstances made that album important.  It may not be the U2 album you wanted, but it was the U2 album you needed.  There was 9/11 of course that brought things into context, but the inward-looking  album fit the lives of their fans who were raising children, getting divorced, moving away...

The 2000s however showed that bands can't always hit that amount of popularity and remain.  U2 now as like the Stones, instead of caling it a day, they would churn out an album every few years and hit the road.  We would be excited to hear new material, but nothing would ever be a surprise again.  It's not that it was bad (Everybody has a favorite postTTattoo You Stones moment.  For me, it's Steel Wheels, but I haven't played that album in literally years).  Atomic Bomb  is for lack of a better word, fine.  No Line on the Horizon was going through the paces.

At that moment, U2 had been literally passed by the most recent group of graduates from their school of influence.  Coldplay had started as a copy, but were now making more interesting music.  The Killers had in three years gone from new wave popstar wannabes to brooding Joshua Tree arena rockers.

So, a change in the U2 camp is probably needed.  Having largely ditched the long time braintrust of Lillywhite/Eno/Lanois/Flood, I was excited to hear that they were collaborating with one of my favorites Danger Mouse.  The new camp also included Paul Epworth (most know for his work with Adele) and Ryan Tedder (mostly well known as frontman of One Republic, but responsible for dozens of hit pop songs in recent years, which include some of the very best to be played on the radio, as well some of the very worst).

I do think it is this crew that does elevate the album.

The bad:  I give this group of songs the same label I gave Coldplay for many years.  they are enjoyable, but largely forgettable.  I have heard "The Miracle of Joey Ramone" maybe 100 times now (more with that Apple ad) and I couldn't tell you but one lyric besides the hook.  It's a very good song, but it's not a great single (and the title is cheesy, but I will let it slide).

Even at the best moments, when U2 is cranking it up on songs lie "Volcano" and "Raised by Wolves" (these songs will sound great I am sure (and fit perfectly) on stage performed inbetween "I Will Follow" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday"), but would if I were to remake War would I leave off a song and replace it one of these.  I can't say that I would (Or Boy for that matter (Or October really, really for that matter).

The good:  I do like the album, and can't say there is any song on the album that I don't like.  Like All that you... this is a solidly made album of good songs.  There are no great lyrical moments for me, but the production team still takes that to the next level.

The songs do harken to 20th century U2, and as I said, I really enjoy that.  I am surprised that "The Troubles" wasn't written by Ben Stiller, but it along with "Every Breaking Wave" and "Sleep like a Baby Tonight" would fit well on Zooropa or Pop.  I appreciate the collaboration with Lykke Li, who I feel is a great new(ish) artist and in line with what they want to do in staying modern.

For the last 30+ years, people have been ripping off the Edge, and the music on the album is the best "Edge" homage I have heard in years.  Better yet, the guy on this album who is blatantly playing an Edge (circa early 80s0 sound is the actual man himself.

The other: "This is where you reach me now" is supposedly inspired by the Clash.  it sounds like the kind of a song a band who was opening for U2 in the 80s would have had a minor hit with.

Overall, I am happy with this album.  I think Rolling Stone is being hyperbolic by giving it five stars, but it's a consistent album with a lot of good songs.

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Part 3...  If it's not here, then it's not on the list.

 

Moby  Innocents (Arts and Crafts) – Unnoticed by many, Moby is quietly putting out one solid album after another.  Innocents is clearly in the mold of Play and Everything is Wrong, but lacks the publicity that attracted people to those albums.  Like 2011’s Destroyed, these songs are as good as any he’s recorded, except this time he brings a list of all star guests –Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips (the excellent single “The Perfect Life”), Mark Lanegan, Damian Jurardo, and Skylar Grey and a star producer Spike Stent (everyone from U2 to the Spice Girls, Massive Attack and Lady Gaga, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Ellie Goulding, Madonna and the Kaiser Chiefs).  Well worth seeking out.

Scott and Charlene’s Wedding Any Port in a Storm (Fire)- Australian Craig Dermody’s project is the next true heir to the Modern Lovers  style and sound- self-loathing and lo-fi.  When the music doesn’t sound like the  Velvet’s (or Velvet-inspired bands like The Feelies, which it usually does), Dermody sounds a bit Gordon Gano in his vocals.  One of my favorite finds of the year.

Harper Simon Division Street (Play it Again Sam/Tulsi)- There’s a lot to hate about Harper Simon if you are so inclined- he’s the son of Paul Simon, and thus has an all-star producer (Tom Rothrock who’s worked with Elliot Smith, the Foo Fighters and Beck on their most well-known albums) and an all-star backing band (members of the Strokes, Elvis Costello’s Attractions and Wilco).  If you can get past that, it’s a strong singer-songwriter outing regardless of artist name and if his debut didn’t set the world on fire, then this album gives promise that his time may indeed come.  If Harper does owe a debt to mid-90s indie pop like the Lemonheads, it’s certain that Evan Dando owes Harper’s dad a large part of his career.

Eddie Spaghetti The Value of Nothing (Bloodshot) – The Supersuckers’ front man’s country albums have made my list before (2011’s Sundowner), but I will continue to champion this unsung career.  Nothing is as close as you get to a serious Spaghetti album- in that it still features a near-naked woman on the cover, and songs have titles like “People are s#it”.  It is almost ‘mature’ though in that it’s all original songs (usually, he mixes in about half covers) and a certain amount of  earnestness, which sort of brings it into Rhett Miller territory.  It’s not a bad thing though, he still makes my list.

The Thermals Desperate Ground (Saddle Creek Records)  In theory, this album shouldn’t be here.  Ostensibly, the Thermals are a one trick pony, and even the Ramones had lost their relevance ten years into their career.  Plus, the Thermals have had their career defining album The Body The Blood The Machine, and you can argue they have had at least three strong albums.  So on paper, you can’t explain this album.  Sure enough, though on their Saddle Creek debut, the Thermals have made an album about as solid as they (or anyone in their genre) have ever made.

Linda Thompson  Won’t Be Long Now (Topic) – With apologies to Richard Thompson who has made solid album after solid album, it is Linda’s disc this year that I feel compelled to include and best captures the classic feel of albums like I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight .  It’s the right mix of original songs , covers and standards and a great cast of musicians (Richard, Teddy Thompson and the whole family, Susan McKeown, Eliza and Martin Carthy, Tony Trischka), although clearly it’s Linda’s vocals which take this to ‘instant classic’ level.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs  Mosquito (Polydor/Interscope) – Some critics hated this album, which I attribute to the gross-out cover, but for me, this is what I wanted from this band.  Like The Strokes, the commercial and critical success of their first album overshadows everything they do, but unlike the drastic gear-shift of Comedown Street, this band was always evolving.  Sure there is more than one song here that can’t escape “Maps” comparisons (“Despair” for one), but it’s the mix of songs that make it work, as they are side-by-side with  some songs that are as primal as anything as The Cramps ever did, and songs that satisfy the band’s dance-inspired side.


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Twenty years ago I used to write loud broadsides about pop music.  My goal was to say outrageous things and offend as much as possible.

Like Bob Dylan, I haven't slowed down, my quality is undiminished, and I am still the best in my field.

Behold my Proclamation! 

Music was terrible in 2013 and your favorite song was gawdaful.

(Unless your favorite song was "Get Lucky".  That one was actually pretty good).

The vitriol starts now.

My biggest complaint for 2013 was “Royals”.  What a terribly boring song.  Still, that’s not my biggest issue with it.  I understand that kids these days are ingesting synthetic pot, prescription painkillers or BK SatisFries or whatever to make them like this stuff.  I am just concerned with how serious Lorde is taken.  This song got played on alt-rockstations and commentators said things like “This stunningly written satire on the whole materialistic aspect of 21st Century  culture.”  Wait, what?  Terrible pop song, and nothing more than a pop song.

 

Moving from my ‘unfavorable’ list to ‘favorable’ list in 2013 was Bruno Mars.  Bruno was always the critics’ darling, but only this year did his music match the hype heaped upon him- “The next King of Pop”, the “multi-genre pop champion”.  His singles in 2013 were derivative to be sure (“Locked out of Heaven” isn’t a Police cover?  Let me check the song listing on Zenyatta Montdatta again.) but they were good.

Going in the other direction was Justin Timberlake.   JT has given us some great pop moments but his “black tie” phase was pure Pat Boone.  “The 20/20 experience” was the #1 selling album of the year, but Justin probably sepnt every 2013 night wishing he had done “Blurred Lines”.  At this point,  his music is less interesting than that other Justin, the Beebs.

Not sure why JT’s music has become so bland after once being a solid pop performer, but maybe it’s because the more serious these guys get, the worse the music gets.  I am hardly a Katy Perry fan, but she occasionally can put out a catchy tune.  “Roar” was hopelessly earnest, and one of the most annoying songs of the year.

I have always said that about Eminem, an artist who is better served to be Adam Sandler and not as Malcom X, Muhammad Ali,  Zig Ziglar, or whatever insightful and important personality that he aspires to be.  He seems to have resurrected his career, but his duet with Rhianna “Monsters in my head” is silly in it’s over-importance and like a typical shared Facebook post in its originality.

Of course, Eminem did well for himself, but no African-American went to #1 in 2014.  I would have liked to seen Lil Wayne do it.  “(B*tches) Love Me” was a pretty great song, even if Weezy has become harder and harder to defend.  Despite lyrics  much worse than anything Phil Robertson has ever said, it did go to #9.  It’s impossible to approve of the song’s content - which is offensive as pop gets, so I suppose that is why indie rockers who routinely love Lil Wayne have jumped off his bandwagon.  (They still loved Kanye, they fawned over him as much as ever- but for the first time in years, Kanye didn’t give us anything worth writing home about.  Love him or hate him, his music is usually pretty good, but it’s been awhile since he has had that great song).

On the positive side, Macklemore did make the pop scene a better place with his Outkast-style genre rap.  Pop radio did promote his song about ‘homophobia in rap’ (“Same love”) which was a message that needed heard, but was extremely heavy handed, and how anyone wanted to hear that song more than once is beyond me.

That’s about it.  I guess I should say something about Icona Pop (who I thought were the next in line of snotty British girl bands like the Spice Girls, B*Witched, Girls Aloud, Shampoo and dozens of others, but they are not.  I knew the song was just a bit”Waterloo” in its bad English translation)or the obvious - One Direction.  Still, I have less hate for 1D than I do “serious” bands like Fall Out Boy.  That band would be opening for Poison 20 years ago…I’m not saying I don’t see the appeal , because I do.  It’s just that it is annoying to me.  Know why Imagine Dragons sell as much as Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez?  Because it all sounds the same.  That’s the problem.  Van Gogh had the right idea.

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As you may have heard the Starman, the Dame of Glam is back after an extended absence.

That's right, Brett Anderson has returned.

Suede went out not with a bang but a whimper.

I never found A New Morning in stores, and by the time I had finally given into using Amazon quickly realized why no one talked about this album. It wasn't that good.

Things did seem optimistic for the bands legacy. 2005's reunion of Anderson and Bernard Butler in the Tears lived up to the band's legacy. A couple of years later, Anderson launched a solo career with a self-named debut album. That album pared his band's trademark sound to an intimate vocal and piano mix that still showed his genius.

Anderson is now four albums in and they are rather interchangeable affairs that test the patience of even the most diehard Anderson fan. With no Tears material on the horizon, a Suede Mk 2 reunion would be well received by the band's fans.

In which case, it seems like it has, garnering mostly positive reviews and creating a feud between Robbie Williams and Anderson.

Brett was picking on an easy target (One Direction) and decided to take a run at that band's forefathers. "There has always been crap pop music. I remember when we had all the crap boybands in the 90s — stuff like that has always been around. Record companies don't have the resources to take a gamble, so these pop stars are created by committee."

In which case said crap 90s boy band member Robbie fought back. I am not necessarily a fan of his music, but he has proven time and again that he is as silver tongued as they come.

Any quarter-decent three-chord k***heads could and did get a deal in the 90s. "I won't name names cos it would be unfair on Echobelly, Shed 7, Symposium, Menswear, Sleeper, Hurricane Number 1, Ride, The Bluetones (apart from that one song), Ocean Colour Scene (apart from that one song...hang on, nah, not even that song), Northern Uproar, Chapterhouse, Curve, Salad, Adorable, Cud, Spacehog, Kula Shaker, The Audience, Powder, Kingmaker, Geneva (sub-Suede - can you imagine?). There were a few special indie bands then just as there are in every generation. And just as some pop bands are useless, some are magnificent in every generation. I feel sorry for the people who are too bigoted to appreciate the latter. The world's a lot more exciting with a One Direction in it. And more hearts will genuinely race at a new 1D album than they ever have or will at any Suede album in any time period. Sorry about the truth
So, about the music, then...

Richard Oakes is one of the most underrated people in alternative music, constantly under the shadow of Bernard Butler. I don't think Oakes is the problem here. In fact, I think Oakes (and the band) elevate the songs on this album.

The problem (in my estimation) is Anderson. Half of the album resembles Coming Up big radio style upbeat singles, while the other half sound like Dog man Star's more expansive and stripped down moments. I think the latter actually work better, but the former are probably going to be what the crowd wants.

In any case, the album sounds like 99 monkeys on 99 keyboards forced to listen to the Suede discography on repeat. Even on Headmusic, Suede always seemed to be looking forward. Here, they seem to be looking backward.

That said, I suppose it can be considered a partial return to form. The songs have their moments, and if it should all end tomorrow, it would make a much fitting swansong than Morning. It also would bode well should the gang want to keep going.

Also, Dog Man Star was 20 years ago? Damn. 

Okay, bottom line.  I think fans will generally be happy on the disc's own merits.  It just never quite reaches the heights of the best material or even the Tears album. Anderson never reaches a transcendent moment vocally or lyrically, but he gives a performance that is satisfactory.  Given his penchant for such topics, Anderson probably wishes he had something as good as 1D's "Live While We're Young" to work with.

It's good to have Suede back, though. 



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I can't resist the appeal of the Grammys, which truly does feel like music's biggest night, and although Kanye wasn't there, draws the biggest names (I watched the People's Choice Awards and it was easy to tell who was going to win, because they were the only nominees in attendance).

While I don't feel that anything this year will be deposited longterm in my memory bank; it was still worth a look.

Start the complaining now:

- The thing I thought might be the highlight (and likely was) was the Bob Marley tribute featuring Bruno Mars, Sting, and Damian & Ziggy Marley.  The Marley tribute contained some of Bob's biggest songs - "Locked out of Heaven" and "Walking on the Moon".  Oh well.

-Elton sang the &^%$ out of that Ed Sheeran song.  I guess that's not really an opinion on whether that it was good or bad, but damn, he sang the &^%$ out of it.

-Is there any band that screams 'one hit wonder' than the Lumineers.  I don't mind them actually, but they remind me of one of those one-hit bands that flashed when I was a pre-teen.

- The big story, well, it was whether there was going to be sideboob.  After that, it was "Who the hell is Al Walser?"  Walser made the mistake of being nominated in the dance category with better known acts like Skrillex, Swedish House Mafia, and Calvin Harris.

Although the Grammys are terribly predictable.  Someone over at Slate called it "the newest people making the most traditional music", which is spot on.  That means Adele is perfect.  It means fun. is going to win and Gotye's single will fare well.

Personally, I think an award should go to the best musician of the year.  If Neon Piss had the record of the Year (and I could argue they did), then give them the statue  I realize the Grammys never go that obscure, and they have a history of getting it wrong (Not honoring the Beatles, Milli Vanilli's wins, and of course, Jethro Tull).

-I would be ok if fun. fell of the face of the Earth.

-  "Take five" played by Stanley Clarke and Chick Corea was barely recognized as it was used in a quick introduction to Ryan Seacrest (No one cares about Jazz,  So honestly no one really probably gives a damn about Joshua Bell).

-I won't spend much time on it, but Taylor Swift was a country traditionalist a year or two ago.  She is never ever going back to that.

-I really wanted to like Justin Timberlake's performance.  he surely was trying to do the right thing with black-tie soul,  Prince showed him how it was done and symbol-guy didn't even sing a note.

Overall, I wasn't too impressed, there were no performances I'd revisit (I know others may have favorites), but ratings were pretty good, and although I bitch and moan, I still want the Grammys to do well.

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and wrapping up ...

Neon Piss – s/t (Deranged Records)- I always like to pass along the best new bands, but I never promised you would be able to google them at work.  The self titled 8 song is debut from the San Francisco punk band is strong.  For a brief moment in my life did I really care about the world of Maximum Rock N Roll and worry about what they thought.  This is one of those bands that make you want to play it loud and for lack of a better comparison, updates the Wipers sound.  I think this band has good things ahead, though maybe under a different name.

Public Image Ltd. – This is PiL (PiL Official)-Probably my favorite album of the year, and in some ways, highly improbable- Their last album That What Was Not was twenty years ago and was terrible.  Also, the band isn’t the original respected group of Jah Wobble and Keith Levene, but latter day PiLers and Spice Girls guitarist Scott Firth.  Still, an album that starts with “I’m John and I’m from London” in the proclamation of the title track.  There’s also a lot of experimentation, but generally it all falls on the “yeah, it works” side.  It ends up with work that is as good as some of Lydon’s best career moments.

Hugo Race Fatalists- We Never Had Control (Gusstaff)- It was a good year for Nick Cave fans- there was the Lawless soundtrack (which probably would have been on this list, if it felt, I don’t know, more complete).  There was the Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions project which included a lot of Cave friends and disciples, Barry Adamson’s solo album and this.  Race’s 2010 Fatalists album put him on a lot of best-Ofs, and I wasn’t going to let this one get past me.  It is a strong album that explores similar territory as Cave (Race was a Bad Seed, but left to pursue his own muse)- could be risky, but he pulls it off.

Titus Andronicus- Local Business (XL) – This band’s second album The Monitor put this band in the indie spotlight.  Any band ambitious enough to write a concept album around the Civil War and named after a Shakespeare play sets the bar high.  The band is at their best when they mimic circa-1978 Clash, which they do perfectly thanks to lead singer Patrick Stickles, but there are classic rock sensibilities here too (Springsteen of course, but Rolling Stone compares to “the Replacements and Thin Lizzy” which might not be off).

Tribes- Baby (Island) – Of course, I would make room for the ‘next big thing’ in Britpop.  I haven’t been too impressed with the current crop of big things.  Tribes put together all the right elements of a band that make music that is Young, Loud, and Artsy.  Tribes get Pixies comparisons because of the shouting and Frank Black championing, but there are dozens of bands that come to mind first.  None more similar than Baby Shambles.  Essentially, it’s the same blueprint, but until Mr. Doherty gets back to form, Tribes will fill that void.  

Neil Young & Crazy Horse- Americana (Reprise) – I didn’t expect this one.  These are songs that have since become grade school standards and lead single “Oh Susannah” didn’t do much for me.  However, you can never doubt Neil.  Reading Young’s reasons for doing this album and hearing it all at once (putting ‘Susannah’ in a better context) was all I needed to be convinced.  Yeah, these are all songs I have heard a million times, but Crazy Horse, the world’s greatest garage band ripping through “Tom Dula” and “Jesus Chariot (She’ll be coming round the Mountain) is essential listening.

 


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The next bunch...

Foxygen – Take the Kids Off Broadway (Jagjaguwar) – Ok, it’s a terrible name and you might want to skip this one if you think they might be a Sweet cover band.  The California- based duo put together what is a strong debut.  The band’s sound is inspired by the Velvet Underground at Lou Reed’s most Dylanest with some Bowie/Bolan glam, late 60s Kinks/Stones pop and classic garage.  Mimicking  Reed ( a la the Alias Records roster circa early 90s) isn’t something I would suggest any band attempt, but Foxygen indeed do pull it off.  Going to see a lot more from these guys.

The Golden Boys- Dirty Fingernails (12XU) – I have had the band’s frontman John Wesley Coleman III and his prolific (2 solo albums and a duet album in 2012 besides the group’s LP)  and his quirky psychedelic garage rock  on my radar for a little while now.  On Dirty Fingernails, Coleman and band deliver an album that is in line with the best of a lineage of similar Austin bands like the 13th Floor Elevators,  There are plenty of bands that follow this blueprint, and when it’s good, it can be great (when it’s not, there’s no helping it).  This one is a keeper.

The Heavy – The Glorious Dead (Counter)- The Heavy has made a career (and buckets of cash) from writing songs that appear in films and tv, and sound tailored made for shows like The Sopranos and True Blood.  What people might not know is that those aren’t one-off singles.  The Heavy makes solid albums of this kind of music- classic R&B and blues, garage rock and Tom Waits drawn together.  Kelvin Swaby’s vocals obviously make the whole thing happen, but this band has a lot more going on than some might think.

Holograms- Holograms (Captured Tracks) –This young Swedish band really knocked it out of the park on their debut.  This is music that would feel comfortable cataloged along with the Factory Records discs of the late 70s and early 80s.  It would also stand in well in comparison with the great Swedish post-punk bands that were the rage circa 2003.  The band takes all that plus Stooges Raw Power and Synths to make a solid album that fits well in 2012, with a ridiculous amount of self-confidence that works because they can pull it off. 

Magnetic Fields – Love at the Bottom of the Sea (Domino) – this album brought Stephin Meritt back to his classic sound after three albums of experimentation.  It didn’t set the world afire like everyone expected.  It did make this Merritt fan very happy, though.  Perhaps, it is more of a collection of great songs (like “Andrew in Drag”) than a great album, but no complaints from me.

The Men- Open Your Heart- (Secret Bones) –The Men’s debut Leave Home made my Best Of last year.  That album was the New York noisy indie band paying homage to the heroes of 1980s and early 90s indie rock – Sonic Youth, Husker Du, Dinosaur Jr, the Jesus Lizard and Black Flag.  With album #2, one feels that the men listened to Go Home and said “We forgot the Replacements!”  Open Your Heart  has plenty of the noisy rock that made Leave Home great , but it’s greatest moment may be “Candy”, a song that would make Paul Westerberg proud.

Rhett Miller – The Dreamer (Maximum Sunshine)- I am a huge fan of the Old 97s (who made my best-of list the last two years for Live at the Grand Theatre Vols. 1 and 2), but I never was a huge fan of his solo stuff.  On previous Miller albums, he seems to want to indulge his pop side.  The Dreamer instead feels like what a solo album from the Old 97s frontman might be expected to do.  The songs are stripped down and slowed down.  This album probably won’t be a life-changer for anyone, but it’s a collection of really good songs (the best being duets with Rachel Yamagata and Roseanne Cash).



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It's a tradition and here it is.  My favorite albums of the previous year.

2012 was clearly the year of the Elders of Rock - Dylan, Cohen, Neil Young, Iggy, John Cale, Patti Smith, Scott Walker, John Lydon, and Jimmy Cliff to name a few.

There were a lot of good albums, and a lot of good albums early in the year.  I have no complaints about 2013.  Maybe, there wasn't that defining album.  The closest I come is This is PiL, but there is no OK Computer, no The Suburbs.

So, without further ado, some surprises from the veterans, with an appreciation of Bandcamp to find the ones that are just starting on their path, and a couple of Bad Seeds along the way.


Barry Adamson I Will Set You Free (Central Control)- I know Adamson as an original  Bad Seed and 1996’s Oedipus Schmoedipus.  That was an interesting album of the type of jazz and guitar noir that featured some amazing guest vocals from Nick Cave and Jarvis Cocker which overshadowed the rest.  Adamson does what he does here (without anyone stealing his spotlight) just dripping in European Cool and cinematic drama.

Buck Satan & the 666 Shooters- Bikers Welcome Ladies Drink Free (13th Planet)- This Al Jorgenson project has been a rumor for two decades.  Now released, expectations were surely low.  An industry/country project seemed novel during Ministry’s heyday, but there’s nothing on here that Hank Williams the 3rd hasn’t covered already during his career.  The hybrid also means it resembles one-hit wonder Rednex (“Cotton Eyed Joe”) more than it does any other artist.  That said, this album delivers on the promise of a silly, fun time.  An instant cult classic. 

Chumbawamba & Red Ladder- Present the Original Cast Recording of “Big Society” (No Masters)– A musical hall production written by band guitarist Boff Whalley and starring Phil Jupitus and the agit-prop group Red Letter might have caught some people off guard.  The band always appreciated music hall and it gives them a perfect vehicle for their message.  In this case, using the 1920s – a time full of robber barons, over-exuberant generals, and racist/sexist masses.  Nothing like now, of course, and certainly  not a metaphor for the 1%.  The music is pretty good, too.  A nice swansong from Pop's favorite anarchists.

Jimmy Cliff- Rebirth (Universal) – Cliff always seems to take a backseat to Bob Marley in how America views reggae artists (despite Cliff’s The Harder They Come movie and classic soundtrack).  Rebirth does an excellent job at helping Cliff’s profile.  Teaming with producer Tim Armstrong of Rancid was inspired (Truly, it was Joe Strummer’s idea), and this should appeal to ears that primarily focus on rock.  The album features some classic ska sounds with anthemic choruses and driving rhythms, and nowhere does it come together better than what may be the best song of the year “One More” .

Cloud NothingsAttack on Memory (Carpark Records)- the Steve Albini-produced third album was where I picked up on Dylan Baldi and his Cleveland-based band.  The band appeals to the part of me that loves lo-fi with screaming (Think The Thermals) and should also appeal to all my indie friends (who spent the 90s listening to DC bands and Emo bands of the day like Braid and Sunny day Real Estate).  Pitchfork loves them, which gives me pause, but they remind me of all the bands I mentioned above with a strong pop sensibility.  Think of a modern-day Jawbreaker.

The Cult Choice Of Weapon (Cooking Vinyl) – Improbably I heard a lot of buzz about this being one of the best albums of the year, but once I checked it out, I was convinced.  The Cult had one bonafide classic album, maybe more (Love, Electric, Sonic Temple), but no one would have expected a reunited Cult to put out something this good.  The lyrics are a bit silly (of course) but as long as they are delivered confidently by Ian Astbury and backed by some of Billy Duffy’s best work (and produced masterfully by Bob Rock) , it is some great Doors-inspired blues rock.

Foe- Bad Dream Hotline (Mercury/Vertigo)-  Artists like Foe were popular 10 or 15 years ago, but I am not sure if that audience is still around for this British 21-year old.  I can't be sure- the sound- electro-rock (multimedia rock?) with strong female feminist vocals- never quite escapes the shadow of Garbage (Shirley Manson was an early supporter) , but it succeeds on its own.  Catchy pop lyrics and unique sounds.  A promising debut and probably would have been a certain chartbuster if released a decade earlier.

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..and it all can be finally revealed..

Old 97s - The Grand Theatre Vol. 2
(New West) - The Old 97s are one of my favorite bands- for some reason they connected with me in a way that bands like Wilco, Son Volt and other similar bands never did.  I haven't been a big fan of the band or Rhett Miller's foray into a more pop area, but the string of 97's albums from 1995 to 2001 are all-time favorites.  I was excited last year when they returned to that classic sound with The Grand Theatre Vol 1.  Volume 2, unsurprisingly is more of the same (Grand Theatre was to be a double-album), and pleasingly is as good or better than the excellent vol. 1

Radiohead- The King of Limbs
(TBD) - The King of Limbs will likely sit as a low point in the band's canon.  The fact remains it is still Radiohead and they are on the top of the mountain looking down on everyone else.  I enjoy the atmospheric sound of this album, and if like Yorke's The Eraser, this feels like more of an aside than a bonafide go-in-the-studio-and-spend-monthsclassic, it is no less enjoyable.

Slug Guts - Howlin' Gang (Sacred Bones) - Australia has been the home of the greatest sleaze-noise-rock bands of all time - The Birthday Party, Lubricated Goat, the various Foetus projects, and the contemporary Naked on the Vague.  The amusingly named Slug Guts follow this line and do the crash-and-burn Birthday Party sound as well as anyone since the days of Gallon Drunk.  At its best moments, Howlin Gang recalls the ferocity and snarl of Iggy and the Stooges.  Yet, at the same time, it all seems strangely accessible for an album with a track called "Hangin' in the Pisser".

Smith Westerns- Dye it Blonde (Fat Possum) - Every year my best-of list has my newest fave Britpop find.  So, you'll have to excuse me a bit when I announce my favorite "New Britpop Hope" is a trio from Chicago.  Smith Westerns pull from all the usual Britpop influences, a healthy dose of Mott/Bowie 70s glam, and more than anything, T. Rex.  I hear a lot of bands that draw from Bolan's music, but I haven't heard a band so vocally inspired by Marc in a really long time.  The band is still quite young, so it's hard to say if they have arena rock success in their future (a la Muse), but if nothing else, they left what will be one of the finer albums of this decade.

Eddie Spaghetti- Sundowner (Bloodshot) - It's pretty safe to say this is the album on the list least likely to change anyone's life or worldview.  Still, it's a pretty fun, mostly solid record.  Spaghetti was lead singer of the Supersuckers and has alternately churned out straight-ahead rock and Willie-N-Merle style country ballads.  Sundowner is more of the former.  It is a collection of mostly covers- but there are originals, and the covers he did choose are not the typical choices (Dwarves, Lee Harvey Oswald Band, Dean Martin).

Strokes--
Angles (RCA) - Sure, I know.  Even when the Strokes change their formula, they don't change their formula, know what I mean?  Angles is a very good record, though, and even if they never will capture the attention they once did, this is an album that deserves to be heard.  Besides there's hundreds of thousands of bands out there with a bandcamp webpage and a copy of Marquee Moon, but at the end of the day, you'd just as soon as listen to the Strokes.

Tom Waits- Bad as Me (Anti)- I would be tempted to say that Bad as Me feels like the second album (2004's Real Gone and who knows what comes next) in the best trilogy of Tom Waits's career.  I can't say that definitely.  Rock critics generally stick with Swordfishtrombones/Rain Dogs/Frank's Wild Years as Waits's finest hours.  A strong case could be made for any of the first four "piano bar" albums, and I could argue (though I may be alone) that the double shot of Alice and Blood Money is as good as Waits gets.  Even then, I did not get to Bone Machine- which I often hear as many people's favorite Waits album.  So, I am not going to say Waits is at his career highpoint here, but I will say it feels that way.


bedsitter23: (Default)
As promised, more.....

Ivy- All Hours (Nettwerk)- Ivy was a favorite band of the 90s.  Their cocktail-pop was a unique sound for that time.  There were many bands with similar influences, but it seemed like they all either went for gimmicky or being ironic.  I never pegged Ivy for mainstream success, but wouldn't have been surprised if one of their songs didn't catch on. Lest we forget, there were no iPod commericals in the 90s. (Ivy guitarist Adam Schlesinger did reach millions with Fountains of Wayne and "That Thing you do").  It was unexpected that a comeback like this (first album in six years, second album in ten years) would be as good as anything they have done, but it is; and there you have it.

 Nick Jaina -The Beanstalks That Have Brought Us Here Are Gone (Hush) - Jaina has been on my radar for a couple of years now, and I have to admit that I was kind of bummed that he brought in guest vocalists on this one (Jaina's voice is an acquired taste- as it isn't far off from a Tom Waits).  That aside, I think this is the strongest work of his I have heard.  The selection of singers (all female vocalists, mainly from Portland-area indie bands) range from good to great, and combine with Jaina's music to give a vibe similar to the Mark Lannegan/Isobel Campbell collaborations.

 David Lowery -The Palace Guards (429) - I was a big fan of the critically acclaimed, quirky Camper Van Beethoven and the commercially successful Cracker.  On his first solo album, Lowery manages to split the difference, and this album combines elements of both, but yet feels like something slightly different.  Lowery fans should be pleased, though admittedly, this album is a grower- you have to spend time with it.  Lowery's wit is sharp as ever, and the music should appeal to both Americana and FM rock fans.

J Mascis -Several Shades of Why (SubPop) - It's possible that I am a bigger Madcis fan now than when he was on top of the indie world.  The two recent Dinosaur Jr albums have been solid, and Mascis returns this year with an album that is every bit as good as those.  I had a bad taste with acoustic Mascis before (96's Martin and Me), but these songs are as well-thought out and put together as any of the Dino Jr stuff.  This one is another great mostly-undiscovered gem of 2011.

The Men- Leave Home (Sacred Bones)- 2011 isn't the year I finally learned to love noise, it just feels that way (The Men's labelmates Slug Guts appear on this list later on).  The Men took noise and made something inventive and melodic out of it, pulling from both the 80s No Wave bands like Sonic Youth as well as influence from the noisy college rock high of The Year Punk Broke bands like.. well, Sonic Youth.  Not quite everything on this album works, but at it's best like "Bataille", it's a s good as anything their heroes recorded.

Moby - Destroyed (Mute) - I was Moby fan slightly before and during the time when everyone loved him (and yes I do like that punchline of an album 1996's Animal Rights).  I have followed everything he has done since in his time in the limelight, and have been disappointed by the string of albums since (I can't imagine anyone ever says "Boy, I really want to listen to Hotel").  I was content that Moby was still making great art as a blogger, but I had started to give up on his discography.  Destroyed was the album that brought me back in.  Destroyed does harken back to that string of strong mid-to-late-90s albums- a lot of these songs could fit on Everything is Wrong or Play.  Still, it's nice to have Moby back.

Part 3....tomorrow

bedsitter23: (Default)
It's time for the annual top 20 best albums list that I have shared with John DefFrog (whose list is here) since time Immemorial.  I don't listen to every album that has ever been recorded and released, but damn, it is not for lack of trying.

As always, this list is maybe more of a "The albums that I spent the most time with' whether than any other comment on what a good album is or what I will be listening to in 20 years time.

Like last year, there is a lot of Americana.  This time there is a lot more noise; and as always, there's some alt-pop.

There seems to be quite a few of my favorite artists from the 1990s on here, too- but given Roxette had a Top 40 hit, Take That was the hottest reunion, and Traci Lords finally got one of her dance songs on the radio, I seem strangely okay with that.

Here goes:

British Sea Power- Valhalla Dancehall (Rough Trade)-  BSP has become a perennial Top 20 choice.  Like "Open Season", the band's second album, this feels like a bridge to the next phase.  As that album carried the band from it's strong debut to the career (so far) highpoint of 2008's Do You Like Rock Music.  Valhalla feels like a similar positioning.  There are some immediate rockers and some ambitious atmospheric pieces.  BSP continues to be one of the most interesting bands on the planet.

Crystal Stilts- In Love with Oblivion (Slumberland) - 2008's Alight of Night was one of my favorite debuts of recent years and really sold me on the not-safe-for-work named shitgaze movement.  For some reason that I can't understand, it took me awhile to get into Oblivion, but now I am completely sold.  The album keeps all the elements that made Alight such a great listen- reverb, garage rock organ, and Velvets jangle.  Oblivion matches Alight's high points by not radically changing the formula, but still sounding like a different album.  Singer Brad Hargett's vocals seem a little more out front and give it all a bit of goth vibe on top of that Velvets/J&M Chain/Paisley Underground sound, and really makes for a great discovery for the new listener.

Dangermouse and Daniele Luppi - Rome  (Capitol) - it seems like everything Danger mouse touches becomes incredibly riveting from DM + Jemini to Gorillaz to Gnarls Barkley.  Rome received mixed reviews from the critics, and may be an acquired tatse, but i really liked this album.  I find it a great start-to-end listen, and really a must for those who like their music on the overly melodramatic side.  Norah Jones and Jack White's performances are top-notch regardless of what you think of their day jobs.  My pick for the great unheralded album of 2011.

Danny & the Champions of the World- Hearts and Arrows (So) - You would be excused for mistaking this album for a Gaslight Anthem solo project (Even the cover looks like a GA album).  Like GA, its ambitious anthemic Springsteen rock, though they swap the Anthem's obsession with the Clash for an appreciation of early Tom Petty.  Not a very original template, but credit to D&tCotW for being as good at doing it as anyone.

Dears -Degeneration Street (Dangerbird) - The Dears captured everyone's attention with 2003's No Cities Left.  That album found the Canadian band reaching for the heights their Britpop influences had reached, and with a great set of songs they were able to do just that.  Saddled with the "Black Morrissey" moniker, singer Murray Lightburn and gang just weren't able to reach those heights again with the two subsequent albums.  Only with Degeneration Street, are they back in the ballpark.  The Smiths influence may still be there, but they have now successfully married it with some Radiohead atmospherics and both traditional prog rock and contemporary prog rock influences.

Steve Earle- I'll Never Get out of this world alive (New West) -  This one has been hailed as Earle's comeback, and I don't think that is necessarily wrong (The last couple of Earle albums didn't really do much for me).  Unfortunately this album does suffer in comparison (It immediately recalls 1995's Train a Comin, and no record is likely to be that good).  It also suffers in comparison as an album to Earle's string of must-own records from the late-90s.  Still, we are an iPod generation, and there are a lot of great single songs on this album that should make their way on anyone's playlist.


PJ Harvey - Let England Shake (Vagrant) - It seems to me that PJ Harvey albums become as good as ambitious as their titles are (Compare "Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea" to "Uh huh her"), and Let England Shake is a tremendous title and a tremendous album.  This one has been pretty much universally hailed, but it's justifiable as it is PJ at her best.

Parts 2 and 3 to follow reasonably soon....


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