One of the more pathetic spectacles I've seen recently is the orgy of musical bad taste being played out right now at leftie blog Daily Kos over the Grammy win for the Dixie Chicks' "Not Ready to Make Nice." From people's comments you'd think it was "Masters of War." It is indicative of how desperate people are for the strong medicine of protest music that they are willing to chug the lukewarm bathwater that is this staggeringly crappy piece of self promotion.
Even a quick scan of the lyrics to this thing reveal it to be a randomly strung-together catalog of cliches and platitudes. Furthermore to the extent that the song is about anything at all it is about the Dixie Chicks and how brave and principled they are. No wonder Bush is getting away with murder if this is the best we can do in counter-propaganda.
When the Bush administration ends I'll name my list of best protest songs of 2000-2008. Perhaps in the next two years Dylan can take his balls out of cold storage and tear himself away from his joint ventures with wineries and Victoria's Secret long enough to contribute something.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
2006 Year in Review
Here are my picks for the ten best records of the year:
1. Destroyer – Destroyer’s Rubies
In the past I’ve damned Destroyer’s Dan Bejar with faint praise, pigeonholing him as the “Odd One” in the New Pornographers. His albums with Destroyer were interesting, but their strangeness kept listeners at a distance. That distance has been erased with 2006’s best record, a near-masterpiece of cryptic lyrics, gorgeous melodies, exciting rock dynamics, and, most surprisingly, hooks. Beautifully arranged and produced, the record is both deep and wide, with the varied instrumentation (is that baritone sax I hear?) allowing Bejar to exploit the full musical palette. The frequent use of both piano and organ begs comparison with the Band and Procol Harum, especially apt touchstones since the casual feel of the production (intrusion of background sounds into the mix, guitar solos that leak over the edges of the track) makes this record feel like a prog-rock Basement Tapes.
2. Cursive – Happy Hollow
The aging and battered body of punk rock has life in it yet, in part because of the defibrillator jolt delivered by Tim Kasher and Cursive. Kasher’s projects (including side project The Good Life) share a punk sound married to non-punk instrumentation (strings on prior albums, horns on this one) and literate and heartfelt lyrics. This record is something of a concept album, exploring modern America through the prism of religion (“Big Bang”; “Bad Sects”), war (“Flag and Family”), sex, and politics. Kasher may well be the most earnest punk rocker in history, showing a deep concern for human emotions and evincing an admirable even-handedness in examining characters, such as religious fundamentalists, who might not be all that sympathetic. As with Kasher’s other projects, clues to his intent can be found in the wordplay of his titles – the title of the album refers to the vast expanse of “mainstream” America, which chooses to project an image of God-inspired contentment, but which masks a frightening emptiness. Intro track “Opening the Hymnal/Babies” has some blazing hooks, as does “Flag and Family,” about a young man whose wife’s arch-conservative family wants him to join the military (“Are you down on your knees, are you praying for holy war?”). The lyrics are easily heard, making this a good record to sing along to as well as contemplate.
3. Howe Gelb – ‘Sno Angel Like You
Giant Sand-man Gelb hooked up with a Canadian gospel choir called Voices of Praise for this startling album of newly-written Gelb songs, new versions of Giant Sand songs, and three songs from the late blues artist Rainer Ptacek. Gelb’s spare and creaky vocal and guitar arrangements (reminiscent of Neil Young) mesh sublimely with the vocal choir. The session sounds like it was recorded in someone’s living room, an impression enhanced by some great raw slide guitar by Fred Guignon, although apparently some of the choir tracks were recorded separately. The understatedness of the choir allows the recordings to avoid “I Want to Know What Love Is” bombast. Of the Gelb-penned tracks, the best are “Get to Leave,” which uses the dynamics potential of the choir to great advantage, and the dramatic “But I Did Not.”
4. Mission of Burma – The Obliterati
Any newbies who heard 2004’s comeback ONoffON and wondered what the fuss was about need to pick up 2006’s entry, the REAL comeback. Burma’s charm has always been to meld quality songwriting with post-punk excitement. This record displays the band’s trademark bludgeoning attack and the startling rock sensibility that somehow allows the band to pump out hooky melodies that teeter on the edge of chaos. The band’s trademark anarchy owes much to the band’s inimitable drummer Peter Prescott. The album is so remarkably consistent that I had genuine difficulty picking out a single track for my year-end compilation, but opener “2wice” sets the stage admirably. The live-sounding “Donna Sumeria” is also particularly satisfying.
5. Sunset Rubdown- Shut Up I Am Dreaming
This side-project by Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade has the same stunning emotionally resonant sound as that band, but doesn’t quite reach the same lyrical heights. There is a danger that Krug is spreading himself too thin, what with his participation in Wolf Parade and Swan Lake as well, the latter a supergroup with Dan Bejar of both Destroyer and the New Pornographers. There’s got to be a name for this type of sound, typified by a number of bands around today, including Modest Mouse, the Arcade Fire, Danielson and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. A dynamic and dramatic sound, yelping and heartfelt lead vocals, a circus-like sound incorporating organ, accordion and xylophone. An image of the midway at a medium-sized amusement park comes to mind, but these guys aren’t out in the brightly-lit rides and games of chance. They’re back in the shadows, lurking with the fortunetellers, the bearded lady and the wolf-boy.
6. Hold Steady – Boys and Girls in America
Close your eyes. Let your memory drift back. Travel with me now to the days of yesteryear. A simpler time. A time before websites and iTunes, when a handful of mighty rock bands strode the earth like titans. Boston. Foreigner. Journey. Loverboy. But no! It can’t be! I never left the ‘00s! I’ve been here the whole time! It’s not a bloated seventies FM hard rock band. It’s been the Hold Steady . . . all along. My . . . God… But seriously, even though I don’t particularly like ‘70s hard rock, these guys do it extremely well. Plus, along with their giant slabs of aural Wonder Bread slathered with power chords, they’ve managed to ingest the populism of Bruce Springsteen, the verbal inventiveness of Dylan, the punk integrity of the Minutemen and the pop savvy of Billy Joel. The Hold Steady manage to have it both (all?) ways, melding the macho big guitar sound with a heavy does of irony that makes them appealing to the Lester Bangs crowd.
7. Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Let’s get the usual mention of Neko Case’s voice out of the way (she has a lovely, charismatic and supple voice) and get right to the music. For a more or less traditional artist, this is a remarkably ambitious and creative album. Were she an older and more well-established artist, such as Emmylou Harris, I would have said that she had undergone the Daniel Lanois treatment in an effort to become relevant. The songs are written mostly by Case herself, and are of such high quality that her songwriting may in future be mentioned before her voice. “Margaret vs. Pauline” movingly contrasts two women from very different backgrounds and socioeconomic classes (“one left her sweater sitting on the train and the other lost three fingers at the cannery”). That song is bookended with album closer, the wonderful “The Needle Has Landed.”
8. TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain
One of the best-reviewed and most aurally inventive records of the year. The fact that the band is biracial didn’t hurt either when it came to positive critical reception. TV on the Radio may well represent the future of popular music – effortlessly incorporating all that’s come before, stretching the limits of production as well as lyrical convention, defying the imposition of boundaries. The band’s appeal is best exemplified by “Wolf Like Me,” a relentlessly catchy piece of techno-punk with the forward momentum of Cream’s “Crossroads.” In my view there is only one (big) thing holding this band back, which is the lack of dynamics (or, put another way, song structure). The songs have no beginning, middle or end, and therefore no tension, no release and very little payoff. However, if you live entirely in the moment this is a great album.
9. Jon Auer – Songs from the Year of Our Demise
The first proper solo album (after several EP’s) from the former member of the beloved Posies is a magnificent display of songcraft and the use of hooks in the service of mature and emotionally satisfying adult pop music. Auer’s sweet tenor and gorgeous melodies promises candy-coated fun, but as with the Posies this record is a confection with a chewy center. Auer is a master of song structure, with indelible verses, convincing bridges and unforgettable choruses. Lyrics are evocative although lacking in specificity. The saminess of Auer’s recordings will prevent him from ever making a classic album, but adult consumers of music with hooks cannot do worse than this record.
10. Danielson - Ships
After recording six records under the name Danielson Famile, Daniel Smith chose the abbreviated Danielson moniker for this record, for no apparent reason since the Danielson empire has had a shifting roster anyway. This record evidences none (that I can tell) of the Christian lyrics that Smith is generally known for, in favor of a more generalized surreal lyrical approach. The slightly cluttered production, Byzantine melodies and high-pitched vocals remind me strongly of the lost classic album Boulders from former Move and Electric Light Orchestra member Roy Wood. Under the layers of instrumentation are some fine songs and compelling hooks.
1. Destroyer – Destroyer’s Rubies
In the past I’ve damned Destroyer’s Dan Bejar with faint praise, pigeonholing him as the “Odd One” in the New Pornographers. His albums with Destroyer were interesting, but their strangeness kept listeners at a distance. That distance has been erased with 2006’s best record, a near-masterpiece of cryptic lyrics, gorgeous melodies, exciting rock dynamics, and, most surprisingly, hooks. Beautifully arranged and produced, the record is both deep and wide, with the varied instrumentation (is that baritone sax I hear?) allowing Bejar to exploit the full musical palette. The frequent use of both piano and organ begs comparison with the Band and Procol Harum, especially apt touchstones since the casual feel of the production (intrusion of background sounds into the mix, guitar solos that leak over the edges of the track) makes this record feel like a prog-rock Basement Tapes.
2. Cursive – Happy Hollow
The aging and battered body of punk rock has life in it yet, in part because of the defibrillator jolt delivered by Tim Kasher and Cursive. Kasher’s projects (including side project The Good Life) share a punk sound married to non-punk instrumentation (strings on prior albums, horns on this one) and literate and heartfelt lyrics. This record is something of a concept album, exploring modern America through the prism of religion (“Big Bang”; “Bad Sects”), war (“Flag and Family”), sex, and politics. Kasher may well be the most earnest punk rocker in history, showing a deep concern for human emotions and evincing an admirable even-handedness in examining characters, such as religious fundamentalists, who might not be all that sympathetic. As with Kasher’s other projects, clues to his intent can be found in the wordplay of his titles – the title of the album refers to the vast expanse of “mainstream” America, which chooses to project an image of God-inspired contentment, but which masks a frightening emptiness. Intro track “Opening the Hymnal/Babies” has some blazing hooks, as does “Flag and Family,” about a young man whose wife’s arch-conservative family wants him to join the military (“Are you down on your knees, are you praying for holy war?”). The lyrics are easily heard, making this a good record to sing along to as well as contemplate.
3. Howe Gelb – ‘Sno Angel Like You
Giant Sand-man Gelb hooked up with a Canadian gospel choir called Voices of Praise for this startling album of newly-written Gelb songs, new versions of Giant Sand songs, and three songs from the late blues artist Rainer Ptacek. Gelb’s spare and creaky vocal and guitar arrangements (reminiscent of Neil Young) mesh sublimely with the vocal choir. The session sounds like it was recorded in someone’s living room, an impression enhanced by some great raw slide guitar by Fred Guignon, although apparently some of the choir tracks were recorded separately. The understatedness of the choir allows the recordings to avoid “I Want to Know What Love Is” bombast. Of the Gelb-penned tracks, the best are “Get to Leave,” which uses the dynamics potential of the choir to great advantage, and the dramatic “But I Did Not.”
4. Mission of Burma – The Obliterati
Any newbies who heard 2004’s comeback ONoffON and wondered what the fuss was about need to pick up 2006’s entry, the REAL comeback. Burma’s charm has always been to meld quality songwriting with post-punk excitement. This record displays the band’s trademark bludgeoning attack and the startling rock sensibility that somehow allows the band to pump out hooky melodies that teeter on the edge of chaos. The band’s trademark anarchy owes much to the band’s inimitable drummer Peter Prescott. The album is so remarkably consistent that I had genuine difficulty picking out a single track for my year-end compilation, but opener “2wice” sets the stage admirably. The live-sounding “Donna Sumeria” is also particularly satisfying.
5. Sunset Rubdown- Shut Up I Am Dreaming
This side-project by Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade has the same stunning emotionally resonant sound as that band, but doesn’t quite reach the same lyrical heights. There is a danger that Krug is spreading himself too thin, what with his participation in Wolf Parade and Swan Lake as well, the latter a supergroup with Dan Bejar of both Destroyer and the New Pornographers. There’s got to be a name for this type of sound, typified by a number of bands around today, including Modest Mouse, the Arcade Fire, Danielson and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. A dynamic and dramatic sound, yelping and heartfelt lead vocals, a circus-like sound incorporating organ, accordion and xylophone. An image of the midway at a medium-sized amusement park comes to mind, but these guys aren’t out in the brightly-lit rides and games of chance. They’re back in the shadows, lurking with the fortunetellers, the bearded lady and the wolf-boy.
6. Hold Steady – Boys and Girls in America
Close your eyes. Let your memory drift back. Travel with me now to the days of yesteryear. A simpler time. A time before websites and iTunes, when a handful of mighty rock bands strode the earth like titans. Boston. Foreigner. Journey. Loverboy. But no! It can’t be! I never left the ‘00s! I’ve been here the whole time! It’s not a bloated seventies FM hard rock band. It’s been the Hold Steady . . . all along. My . . . God… But seriously, even though I don’t particularly like ‘70s hard rock, these guys do it extremely well. Plus, along with their giant slabs of aural Wonder Bread slathered with power chords, they’ve managed to ingest the populism of Bruce Springsteen, the verbal inventiveness of Dylan, the punk integrity of the Minutemen and the pop savvy of Billy Joel. The Hold Steady manage to have it both (all?) ways, melding the macho big guitar sound with a heavy does of irony that makes them appealing to the Lester Bangs crowd.
7. Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Let’s get the usual mention of Neko Case’s voice out of the way (she has a lovely, charismatic and supple voice) and get right to the music. For a more or less traditional artist, this is a remarkably ambitious and creative album. Were she an older and more well-established artist, such as Emmylou Harris, I would have said that she had undergone the Daniel Lanois treatment in an effort to become relevant. The songs are written mostly by Case herself, and are of such high quality that her songwriting may in future be mentioned before her voice. “Margaret vs. Pauline” movingly contrasts two women from very different backgrounds and socioeconomic classes (“one left her sweater sitting on the train and the other lost three fingers at the cannery”). That song is bookended with album closer, the wonderful “The Needle Has Landed.”
8. TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain
One of the best-reviewed and most aurally inventive records of the year. The fact that the band is biracial didn’t hurt either when it came to positive critical reception. TV on the Radio may well represent the future of popular music – effortlessly incorporating all that’s come before, stretching the limits of production as well as lyrical convention, defying the imposition of boundaries. The band’s appeal is best exemplified by “Wolf Like Me,” a relentlessly catchy piece of techno-punk with the forward momentum of Cream’s “Crossroads.” In my view there is only one (big) thing holding this band back, which is the lack of dynamics (or, put another way, song structure). The songs have no beginning, middle or end, and therefore no tension, no release and very little payoff. However, if you live entirely in the moment this is a great album.
9. Jon Auer – Songs from the Year of Our Demise
The first proper solo album (after several EP’s) from the former member of the beloved Posies is a magnificent display of songcraft and the use of hooks in the service of mature and emotionally satisfying adult pop music. Auer’s sweet tenor and gorgeous melodies promises candy-coated fun, but as with the Posies this record is a confection with a chewy center. Auer is a master of song structure, with indelible verses, convincing bridges and unforgettable choruses. Lyrics are evocative although lacking in specificity. The saminess of Auer’s recordings will prevent him from ever making a classic album, but adult consumers of music with hooks cannot do worse than this record.
10. Danielson - Ships
After recording six records under the name Danielson Famile, Daniel Smith chose the abbreviated Danielson moniker for this record, for no apparent reason since the Danielson empire has had a shifting roster anyway. This record evidences none (that I can tell) of the Christian lyrics that Smith is generally known for, in favor of a more generalized surreal lyrical approach. The slightly cluttered production, Byzantine melodies and high-pitched vocals remind me strongly of the lost classic album Boulders from former Move and Electric Light Orchestra member Roy Wood. Under the layers of instrumentation are some fine songs and compelling hooks.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Raandy Newman takes his scalpel out of storage and sharpens it
Anyone seething with anger and frustration over the state of our country has got to check out the new single from Randy Newman, entitled "A Few Words in Defense of Our Country." Those familiar with Newman's career know him to be a razor-sharp satirist who has gotten stuck in the craw of just about everyone at one time or another, although he now prints money as the in-house soundtrack composer for Disney/Pixar animated films.
Since we canceled our subscription to the New York Times (that right-wing rag) I did not realize that the lyrics were published as an op-ed in the January 24 edition (lyrics available here). If you haven't seen the lyrics, they are sad, brilliant and hilarious. The song defends the U.S. by noting that our leaders, although "they're the worst that we've had," actually compare favorably with Caligula, Hitler, Stalin and King Leopold of Belgium.
And the verse about the Supreme Court deserves to be quoted in its entirety:
The song ends with a lament that the American moment may be coming to an end, but of course the message is not that it is going to end, or that he is glad that it is ending, but that America can live up to its ideals if its people take them seriously and act to adjust their behavior so that it is consistent with them. It is therefore depressing and somewhat comical that people on both the left and right don't get it. Right-wing posters on iTunes complained that they bought the record expecting a nice soothing patriotic tune like "Proud to Be an American" or a Disneyfied pop tune like "You've Got a Friend in Me." On the left, a clueless poster on DailyKos thought that the message of the song was that we should be grateful for Bush's leadership since he's not as bad as Hitler.
Since we canceled our subscription to the New York Times (that right-wing rag) I did not realize that the lyrics were published as an op-ed in the January 24 edition (lyrics available here). If you haven't seen the lyrics, they are sad, brilliant and hilarious. The song defends the U.S. by noting that our leaders, although "they're the worst that we've had," actually compare favorably with Caligula, Hitler, Stalin and King Leopold of Belgium.
And the verse about the Supreme Court deserves to be quoted in its entirety:
You know it pisses me off a little
That this Supreme Court is gonna outlive me
A couple of young Italian fellas and a brother on the Court now too
But I defy you, anywhere in the world
To find me two Italians as tightass as the two Italians we got
And as for the brother
Well, Pluto’s not a planet anymore either
The song ends with a lament that the American moment may be coming to an end, but of course the message is not that it is going to end, or that he is glad that it is ending, but that America can live up to its ideals if its people take them seriously and act to adjust their behavior so that it is consistent with them. It is therefore depressing and somewhat comical that people on both the left and right don't get it. Right-wing posters on iTunes complained that they bought the record expecting a nice soothing patriotic tune like "Proud to Be an American" or a Disneyfied pop tune like "You've Got a Friend in Me." On the left, a clueless poster on DailyKos thought that the message of the song was that we should be grateful for Bush's leadership since he's not as bad as Hitler.
Capsule Music Review - Ali Farka Toure
Ali Farka Toure - Savane
If you had the fortitude to go through my previous capsule music reviews you might have noticed a high percentage of records I didn't like. This is partly because I was holding back reviews of any record that had a good chance of making my top ten. Now that I have settled on my top ten (which I will publish on February 11 in conjunction with the Grammies), I can review the other records I liked.
Ali Farka Toure (there should be an accent on the "e", but I can't figure out how to do that on this software) is a West African guitarist (who died in 2006) sometimes referred to as the African John Lee Hooker. I find it difficult to make critical evaluations of "world music" artists because I lack a command of the criteria necessary to judge artists outside the Western popular music tradition. The difficulty with Toure is reduced slightly by his strong resemblance to the American blues tradition. Listening to Toure, it's easy to see how African musical traditions were incorporated into the blues, making Toure (until recently) a living time capsule of American traditional music. Of course, it is likely that Toure was in turn influenced by American blues artists, muddying the waters somewhat.
With that in mind, this is an essential record for anyone with an interest in folk music, blues, and guitar. I am unfamiliar with Toure's previous, apparently substantial output, but this record is filled with brilliant and startling guitar work that is simultaneously both familiar and alien. The lyrics are not sung in English, but that is no obstacle to getting the general emotional drift. The compositions tend to be somewhat static, resulting in a droning quality, which is by turns both mesmerizing and dull.
If you had the fortitude to go through my previous capsule music reviews you might have noticed a high percentage of records I didn't like. This is partly because I was holding back reviews of any record that had a good chance of making my top ten. Now that I have settled on my top ten (which I will publish on February 11 in conjunction with the Grammies), I can review the other records I liked.
Ali Farka Toure (there should be an accent on the "e", but I can't figure out how to do that on this software) is a West African guitarist (who died in 2006) sometimes referred to as the African John Lee Hooker. I find it difficult to make critical evaluations of "world music" artists because I lack a command of the criteria necessary to judge artists outside the Western popular music tradition. The difficulty with Toure is reduced slightly by his strong resemblance to the American blues tradition. Listening to Toure, it's easy to see how African musical traditions were incorporated into the blues, making Toure (until recently) a living time capsule of American traditional music. Of course, it is likely that Toure was in turn influenced by American blues artists, muddying the waters somewhat.
With that in mind, this is an essential record for anyone with an interest in folk music, blues, and guitar. I am unfamiliar with Toure's previous, apparently substantial output, but this record is filled with brilliant and startling guitar work that is simultaneously both familiar and alien. The lyrics are not sung in English, but that is no obstacle to getting the general emotional drift. The compositions tend to be somewhat static, resulting in a droning quality, which is by turns both mesmerizing and dull.
Capsule Music Review - Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom - Ys
I resisted the urge to pick up Newsom's previous record, The Milk-Eyed Mender, despite the critical bouquets deposited at her feet, but after the even greater paroxysms of enthusiasm for Ys (pronounced "ees") I felt I had no choice but to see what all the fuss was about.
It's easy to see why jaded critics looking for something different would admire this record since it certainly is different. Newsom's warbly, high-pitched voice had me longing for the the sound of fingernails on a blackboard. Stapled on to Newsom's meandering and unexceptional melodies are the hyperactive and cluttered string arrangements of Van Dyke Parks, a rock music hanger-on whose previous claim to fame was making Brian Wilson look down-to-earth by comparison.
Finally, the engineer on the record is the well-known maverick and asshole Steve Albini, who seems to have made a career now of locating and nurturing artists that suck.
I resisted the urge to pick up Newsom's previous record, The Milk-Eyed Mender, despite the critical bouquets deposited at her feet, but after the even greater paroxysms of enthusiasm for Ys (pronounced "ees") I felt I had no choice but to see what all the fuss was about.
It's easy to see why jaded critics looking for something different would admire this record since it certainly is different. Newsom's warbly, high-pitched voice had me longing for the the sound of fingernails on a blackboard. Stapled on to Newsom's meandering and unexceptional melodies are the hyperactive and cluttered string arrangements of Van Dyke Parks, a rock music hanger-on whose previous claim to fame was making Brian Wilson look down-to-earth by comparison.
Finally, the engineer on the record is the well-known maverick and asshole Steve Albini, who seems to have made a career now of locating and nurturing artists that suck.
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