Sunday, August 30, 2009

New Music Review

Vetiver
"Wishing Well" b/w "Pay No Mind"
7" Single
Sub Pop Records









Here's the thing about folky pop music: it's really safe and on its surface kind of hard to screw up. If you're playing in this genre and don't have something to differentiate yourself from the rest of the crowd, you're going to come off like a jerk. Dylan had, and still has for that matter, the lyrical ability of a poet laureate. But he bailed on folk pretty early. His debut album came out in '62, and by the end of '65 he was using blues and roots rock as the canvas for his words. Jay Farrar has a golden voice and can sing whatever he pleases and make it sound authentic. But, I get more excited about Son Volt's harder edged stuff, and when I see him play live I have to admit that I'd probably just prefer it if he did an entire set of Uncle Tupelo rockers. Gordon Lightfoot employed the haunting quality of a 12 string guitar as well as anyone ever has, and his compositions are really complex when stacked up against the rest of the genre. So what about the artists that can't write lyrics like Bob, or sing like Jay, or who have never even heard of the dorian mode?

Vetiver is a San Francisco based group on Sub Pop Records, fronted by singer-songwrite Andy Cabic. This effort was their release for record store day (okay, it's 4 months old, but I haven't heard it before, and you probably haven't either, so I would say it still qualifies as 'new'). The A-side, "Wishing Well", is a very decent song. It's not great, but it's above average. If this is representative of the rest of his work, I'd say Cabic's best asset is the ability to come up with some decent pop hooks. This is a very good thing, unless you want your finished product to sound like Dan Fogelberg. The composition is relatively simple, but by no means is it vanilla. This is also a very good thing, unless you want your finished product to sound like every other asshole out there playing folk music.

"Pay No Mind" is the b-side of this single. To be painfully honest, it's kind of a boring tune. But to find the silver lining of that cloud, even when this band sounds boring they're totally unoffensive. And somehow I think the possession of such a quality is an art form in and of itself. This type of stuff would make a fine soundtrack for cleaning the house or doing your taxes. That's totally fine; not everything is supposed to rock your face off.

Would I buy a full length CD or LP by this band? Probably not. Would I listen to it if someone burned me a copy? Absolutely. Would I go see them play a show in Atlanta if it costs 7 or 8 bucks. Most likely. As I stated early, it's above average. In short, Vetiver is an indie folk-pop band that makes music that sounds pretty good, although it won't blow your mind. Ah, fuck it. Let's just say that it's quite a bit better than Dan Fogelberg and be done with it.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

New Music Review


Hank Williams
The Unreleased Recordings
LP
Time Life Records








This past Tuesday, a condensed version of last year's 3 CD anthology of Hank Williams' previously unreleased material was released on one LP, marking the first time that these recordings have been released on vinyl. This record serves as a compilation of the best stuff Hank and the Drifting Cowboys did while recording a weekly show that aired on the radio station WSM in Nashville. The show's sponsor was Mother's Best, a company that made flour, cornmeal and livestock feed. Instead of drawing from his own vast catalog for this show, Hank would cover the songs of other people, or he would take a traditional song and put his always unique twist on it. There are no Hank Williams compositions on this album; every song was written by someone else. But even after one listen, there is one thing that is obvious to anyone with at least one functional ear: When Hank Williams sang a song, it didn't matter whose song it was, it became a Hank Williams song.

I don't know all the details about this period in Hank's life and career, but he's clearly a legend on the decline. This program was aired throughout 1951; whenever Hank was home, he would head to the studio and record a few weeks worth of the show to be aired while he was out on the road. He died on New Years Day of 1953, so he was nearing the end. It would have been around this time that the Grand Ole Opry had given him the boot, and he was relegated to performing in the minor leagues: The Louisiana Hayride. His addiction to morphine and alcohol was worsening, and his marriage was falling apart. Listening to him talk to the show's host, Cousin Louie Buck, you can hear in his speaking voice that he sounded like a beaten down man. He sounds tired and old, even though he was only 27 or 28. But when he sings, it's the same magic as always. This long player includes two songs originally recorded by Roy Acuff: "The Prodigal Son" and "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain", and a version of Scotty Wiseman's "Have I Told You Lately that I Love You". These are three songs that have been covered by numerous artists throughout the years. What is it that all three of these songs have in common? The absolute best version of all three of these songs that you'll ever hear are on this record.

The two best things on this record are both reworked traditional songs: "When the Saints Go Marching In" and "On Top of Old Smokey". Hank's version of 'Saints' is unlike any version of the song I've ever heard. After spending my whole life hearing it performed by every Dixieland jazz band to ever pick up some brass, it's easy to forget that this was originally a folky gospel song. Hank takes this song on with the passion of a fire-and-brimstone preacher, and it's hard to believe this is the same song made most famous by Louis Armstrong. "On Top of Old Smokey" is absolutely brilliant. I'm 34 years old. I have no recollection of this as a pop song. It was a million seller for a group called The Weavers in 1951. I, like most people, remember this song as one of the most popular targets for childish parody songs. When I first think of this song, I think of the parody "On Top of Spaghetti", which I probably found amusing between the ages of 4 and 6. In fact, forget the previous statement 'When I first think of this song', because I don't think about this song. I haven't thought about this song in nearly 30 years. Not until now anyways. I was able to find a clip of this very recording on Youtube. The sound quality isn't all that spectacular, but check this out anyways:



Amazing. I'm convinced that Hank could have probably done a cover of "Ice Ice Baby" and it would have made me want to cry after he was done with it. Sometimes I wonder how anyone was ever this great of a singer. He's truly one of the few that no matter what he sings, you believe it. The pain and sincerity in his voice is something that just cannot be faked. That's Hank Williams. The man was a god.

I strongly recommend this LP. This is some truly unique stuff from a legend that you've probably never heard. I think this one's going to be in the regular rotation for a while around here. Now I'm gonna run. God told me I needed to buy some Mother's Best cornmeal, and I don't want to go against his wishes.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Thank you Twin\Tone!

As a general rule, Monday is the suckiest day of the week. Everybody knows that. I didn't get as drunk yesterday as I usually do on Sundays, so this wasn't a bad day. It was just kind of blah. But then I got home and saw a USPS media mail package on my doorstep. Today turned out to be the day I received the twelve-inches I ordered directly from Twin\Tone: The Replacements Stink EP and the "I Will Dare" single.

I made a great discovery a little over a week ago. Twin\Tone Records sells all of its backstock vinyl via its website. I really wish that I had investigated this sooner, but there is still a pretty impressive amount of stuff worth owning. Each record, whether it be an LP, EP, or 12" single, costs $15 sealed, with a shipping cost of $5 per order. That's a damn good deal, in my opinion, as most of the stuff they have available is either a) damn near impossible to find, or b) going to cost you a lot more than fifteen bucks at a record show or on Ebay. I've already spent way too much money on records this month, so after making this discovery, I limited myself to the two Replacements titles they had remaining in stock.

Judging by the layout of its site, it appears that Twin\Tone got in on the online game fairly early. There's also a history section, written by Pete Jesperson dated 6/98. If they've been selling stuff online since then, I wish I could have found out about this sooner and potentially scored original pressings of the entire 'Mats catalog, The Suicide Commandos live record and the record that Jonathan Richman put out for the label. Well, no luck there, but there is still plenty of stuff for sale that I would call a downright bargain at $15. For my next helping, I think I will get some Curtiss A (influential MPLS figure that isn't too well known outside of town), something by the Suburbs, and one or two of the Soul Asylum records they have for sale, since they were still great when they were on Twin\Tone, and didn't start sucking until they got on a major label.

On to the haul for today:

The Replacements
Stink (EP)

Stink is a very interesting recording. It came at the tail end of the 'Mats early years, when they were suffering an identity crisis. They were sort of a hardcore band, but not really a hardcore band. Paul was starting to show flashes of brilliance as a songwriter, but he hadn't come into his own yet. By their own admission, they didn't know what they were supposed to be, but they didn't want to play punk anymore, because they weren't the hardest, the loudest, or the fastest. The LP Hootenany would be their next release; and while it's kind of uneven, it's a transitional record that paved the way for Let it Be, Tim and Pleased to Meet Me. Those three records are what I consider to be the Replacements "golden age", but some people swear Sorry Ma and Stink. And I wouldn't call those people wrong, it's really a matter of what you prefer.

All preferences aside, I still love the early 'Mats stuff. I just don't love it as much as the mid-to-late 80's stuff. Stink is a great EP and it's a hell of a lot of fun. There are eight
total tracks on this EP, and it comes in at just over fifteen minutes. With song titles such as "Fuck School", "White and Lazy", "Goddamn Job" and "Dope Smokin' Moron", it obviously wasn't meant to be taken too seriously. It's just a great band banging out some solid tunes. Here is a high-quality video of the boys performing the centerpiece of this release, "Kids Don't Follow" live in 1981.



This is not an original pressing, but still a solid value at 15 bucks. It's also worth buying the Rhino CD re-issue of this one, as it includes one of Paul's first great ballads: the amazing "You're Getting Married".


The Replacements
"I Will Dare" (12 inch single)

Everybody has a favorite song. Well, maybe not everybody has a favorite song, but everybody should. I have one, and it's called "I Will Dare" by The Replacements. I think this is the pinnacle of pop/rock music. The lyrics are heartfelt and clever, the hooks are all over the place, and the sound is deep, with Paul playing a 12 string and a mandolin, and a nice little guitar solo by 'Mats enthusiast Peter Buck.

Side two of this twelve-inch single doesn't disappoint either. Included is a cover of T. Rex's "20th Century Boy". Unsurprisingly, Paul totally butchered the lyrics on it, and unsurprisingly, it totally worked. Also included is a live cover of Hank Williams "Hey Good Lookin", with a Bob Stinson solo in the wrong key. Somehow that works just fine, too. Nobody made chaos sound as good as these guys did in their heyday.

If you own a turntable, and don't have this record, you really need to buy it. If you don't have a turntable, go buy one, and then buy this record. I actually already owned it. I paid about 25 bucks for a used copy (notched like it may have been in a cut-out bin) of it on Ebay about a year ago, so fifteen for a sealed copy to do with as I please was the obvious play. Add this one to your collection, and you won't be disappointed.

That's all I got for now. I promise no more Replacements posts for at least a month. Later this week, I'm going to buy some new music or see some live stuff and then I'll let you know what I think of it.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Sunday Shoppin'

So I wound up going to the Earl yesterday afternoon for a record show, and I wound up walking away with a pretty impressive haul. I went in with low expectations; I really just wanted to flip through some crates while I killed a few beers on a Sunday afternoon, but I found tons of stuff that I wanted, and a few things I absolutely needed. Here is what I ended up buying:


The Beat
Self-titled

This is a power-pop masterpiece, for sure, and the record I was happiest about coming away with. Most of the songs on this record (as well as a few songs from the Nerves era) are still the centerpiece of Paul Collins' brilliant live show. "Rock N Roll Girl", "I Don't Fit In" and "Don't Wait up for Me" are way better than anything the Knack ever even thought about writing, so I consider it a crime that this band toiled away in obscurity the way they did.






Tom Waits
Rain Dogs

Didn't have it. Needed to have it. Bought it. And it was only 4 bucks and doesn't skip.









Jeff Beck

Truth

I've acquired pretty much every song on this album through various mp3 downloads over the years, but I've never listened to it in its entirety, in order until now. It's too bad that when the American male starts discovering all the early hard rock/heavy metal that this one doesn't seem to be one of those records included in the mix. It's usually the first four Zeppelin albums, Black Sabbath Paranoid, and some combination of Cream and Hendrix. Truth really belongs in that group. Rod Stewart creates the template for the hard rock singer on this record and Beck's work is otherworldly. Just hearing what Jeff does with a wah pedal on Willie Dixon's "Ain't Superstitious" makes it worth owning. In the grand scheme of things, it's not as important as Cream, but it's not all that far behind. And to me it sounds a lot more like what the MC5 was trying to sound like than anything else I've heard.


Husker Du
Zen Arcade

This one was another no brainer. I've had it on CD and MP3 for quite some time, but I never really was on the hunt for it on LP. I found a copy of it in good shape for a decent price and I decided that it makes little sense to own Double Nickels on the Dime on vinyl and not own Zen Arcade, so I pulled the trigger on it. I'm not going to regret this one.








Pete Townshend
Empty Glass

This a very solid record, and it's certainly the best thing any member of The Who did as a solo project. There's some not-so-stellar filler material on here, but it includes "Rough Boys", "Let My Love Open the Door" and "Jools and Jim", so it's definitey worth owning.







Sly and the Family Stone
Stand!

This was another no-brainer. I couldn't think of one good reason not to pick this one up. This is one of the best funk records ever, and even though I already own it on CD and probably have the cassette somewhere, this one needs to be in my vinyl collection. And now it is.









Prince
Self-titled

This one isn't necessarily a must-own, but there are a few really good tracks on it, and it was only four bucks. I would probably pay four dollars the 7" of "I Wanna Be Your Lover" alone, so why not just buy the LP? Plus it comes with the blurry, homoerotic back cover art of a probably nude Prince riding a winged horse at no extra charge!







Charlie Rich
Behind Closed Doors

I'm really only familiar with the titular track on this one, but I really love that song, so this also needs to be in my collection. I'm looking forward to listening to this from start to finish, but I don't have Hank-like expectations for it. I'm sure it will turn out to be worth at least the two dollars I shelled out for it.










G.G. Allin and the Southern Baptists

Look into my Eyes and Hate Me b/w

Hotel Clermont (7")

I bought this one for the cover art alone. The back cover features a great picture of the signage for the infamous Clermont Hotel, where Mr. Allin was hanging his presumably smelly hat while this was being recorded. I actually expect this is going to sound like shit, as only the very early recordings of his even closely resemble music and this was near the end of the line for ol' G.G. This is just another one of those things I couldn't pass up.






All in all, it was a pretty good haul for a Sunday afternoon. And if I had wound up going to the quarterly Atlanta Record Show, which was also going on yesterday, I'm sure I would have spent at least three times as much money. That was the rationale that I used for getting piss drunk at the bar after I finished my record purchases. This morning was a little rough.

See ya.







Saturday, August 15, 2009

Beautifully Mediocre - Volume I


Beautifully Mediocre is a segment dedicated to the idea that sometimes a record that only has one or two good tracks on it deserves some credit. Let's face it, the majority of records have zero good tracks, so one or two is better than what most bands can pull off.

The Replacements

Don't Tell a Soul











2008 was a great year to be fan of the Replacements. In addition to wonderful 180 gram vinyl re-issues of the classics Tim and Pleased to Meet Me, Rhino Records re-issued the entire Replacements catalog on CD; each disc containing a good bit of unreleased bonus material. The first wave of these happened early in the year when Rhino put out all of the 'Mats Twin Tone stuff at once. This was the really exciting part for me (the bonus materials on Sorry Ma, Stink! and Let it Be are absolute must-haves), and besides picking up the aforementioned vinyl copies of Tim and PTMM, I didn't pay much attention to the reissues of the Sire releases. When I recently took a look at the bonus tracks included on these records, I noticed that Don't Tell a Soul, here and after referred to as DTAS, included a cover of my favorite Slade song. Goddamn you Rhino Records! I then realized that I had to go buy a record that I hadn't given a second thought in nearly 20 years.

1989 was the year that I first heard the Replacements; I was a freshman in high school. If only Saturday Night live wasn't such a shitty show in 1986, I probably would have jumped on the bandwagon after watching the 'Mats do "Bastards of Young" (when Paul dropped the f-bomb on live TV). Unfortunately, I gave up on that cast pretty early on in the season and didn't catch that particular episode. I saw the video for "I'll Be You" on MTV in '89, and I became a fan immediately. I picked up a copy of DTAS shortly thereafter. But not long after that, I got a hold of Let it Be and Tim and I forgot all about DTAS. Truth be told, it's a pretty forgettable album when you stack it up against the band's earlier work. It's essentially the final Replacements record. The one that followed it, All Shook Down, is a Westerberg solo record, and nobody will ever convince me otherwise. I would even listen to the argument that DTAS isn't really a 'Mats record, although I probably couldn't be swayed. After firing Bob Stinson, the band was able to keep it together for one more great record, 1987's Pleased to Meet Me, but that was it. The magic was gone. Fortunately for all involved, Paul Westerberg isn't capable of sucking, so even without the magic it's still going to be okay.

I purchased the CD yesterday afternoon, and have given it two thorough listens from start to finish, including the bonus material.

DTAS distinguishes itself from other Replacements records in a couple of ways. Unfortunately, the ways it distinguishes itself are bad ones. First, of all the 'Mats albums, it's the one with the weakest leadoff track. "Talent Show" is actually a pretty decent song, and I always enjoy hearing it. It just doesn't set a very exciting tone, particularly when you compare it to track one on PTMM, the balls-to-the-wall rocker, "IOU", or Let it Be's opener, "I Will Dare", which is my favorite song of all time.

Second of all, it's the first album the band put out that contains songs that I just don't like. I love nearly every song on every release from Sorry Ma, I Forgot to Take out the Trash up to and including Pleased to Meet Me, and the songs I don't love are still songs that I like enough to not turn off when they come on. This record contains three outright stinkers: "We'll Inherit the Earth", "Back to Back", and "Rock and Roll Ghost" are all songs that bore the shit out of me. It's no big secret that around this time Paul wanted to be a commercial success and was trying to write grown up stuff. Well, these three tracks have the stench of 'trying too hard' all over them.

Now that I'm done bashing my favorite band, it's time to give this record its due and talk about its successes. The first thing that comes to mind is "I'll Be You". This is a brilliant pop song; one that stacks up against some of the best singles the bands ever had. If Paul was trying too hard when he wrote this one, I sure can't tell. While I don't really care for "Talent Show" as a leadoff track, it's a fine song. "Achin' to Be" is yet another in a long line of very good Westerberg ballads, and "Anywhere's Better than Here" is one of the few times on this record when it sounds like the band might have actually been having fun. The real gem on this album that I had totally forgotten about after all these years is a song called "I Won't". There's nothing spectacular about this song; it's a stoopid rocker that sounds like it was written in about five minutes. But every 'Mats album has at least one stoopid rocker that sounds like it was written in about five minutes, and I find it comforting to know that this record has one of them. I think of it as a more grown up "Gary's Got a Boner".

The bonus material on the Rhino Reissue CD is what makes this worth owning. The folky "Portland" is excellent, and I think it was a mistake that it didn't make the cut when DTAS was originally released. It's another lyrical masterpiece by Westerberg, evoking imagery in a way that only he can. "Wake Up" is a really fun one that I would almost call a throwback to the Hootenany days. A more uptempo demo of "Talent Show" is included, as is another forgettable mix of "We'll Inherit the Earth". The organ-based collaboration with Tom Waits, "Date to Church", is another song that probably should have made it on the record (I've had the mp3 for quite some time; I believe it was the b-side to "I'll Be You"), and is another one of the few instances of the band sounding like it was having a good time recording this album. "We Know the Night" is worth listening to, but not spectacular, and the disc ends with a cover of the Slade classic "Gudbye t'Jane". The band rambles through this one as Paul absolutely butchers the lyrics. But it sounds great, and I'm sure Noddy Holder would approve.

DTAS is sort of like a car about to go off of a cliff. The band's days of being a groundbreaking indie rock act were over, and they were just about to find out that their run at commercial success was to be a brief one, as this album became cut-out bin fodder in record time. Don't Tell a Soul changed my life; it was my introduction to a band that I have called my favorite for nearly two decades. It's probably not going to change yours, but that doesn't mean it's not worth a listen.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

I Had a Beer with FEAR

It was only last Friday that FEAR was booked to play the Earl last night. When you watch a band so far removed from it's heyday, there are so many reasons for one to be skeptical. The rock n' roll lifestyle isn't very kind to the body. It's not like the PGA; there's no Senior Tour. Lee Ving has always been the driving force behind FEAR, so the fact that he is the only original member still didn't concern me too much. But he's old. He's 60. What do you expect from an ancient hardcore punk band with a sexagenarian lead singer? What do you expect from an ancient hardcore punk band with a sexagenarian lead singer playing on a Monday night with just three days of promotion?

Sports writers and talking heads often make mention of something called 'intangibles'. It's that trait that certain players possess, and it cannot be measured by mere statistics. It's why you want a certain guy stepping into the batter's box/taking the shot at the buzzer/handling the ball when the game is on the line, even if his stats aren't necessarily better than someone else's. It's the X-Factor. Well, FEAR has an X-Factor. Let me tell you what that X-Factor is...

Lee Ving is probably the most obnoxious prick to ever get in front of a microphone.


It was clear early on in the night that the crowd wouldn't disappoint. It was a near sellout, and a lot of punk veterans were in attendance. And the band didn't come to fuck around. They opened the set with "I Love Livin' in the City", which is the equivalent of going for a first round knockout, and the crowd erupted immediately. After the second song, Lee Ving demanded to know the identity of someone who had been throwing things at him. A couple of other audience members ratted him out, then pushed him up to the stage so Ving could give him a pretty impressive shove/punch and then have the beefed up club security escort the guy out the back door. This is after about five minutes. I'm pretty sure this kinda shit doesn't happen at a Pennywise show.

FEAR teared through a set of classic songs including "New York's Alright if You Like Saxophones", "Have a Beer with Fear", "More Beer", "Welcome to the Dust Ward", and seasons be damned, they even busted out the holiday classic "Fuck Christmas". Beer was flying all over the place, a couple people got kicked in the head by stage divers, and the most pit, while never exceeding more than 12 or so people at once, did not let up. I took a couple of turns in the pit (can't remember the last time I was in a real one) myself and got knocked around a bit. I was half-drenched in other people's sweat from getting bumped into and picking up the people who had been knocked to the ground. And just when you thought the band had given you all they had, they showed they still had a few tricks up their sleeve and closed the set with "Beef Bologna", "I Don't Care about You" and "Let's Have a War". Incredible.

When you go watch a punk band with a 60 year old singer, there is bound to be some skepticism. Would I have preferred to seen the band in 1980? Would I have preferred to see a reunion of the classic lineup of the band?

Of course. On both counts.

But we're living in a world that has a group calling itself Dead Kennedys, and Jello Biafra is not the singer. This is the same world in which a touring band calling itself The Misfits is fronted by a man whose surname is not Danzig. In this world, this crazy, crazy world, the Germs have reformed with a guy who used to be on Buffy the Vampire Slayer "replacing" Darby Crash. In a world like this, I'll take all of the Lee Ving I can get. Maybe I'm being overly sentimental, but I find it comforting to know that there are still punks growing old disgracefully.

See you soon.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

New curmudgeon on the block

Hey folks,

Welcome to my blog; I really hope you enjoy it. The reason why I've decided to do this is because I'm thoroughly disgusted with the state of music journalism (and quite a lot of the music, while we're on the subject) today and I want to do my part to right the wrongs. If I reach one person, I will have made a difference. Of course, most people (including me) think blogs are, for the most part, pretty stupid, so this isn't likely to be ready by anyone.

Be sure to stop by here from time to time if you want to read about such subjects as:

-Why the Replacements are the greatest band ever
-How badly I wish Pitchfork Media would fuck off and die
-10 reasons why Hank Williams is a god
-I still love Wilco, but their last two albums are terribly boring
-My recurring fantasy about setting Band of Horses' tour bus on fire...with all of the band members in it
-Deconstructing the decline: A scene-by-scene analysis of The Decline of the Western Civilization

So there you have it. I hope you like. I'm going to see FEAR tomorrow at the Earl, so hopefully I'll have something up here on Tuesday to describe the experience. See ya.