Albums Listened To Today

[Kirk Lowdermilk]

The liberals in Congres will say that Automan wasn't real but I saw Desi Arnaz Jr. talking to him once.

[Maybelline]

Richard Hawley - Cole's Corner. Kind of lovely.

[Maybelline]

I'm Wide Awake, it's Morning by Bright Eyes. 

Anyone else love this album?

[al]

Liege And Lief - Fairport Convention (inspired by the TV series on the Beeb about British folk)
Swagger - Blue Aeroplanes (inspired by the great reviews the reissue has got and remembering I used to like it a lot - not played it in years.

[Maybelline]

Boards of Cananda - Campfire Headphase.   

[OLD GREGG]

, , , , ,
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[Chris D.]

They Might Be Giants -- The Spine.

This was gold.  One of the best from this year.  I only got to listen once, but it had some great melodies, funny lyrics, and even this song ("Spines," I think) which sounded like classical hip-hop (and I don't mean it was just hip-hop beats under classical music).  There was also a great early Elvis Costello imitation that reminded me a lot of Frank Black.  Now I finally hear their influence on him, especially certain FB songs like "Tossed."  I don't dislike Frank or TMBG like you Ian, but now I at least see more similarities, so I kind of "get" it.

But this album rules.

[Jason]

APHEX TWIN! DUDE! That's fucking genius music! Boo-yah skeedaddy!

[Reverend Joshua Sloane]

Friends

All day long!

[no]

Some of the Foo Fighters first album, today.

Only "Exhausted," "Alone + Easy Target" and "Good Grief" on loop. Perfect tunes that Grohl will never top.

Shame we didn't hear some of these filtered through the big "N" and with additions from that skinny, blonde guy.

[analogdemon]

Once, a friend said to me that he thought Nirvana sucked.  To that, I replied "Apparently one guy in the band figured that out."

[Jason]

Once, a friend said to me that he thought Nirvana sucked.  To that, I replied "Apparently one guy in the band figured that out."

 

[analogdemon]

[Reverend Joshua Sloane]

Shame we didn't hear some of these filtered through the big "N" and with additions from that skinny, blonde guy.

I think Dave has some talent with songwriting. Though, I maintain that Kurt Cobain was a real talent where as I view Dave as only average in the songs department. Kurt's songs were aural paintings.

[Maybelline]

This:

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[cabinessence]

I heard the Mojo glued-to-the-magazine '15 track tribute' to The Modern Genius of Ray Davies. Is this title a free-association on the "Genius of Ray Charles"? Call it whatever you like, this is the rare Mojo tribute giveaway that warrants more than one and a half listens and a couple of tracks saved to hard drive.

Why do I like this besides it being relistenable and excellent? It could be that the Kinks have been so less relentlessly covered and generally, generically ripped than the likes of Beatles, Stones, Who that possibilities to be explored and styles of exploring them remain novel to my largely jaded ears. It's almost certainly because Davies is so eminently coverable, and so often a bit underachieving in band interpretations of his (easy to play) material, demo-like on many recordings that didn't quite knock a composition out of the park or were really meant for a different sort of singer and or band to interpret in the first place.

That's the pleasing shock here: how rock solid a songwriter the guy is consistently. Much 'pleasant but semi-negligible' Kink oeuvre is easily rehabilitated as anthemic standards

And the programming choices are very smart. Pretenders and Stop your Sobbing would be a natural, but it's withheld. Possible copyright clearance issues notwithstanding, that's a wise choice because the performance is too pretty (as well as too familiar) for the unified feel here, which is of Davies and Kinks as bluesy, punkish busking rock and rollers and  rawly soulful balladeers with a tendency towards raga rock psychedelia. The Carnaby Street angle  and the foppery is downplayed, and the predominant tone is set by Mudhoney doing  Who'll be the Next in Line? 

Other best tracks include Mark Lanegan's take on  Nothin' in the World can Stop Me Worryin About My Girl as a Delta Blues, Steve Wynn's  This Strange Effect, a tune I always half-loved as one with potential to be so much more via a slightly lame merseybeat cover by some other sixties guy: never even knew Davies was the composer. This is the so much more with a Davies sneer set over a Neil and Crazy Horse-like backing, Fountains of Wayne doing Better Things (doesn't top the Kinks, though a nice, straightforward homage, but it reminded me what a good late song this is, and how close to early favorite tune Something Better Beginning), Blue Aeroplanes doing Big Sky, Red Kross doing Fancy, etc.

Good compilation!

[no]

I view Dave as only average in the songs department.

I'd almost be inclined to agree, if not for the tunes I mentioned above, which are very much exceptions when compared with Grohl's usual writing.  I'll venture out and say that the verses for "Exhausted" and "Alone & Easy Target" are every bit as melodically challenging as a "typical" Cobain work -- the elongated melody-style, featuring musically-stimulating accidentals (or depending on how one views it, key signature-changes) and great a rule-pissed chord-progression.   I will not, however, defend his lyrics or originality when compared directly to Kurt Cobain. 

[monkee knutz]

Today I listened to some schmaltz Jackie Mason comedy needle drop given to me by some putz. Oy Gevalt!

[mark goddard]

today ...Sly Stone 2 cd anthology disc 2 .contains all of Riot (except 1 song) in much IMPROVED sound!!!

[Lester Zombie]

"Crazy Horse" by Crazy Horse and "Last Time Around" by Buffalo Springfield

[I. Spaceman]

Incredible.

[Jason]

DUDE! I heard that album just the other day! It's a piece of fuckin' ART!

[I. Spaceman]

I shoulda known you'be hip to it.

[Jason]

I don't get all hyped by a lot of new music either, but SHE Wants Revenge (f***!) blew me away there. Have you heard their EPs from this album?

[I. Spaceman]

SHE Wants Revenge. Haven't heard the EPs, but I am sure am gonna grab em now.