Well here is the list everyone has been begging me for. Literally begging. All people everywhere want to hear the rantings of a single 35 year old fat man sipping Mountain Dew and typing about music you don't care about in his underwear. I am going to steer away from the obvious on this list. Yes we all hate Nickelback, Justin Bieber, and Miley Cyrus. Its not even interesting to hate on them anymore. Those of you who do read this list I'm sure will disagree with much of it. If that is the case you can take comfort in the fact that in 15+ years of randomly picking up guitars I can almost play the introduction to Bob Marley's "Redemption Song," with only six mess ups!
13. Lou Reed's "Metal Machine Music" album: This one actually hurts a little bit. I love nearly every note Lou Reed played with the Velvet Underground, the only exception coming to mind is "The Murder Mystery." Only in the 1960s would anyone think having two completely incongruent pieces of music each blasting out of different speakers simultaneously was a good idea. But Lou Reed's solo discography is very spotty. "Metal Machine Music," released in 1975 is a double album, yes double, of tuneless guitar feedback. When I say tuneless, I am not exaggerating. Imagine the emergency broadcast system tone for an hour straight and you have "Metal Machine Music." Many have speculated that this was Reed's version of a practical joke on rock critics who praised his every move. Joke or not, what is funny, is how many critics have actually praised the album. Honorable Mention: Lou Reed's 2011 "Lulu" album recorded with Metallica. Interesting pairing. Could be good. Nope.
12. Eddie Vedder: The thing about this, is that I actually like Pearl Jam. I like Eddie Vedder. What I hate is every rock band that came after Pearl Jam between 1992 and 2001. For some reason every group thought it was a good idea to ape Eddie's up until 1991, unique voice. Despite what good music Pearl Jam has created their legacy will always be marred by the fact that Creed ever existed.
11. The Beatles: Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: I'm sorry. I really am. I like the Beatles just like anyone else, but this album is the most over rated collection of psychedelic quirkery ever recorded. We can thank Sgt. Pepper for every pretentious rock musician who wants to "be taken seriously as an artist," when they record something that no one actually wants to listen to. I'm looking at you Thom Yorke. Honorable Mention: "Revolution 9" from the Beatles' white album. The white album is a brilliant but uneven record. It is far and away my favorite Beatles album but "Revolution 9" is completely unlistenable. I don't care how innovative it is in terms of studio production. I challenge anyone to listen and enjoy the entire thing. If you can do this I will send you an hour long album of me attempting to play a mistake free version of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" intro on guitar, absolutely free. I demand to be taken seriously as an artist damn it!
10. The Beastie Boys and Sublime: Maybe its because these bands were universally loved in my high school, but if I have to hear "Sabotage," "Girls," "Fight For Your Right," "What I Got," or "Date Rape," ever again I will probably take a cheese grater to my.... finish that sentence however you like.
9. Journey, Boston, Kansas, Styx, Foreigner, Chicago: These bands are the reason the phrase "seventies rock" elicits groans and eye rolls from most people born after 1989. There are fewer things that irritate me more then hearing "Come Sail Away" on classic rock radio.
8. The Eagles: "Man, c'mon, I had a rough night and I hate the fucking Eagles, man." -The Dude. Amen Dude, amen. "Hotel California" is maybe the worst hit song from rock's golden era other then Don Maclean's "Miss American Pie."
7. Indie Music recorded after 2001: The Shins, Belle and Sebastian, Death Cab For Cutie, Bon Iver, Wilco, Decemberists, Iron & Wine, Pinback, My Morning Jacket, Sufjan Stevens and the rest of the post 1999 band's cds that I bought and listened to once. I hold you all personally responsible for Mumford and Sons. (Yes, I too, was duped by Mumford and Sons, until I woke up from a phony bluegrass coma and realized that every song was quiet, slighty louder, slightly louder, slightly louder, really fucking loud (as loud as you can be on acoustic instruments, anyway) and then quiet again. Epic dude. Totally epic.) The aforementioned bands are about as pretentious as every 1970s prog band but are about as exciting as Coldplay covering Hootie and the Blowfish. To be fair, my opinion is extremely biased. I think the world's best music was recorded in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Keep in mind, I was born in 1979.
6. Eddie Van Halen's "Eruption" guitar solo: I love guitar solos. I love them more then I love bacon cheeseburgers, sunsets, true love and oxygen. I have spent hours listening to and absorbing guitar solos from Jimi Hendrix, the Allman Brothers Band, David Gilmour, early Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Buddy Guy, Neil Young, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and countless blues and rock greats. Their solos are soulful expressions of human creativity. Unfortunately, even though Eddie Van Halen can play really, really, really, really fast, there is nothing interesting about his solos. "Eruption" is by far the worst example of the worst kind of guitar wankery that gives guitar soloing such a bad reputation.
5. Phil Collins: Commonly referred to as the antichrist of rock. One listen to "Sussido," the "Tarzan" soundtrack and even "In the Air Tonight" more then justify the label.
4. Santana's comeback: If all I had ever heard of Santana was their 1960s work, they would probably be among my favorite bands, but as good as their version of "Black Magic Woman" is, I can't help but think of them as anything other then that dinosaur band who thought recording a song with Rob Thomas would make them hip and relevant.... Although they did sell millions of albums. Touche Santana. Your guest star filled albums still suck.
3. Pretty much all of the 1980s: Okay, there are always a few exceptions: Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Replacements, Jesus and Mary Chain, Metallica. Shut up, I dig Metallica, even if Lars Ulrich is a boring douche of a drummer. Other then these groups, there isn't much else noteworthy to speak of in the 1980s. I guess I also like the Cure and the Smiths, but even I find their epic moping a little tiresome and almost comical. For the most part my complaint of the 1980s is the sound of the albums. 80s production is almost universally cheesy and horribly dated. Even on albums I like from the 80s, I think the drums sound shitty. With the exception Prince, great soul and r & b music, were almost completely absent in the 1980s with Stevie Wonder sounding like elevator music and Marvin Gaye's potentially awesome tune "Sexual Healing," being marred by crummy 80s keyboards. Also, hair bands suck. I mean they really suck. Motley Crue? Ratt? Poison? Bon Jovi? Warrant? No thank you.
2. Rap Rock: Record exec: "Hey, some kids like rock while other kids like rap. If we combine them, then all kids will like rap rock. Brilliant!" And what came of this unholy marriage? Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park and Kid Rock. Need I say more?
1. Green Day's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: How did a band who up until 2004 were most known for an album called "Dookie," get themselves acknowledged as one of history's great bands? They did the safest thing a rock band can do: They recorded a rock opera calling Americans idiots and ripping on a Republican president. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not a Republican, nor am I Democrat. I just find it ironic that rock n roll rebellion is so damn one sided. Of course there is Ted Nugent. Eew. I take it all back. Be as one sided liberal as you want.
Well there it is. I personally give this list 5 burning coals. Just kidding. Hope you enjoyed it or at least became as irrationally angry as I get at the mention of the "genius" of Kanye West. He is so awful, his awfulness transcends the need to be on a list such as this.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
GARY CLARK JR. LIVE
Fortunately, Gary Clark Jr. is young enough to have not flooded the market with unnecessary live recordings. His latest live record is one of those rare documents that is actually better then his studio output. 2012's Blak and Blu, has some great moments, but it is a bit stiff, unfocused and over-produced. It sounds like a talented musician trying to find his way. With "Live" we are hearing a musician and a band that knows exactly what they are on stage for: to keep the candles of blues, rock, and soul burning into the 21st century.
Comparisons to Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan are inevitable, but Gary has an identity all his own and he has the chops to be counted among history's great blues-rock guitarists. Gary's playing on cover songs "Catfish Blues," "Three O'Clock Blues" and "If Trouble Was Money," is more then enough to establish his blues street cred. Gary's inspired medley of Hendrix's "Third Stone From the Sun" and Albert Collins's "If You Love Me Like You Say," was something he did on "Blak and Blu," but its the live version that is definitive, featuring Gary's hip hop scratch guitar over drummer, Johnny Radelat's relentless funk.
On the studio album, "Travis County," was the victim over-production, but on stage the song's Chuck Berryesque riff allows Gary's fleet fingers to tear into some traditional rock n' roll. "Please Come Home," featuring Gary's lovely falsetto vocal, adds two minutes to the grammy winning studio version with an intense and soulful guitar solo. "When My Train Pulls In" and "Bright Lights," are nuclear meltdowns of fuzz guitar wizadry, while "Numb" adds a delta blues intro before unleashing a beautifully distorted riff that recalls the early days of the Black Keys.
The double record ends on a wonderfully low key note featuring Gary alone, lazily strumming his guitar on "When the Sun Goes Down." The song also affords Gary the chance to show off his harmonica skills, which is something he hopefully continues to add to future recordings. With this live album Gary has established himself as this generation's guitar hero. With young players like Gary Clark Jr. we can hopefully look forward to many more years of blues inspired rock 'n' roll. 4 1/2 Burning Coals.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
BEING REAL, BEING SELFLESS, AND WHAT I WANT TO DO
First off I love creativity. I love art. I love entertainment. I don’t feel like art and entertainment need to be thought of as separate things. The entertainment I love; specifically music, film and literature, I see as art. The music of Jimi Hendrix is art. I really think that. Mozart and Hendrix, neither one is inherently more artistic or beautiful then the other. Both are different ways of expressing oneself through music. It comes down to the individual preferences of the listener. What is and what isn’t art is not important. Well that’s not entirely true. It’s just not what I want to write about right now. What I want to write about now is how I want to be a part of that world, the creative artistic world. I can’t and don’t have the patience to play music. I can’t sing, I can’t paint, I can’t act and I’m pretty sure I couldn’t direct a film. I do, however think I can write.
This, though, is where I start to realize what I don’t like about myself and my writing. I feel as if I have the constant need to seek approval or be praised by my peers. This need to be perceived as smart, witty and insightful leaks into my writing. Of course if I want to be a writer, or in other words contribute to that world of art and thought, I should write in a way that engages people; the problem is that a lot of times I feel like I’m just trying to show off. I’m writing for the praise and not for the art. This motive for praise and self aggrandizement seems impossible to escape completely. George Orwell said as much in his essay “Why I Write.” In it he lists four main reasons why someone chooses to write, the first of which he says is “sheer egotism,” which he describes as, a “desire to seem clever, to be talked about, to be remembered after death…” He goes on to say, “it is humbug (bullshit in modern terms) to pretend this is not a motive, and a strong one” (312). While much of the essay also focuses on Orwell’s more idealistic reasons for writing; the “desire to push the world in a certain direction, to alter peoples’ ideas of the kind of society they should strive after” (312 – 313); he is careful to bring it back to what he ultimately believes to be one of the more powerful motives to write. “All writers are vain, selfish and lazy” (316). This quote sounds like a terrible characterization, but it brings a knowing little smirk to my face because there is truth in it. First of all, it does seem lazy to want to be an artist or writer. I don’t want to do manual labor and it’s not because I think I’m above it. I just hate it and I suck at it. In saying this I am not discounting what I believe to be the importance of art and writing. Art is another way to express what we believe to be a truth. It can sometimes communicate to us in a way that other things do not. Sometimes a love song or a sonnet speaks to us because it explains a feeling that we have in our own heart. It’s unfair for me to classify all artists as lazy. There are many artists who are industrious and multi talented, I just don’t count myself among them. This particular writer is lazy.
Again, I am getting off track here. The part of Orwell’s quote that I think really sums up how I feel about my own attempts to be a writer are the parts about selfishness and vanity. I’m both of these because I want to write my thoughts and I want to be praised for verbalizing them, but as I said earlier I’m afraid that I’m not always being true to my voice because I want to be admired as an insightful person who sheds light on the mysteries of the human condition. See, even that last sentence makes me sound like a show off and a pretentious fuck. Writing “fuck,” I guess is supposed to make me seem grounded and edgy. I’m no word snob and I have no moral objection to swearing. Ass, bitch, cunt, cock, mother fucker, shit. It’s just that I don’t want to swear just to swear or show off. I want to be insightful, edgy and funny; but I don’t want to pretend to be insightful, edgy and funny. I want my writing to come from a real place inside of me and not from what I perceive to be what people think of as great writing; otherwise my writing will be hollow or as Kurt Vonnegut would call it, “cheap, silly, false” (12).
Recently I reread The Catcher In the Rye, and out of all of Holden Caulfield’s rants there was one in particular that stood out and I think it relates to the anxiety I’m speaking of, about wanting to be a successful writer but also making sure that I’m doing it from a pure and authentic place. In the passage I’m thinking of, Holden is asked by his little sister, Phoebe, what he wants to do with his life. He has a hard time answering the question and at one point begins talking about lawyers.
“Lawyers are alright, I guess – but it doesn’t appeal to me… I mean they’re alright if they go around saving innocent guys’ lives all the time, and like that, but you don’t do that kind of stuff if you’re a lawyer. All you do is make a lot of dough and play golf and play bridge and buy cars and drink Martinis and look like a hot-shot. And besides, even if you did go around saving guys’ lives and all, how would you know if you did it because you really wanted to save guys’ lives, or because you did it because what you really wanted to do was be a terrific lawyer, with everybody slapping you on the back and congratulating you in court when the goddam trial was over, the reporters and everybody, the way it is in the dirty movies? How would you know you weren’t being a phony? The trouble is you wouldn’t” (Salinger 172).
How do you and I know we aren’t being phonies? How do we know we are being authentic and acting completely selflessly without any thought of compensation, whether that compensation be in the form of financial gain or in words of praise? Is it even possible to be completely selfless? Is a perceived noble act any less noble because we find out the actor is a self involved status seeking prick? It certainly feels wrong to praise someone who seemingly does something good for selfish reasons, but again; is it possible to be completely selfless when doing something righteous? Personally, I don’t think it is. Even if we serve out of a desire to serve, we are still fulfilling a personal desire. We are seeking to fulfill something in our self which is in a way selfish.
Holden is critical of people he perceives as phony throughout the novel. He sees, most especially in the world of grown – ups, a lack of authenticity. The question I have is similar to the question I had about selflessness. Is it possible to be completely authentic and true to one’s self in every word and in every action? For someone like me or Holden who seem to idealize authenticity, the answer is a hopeful yes. The fact that I say “a hopeful yes,” however implies that I am skeptical of my own reply. In reality I think the best we can do is try. Complete authenticity requires complete knowledge of one’s self; but this a life long journey. The self is not some permanent stagnate thing. It is and should be something that is constantly changing and evolving through life experience. In our quest to be authentic all we can do is be true to where we are in the moment we act but with the knowledge that we are always changing.
With Holden and with myself there is a fear of failure, the ultimate failure is possibly being exposed as that thing we hate the most, a phony. Part of this seems to stem from having an overly idealized and impossibly high standard of selflessness and authenticity. In Holden’s case and in my own this fear has paralyzed us from accomplishing much with our lives. As you read the “Catcher in the Rye,” once you get past his obvious pettiness and immaturity, you also realize that Holden can be insightful and intelligent. He speaks of his talent in writing and he is clearly capable of more than flunking out of the schools he has attended. I relate to this flaw in Holden Caulfield. I hesitate to write and I have nearly flunked out of school twice. I’m enrolled to go back this year, but under continued academic probation, just as at the end of the novel Holden is scheduled to go back to another school. He is hesitant however to commit that he is going to do better, which again seems to stem from the same fear of being exposed as a phony.
“A lot of people, especially this one psychoanalyst guy they have here, keeps asking me if I’m going to apply myself when I go back to school next September. It’s such a stupid question, in my opinion. I mean how do you know what you’re going to do till you do it? The answer is you don’t. I think I am, but how do I know? I swear it’s a stupid question” (Salinger 213).
If Holden answers yes and he fails then he thinks he will be seen as a phony. It is a difficult question to answer, especially when you’re history suggests that you will fail, not because you want to but because we humans are creatures of habit. We have noble hopes to change our behaviors but until we actually change our behaviors we repeat our mistakes. As with selflessness and authenticity the best I can answer about my own future success in both school and in attempting to be a successful and authentic writer is that I will try. Whenever someone says I will try, we automatically think of it as a weak and uncommitted response. Many of us of a certain age hear Yoda saying, “do or do not, there is no try.” Damn it, I don’t care what Yoda says. We do by trying to do. I am going to try but this time I’m not going to let my fear of being seen as selfish or phony stop me from doing what it is I want to do. I will strive to do things as selflessly and as authentically as is possible for me to do. In the end I believe it’s better to act with imperfect motives then to not act all. At least by acting we can change our motives over time; they can come from a more selfless and authentic place just by acting and striving to have them come from those places.
So here I am, attempting to enter the world of writers and thinkers hoping that what I am writing is something worthwhile and helpful to those who struggle and are apprehensive about their futures. I can say that in at least this, I have spoken from the heart.
By the way, if you are interested in reading George Orwell's vastly superior, short and entertaining essay, "Why I Write," here is the link: http://orwell.ru/library/essays/wiw/english/e_wiw
Bibliography
Orwell, George. A Collection of Essays. Orlando: Harcourt, 1981.
Print.
Vonnegut, Kurt. Welcome to the Monkey House. New York: Dial Press, 2006.
Print.
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Little Brown and Co., 1991
Print.
This, though, is where I start to realize what I don’t like about myself and my writing. I feel as if I have the constant need to seek approval or be praised by my peers. This need to be perceived as smart, witty and insightful leaks into my writing. Of course if I want to be a writer, or in other words contribute to that world of art and thought, I should write in a way that engages people; the problem is that a lot of times I feel like I’m just trying to show off. I’m writing for the praise and not for the art. This motive for praise and self aggrandizement seems impossible to escape completely. George Orwell said as much in his essay “Why I Write.” In it he lists four main reasons why someone chooses to write, the first of which he says is “sheer egotism,” which he describes as, a “desire to seem clever, to be talked about, to be remembered after death…” He goes on to say, “it is humbug (bullshit in modern terms) to pretend this is not a motive, and a strong one” (312). While much of the essay also focuses on Orwell’s more idealistic reasons for writing; the “desire to push the world in a certain direction, to alter peoples’ ideas of the kind of society they should strive after” (312 – 313); he is careful to bring it back to what he ultimately believes to be one of the more powerful motives to write. “All writers are vain, selfish and lazy” (316). This quote sounds like a terrible characterization, but it brings a knowing little smirk to my face because there is truth in it. First of all, it does seem lazy to want to be an artist or writer. I don’t want to do manual labor and it’s not because I think I’m above it. I just hate it and I suck at it. In saying this I am not discounting what I believe to be the importance of art and writing. Art is another way to express what we believe to be a truth. It can sometimes communicate to us in a way that other things do not. Sometimes a love song or a sonnet speaks to us because it explains a feeling that we have in our own heart. It’s unfair for me to classify all artists as lazy. There are many artists who are industrious and multi talented, I just don’t count myself among them. This particular writer is lazy.
Again, I am getting off track here. The part of Orwell’s quote that I think really sums up how I feel about my own attempts to be a writer are the parts about selfishness and vanity. I’m both of these because I want to write my thoughts and I want to be praised for verbalizing them, but as I said earlier I’m afraid that I’m not always being true to my voice because I want to be admired as an insightful person who sheds light on the mysteries of the human condition. See, even that last sentence makes me sound like a show off and a pretentious fuck. Writing “fuck,” I guess is supposed to make me seem grounded and edgy. I’m no word snob and I have no moral objection to swearing. Ass, bitch, cunt, cock, mother fucker, shit. It’s just that I don’t want to swear just to swear or show off. I want to be insightful, edgy and funny; but I don’t want to pretend to be insightful, edgy and funny. I want my writing to come from a real place inside of me and not from what I perceive to be what people think of as great writing; otherwise my writing will be hollow or as Kurt Vonnegut would call it, “cheap, silly, false” (12).
Recently I reread The Catcher In the Rye, and out of all of Holden Caulfield’s rants there was one in particular that stood out and I think it relates to the anxiety I’m speaking of, about wanting to be a successful writer but also making sure that I’m doing it from a pure and authentic place. In the passage I’m thinking of, Holden is asked by his little sister, Phoebe, what he wants to do with his life. He has a hard time answering the question and at one point begins talking about lawyers.
“Lawyers are alright, I guess – but it doesn’t appeal to me… I mean they’re alright if they go around saving innocent guys’ lives all the time, and like that, but you don’t do that kind of stuff if you’re a lawyer. All you do is make a lot of dough and play golf and play bridge and buy cars and drink Martinis and look like a hot-shot. And besides, even if you did go around saving guys’ lives and all, how would you know if you did it because you really wanted to save guys’ lives, or because you did it because what you really wanted to do was be a terrific lawyer, with everybody slapping you on the back and congratulating you in court when the goddam trial was over, the reporters and everybody, the way it is in the dirty movies? How would you know you weren’t being a phony? The trouble is you wouldn’t” (Salinger 172).
How do you and I know we aren’t being phonies? How do we know we are being authentic and acting completely selflessly without any thought of compensation, whether that compensation be in the form of financial gain or in words of praise? Is it even possible to be completely selfless? Is a perceived noble act any less noble because we find out the actor is a self involved status seeking prick? It certainly feels wrong to praise someone who seemingly does something good for selfish reasons, but again; is it possible to be completely selfless when doing something righteous? Personally, I don’t think it is. Even if we serve out of a desire to serve, we are still fulfilling a personal desire. We are seeking to fulfill something in our self which is in a way selfish.
Holden is critical of people he perceives as phony throughout the novel. He sees, most especially in the world of grown – ups, a lack of authenticity. The question I have is similar to the question I had about selflessness. Is it possible to be completely authentic and true to one’s self in every word and in every action? For someone like me or Holden who seem to idealize authenticity, the answer is a hopeful yes. The fact that I say “a hopeful yes,” however implies that I am skeptical of my own reply. In reality I think the best we can do is try. Complete authenticity requires complete knowledge of one’s self; but this a life long journey. The self is not some permanent stagnate thing. It is and should be something that is constantly changing and evolving through life experience. In our quest to be authentic all we can do is be true to where we are in the moment we act but with the knowledge that we are always changing.
With Holden and with myself there is a fear of failure, the ultimate failure is possibly being exposed as that thing we hate the most, a phony. Part of this seems to stem from having an overly idealized and impossibly high standard of selflessness and authenticity. In Holden’s case and in my own this fear has paralyzed us from accomplishing much with our lives. As you read the “Catcher in the Rye,” once you get past his obvious pettiness and immaturity, you also realize that Holden can be insightful and intelligent. He speaks of his talent in writing and he is clearly capable of more than flunking out of the schools he has attended. I relate to this flaw in Holden Caulfield. I hesitate to write and I have nearly flunked out of school twice. I’m enrolled to go back this year, but under continued academic probation, just as at the end of the novel Holden is scheduled to go back to another school. He is hesitant however to commit that he is going to do better, which again seems to stem from the same fear of being exposed as a phony.
“A lot of people, especially this one psychoanalyst guy they have here, keeps asking me if I’m going to apply myself when I go back to school next September. It’s such a stupid question, in my opinion. I mean how do you know what you’re going to do till you do it? The answer is you don’t. I think I am, but how do I know? I swear it’s a stupid question” (Salinger 213).
If Holden answers yes and he fails then he thinks he will be seen as a phony. It is a difficult question to answer, especially when you’re history suggests that you will fail, not because you want to but because we humans are creatures of habit. We have noble hopes to change our behaviors but until we actually change our behaviors we repeat our mistakes. As with selflessness and authenticity the best I can answer about my own future success in both school and in attempting to be a successful and authentic writer is that I will try. Whenever someone says I will try, we automatically think of it as a weak and uncommitted response. Many of us of a certain age hear Yoda saying, “do or do not, there is no try.” Damn it, I don’t care what Yoda says. We do by trying to do. I am going to try but this time I’m not going to let my fear of being seen as selfish or phony stop me from doing what it is I want to do. I will strive to do things as selflessly and as authentically as is possible for me to do. In the end I believe it’s better to act with imperfect motives then to not act all. At least by acting we can change our motives over time; they can come from a more selfless and authentic place just by acting and striving to have them come from those places.
So here I am, attempting to enter the world of writers and thinkers hoping that what I am writing is something worthwhile and helpful to those who struggle and are apprehensive about their futures. I can say that in at least this, I have spoken from the heart.
By the way, if you are interested in reading George Orwell's vastly superior, short and entertaining essay, "Why I Write," here is the link: http://orwell.ru/library/essays/wiw/english/e_wiw
Bibliography
Orwell, George. A Collection of Essays. Orlando: Harcourt, 1981.
Print.
Vonnegut, Kurt. Welcome to the Monkey House. New York: Dial Press, 2006.
Print.
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Little Brown and Co., 1991
Print.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Wait... So now Dan Auerbach likes guitar solos?
Ok, before I talk about the new album from the Black Keys I need to express some irritation I have with these guys. First off, I'm a fan. I got hooked after hearing the guitar riff for "Your Touch," off their 2006 album "Magic Potion," an album which I happen to enjoy but is regularly dissed by the band themselves. Upon exploring their back catalog I was impressed by their raw guitar and drums sound, not unlike the White Stripes; a fact Jack White loves to point out. Tunes like "I'll Be Your Man," and albums like "The Rubber Factory" and "Thickfreakness" became part of my constant listening rotation. This was a band that seemed unashamed to play bluesy riff-driven rock 'n' roll in an era of overly produced pop and sensitive overly precious indie "rock." With 2008's "Attack and Release" the Keys hooked up with the hip retro producer Danger Mouse and began distancing themselves from the sound that up to that point had made them a mildly popular underground garage act. I have no problem with bands evolving and changing their sound. I'm one of the few Metallica fans who still really likes the much fan - maligned "Load" and "Reload" albums. I didn't and still don't love "Attack and Release," but I loved the Keys two follow up records, 2010's slightly bloated hazy soul album "Brothers" and 2011's wonderfully trashy glam album "El Camino."
So I love most of the band's music, what have I got to be irritated about? I have no beef with the music. Sure it's a little derivative of rock n roll history, but it gets the job done. I have a problem with Dan Auerbach's and Patrick Carney's obsessive need to appear cool. There are plenty examples of Patrick Carney shooting his mouth about other bands but those have been extensively covered. I want to focus my attention on Dan Auerbach. Listen to fuzz riff of 2006's "Just A Little Heat." ">
Now check out how "Little Black Submarines" from "El Camino" begins as a slow acoustic tune before erupting into an electric hell storm of guitar distortion and Carney's caveman skin pounding. ">
These two songs are awesome examples of the Black Keys rock 'n' roll credentials. Now, I ask you, if you had to name what classic rock band comes to mind when you hear these tunes? Okay, maybe the Rolling Stones or Jimi Hendrix, but if you're like me I bet a lot of you said, Led Zeppelin. When being compared to a classic rock act you could do much worse. What does "cooler then thou," Auerbach think of the Zepp comparisons? Read for yourself: "Man, you know what? I never listen to Led Zeppelin. But, I mean, I don’t think Robert Plant or Jimmy Page listen to Led Zeppelin, either. We all probably obsessed over the same old blues records growing up." (Read the entire interview here: http://www.maxim.com/music/interview-with-dan-auerbach-of-the-black-keys
Okay fine, you're not a Zeppelin fan. What bugs me isn't the fact that he doesn't dig the mighty Zeppelin, its the way he just dismisses them. Its a hard sale to deny any influence of Jimmy Page when your music is so obviously indebted to the sound he popularized. I'm probably being nit picky here but I wouldn't bring it up if it was the first time I'd been annoyed with Auerbach's comments. My current irritation is his contradictory attitude toward guitar and in particular guitar solos. I am an unapologetic fan boy of a good long guitar solo. I'm the obnoxious guy who cranks the stereo up at the moment when a guitar player rips into his strings and shreds your face off with a blade of awesomeness. (Quick aside; Top 5 guitar solos: "Machine Gun" - Jimi Hendrix. This one sounds like a war. "You Really Got Me" - The Kinks. Dave Davies sounds like he's having a seizure while playing this brief explosion. "Comfortably Numb" - Pink Floyd. The studio version is great but you gotta watch the Pulse DVD to see and hear David Gilmour extend this solo into the stratosphere. Very epic. "Crossroads" - Cream. With all the easy listening adult contemporary crap that Eric Clapton has made its hard to remember that he once kicked ass on guitar, okay he still does, but he really let it rip in the old days. "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin. Go ahead and call me cliche, but seriously this solo made me a classic rock fan. My whole taste in music shifted when I heard this song at a home coming dance as a high school sophomore living in Iowa back in the fall of 1995.)
Anyway back to Auerbach. Back in 2011, Auerbach made a list for Rolling Stone of bad ass guitars. Nothing wrong with that, except for some reason he had to preface his list by saying, "Guitar bores the shit out of me 99 per cent of the time." (http://www.rollingstoneme.com/music/the-black-keys-badass-guitars-and-killer-grooves) Oooh, how hip and ironic of you Dan. You are a guitar player making a list of your favorite bad ass guitar sounds, yet you are bored by guitar 99 per cent of the time. Bullshit.
Most recently I'm annoyed with this statement from a recent interview with NPR where Auerbach talks about his guitar solos on the new album, "Turn Blue." "...I grew up listening to Derek & the Dominos and The Allman Brothers and stuff like that. I listen to the Grateful Dead a lot... I grew up listening to that kind of music, and I love long guitar solos and spacey jams." (http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2014/05/07/309346263/the-black-keys-turn-blue-the-all-songs-interview)Awesome. You love long guitar solos and spacey jams. Me too, except I'm not sure what to make of this comment to Spin magazine in 2011: ""I've never been into guitar solos. I really like when every instrument in the band is a rhythm instrument." (http://www.spin.com/articles/studio-black-keys/)Dan, which is it? You don't need to pander and flip flop. You are a great guitar player and I love your music.
Okay, now that is all off of my chest, what do I think of the new Keys record? I dig it. I think its the first great record of 2014, sorry Beck fans. Things start off in outer space with the nearly seven minute "Weight of Love." This is definitely the longest tune I'm aware of on a Black Keys album. The song has been drawing a lot of comparisons to the opening track "Breathe" from Pink Floyd's classic "Dark Side of the Moon." It's a fair comparison as both tunes have a lot of space as they float into your consciousness. Dan's guitar solo on this one sears out of the song's otherwise psychedelic fog. ">
"Fever" was the album's first single about a month ago and when I first heard it I wasn't sure if I dug it or not. I've since found myself loving its relentless groove. Side two's "Its Up to You Now," features a pounding and driving beat from Patrick Carney that sounds like a mash up of the Bo Diddley beat and Zepp's "Immigrant Song."
As surprising as "Weight of Love" is the biggest surprise for me comes in the album's closing track "Gotta Get Away." This tune emerges from the smoky atmosphere of the rest of the record with what is one of the catchiest songs the Keys have ever recorded. "Gotta Get Away," is pure summertime and bbqs classic rock. This tune is destined to become ubiquitous in car and beer commercials and a staple on future classic rock radio playlists. It is seriously just so damn good. Hear for yourself and try to not dance around and sing along with the chorus by the end of it. ">
Like last year's Arctic Monkey's "AM" album, this a rock album that you can dance too. While it's not quite as good as that album, "Turn Blue," is another great album from a great modern rock 'n' roll band. This albums gets 4 burning coals.
Monday, March 24, 2014
NEW WOLFMOTHER TO ROCK YOUR FACE OFF!
After five years of silence I don't think anyone expected Wolfmother to release another album. Well that's just what they did and it rocks. It's hard to talk about Wolfmother without mentioning their obvious influences. Their music is very derivative of the classic rock and heavy metal of the 1960s and 1970s, but by calling their music derivative is not me calling the music bad, I find Wolfmother to be quite enjoyable, I just don't find it to be anything groundbreaking either. I've banged my head to tunes like "Woman" and "Joker and the Thief" proudly for the last seven or eight years.
The album announces itself with the boys updating the power trio blast of Cream on the opener, "How Many Times." The stereo mix on this track is fantastic as each of the three instruments are made distinct as they pound your skull with classic rock riffagery and screaming lead guitar. Its a great way to open an album of vintage hard rock 'n' roll.
"Enemy Is In Your Mind" is pure "Sabotage" era Black Sabbath, with Andrew Stockdale singing in his best Ozzy voice to great effect. I didn't think anyone would ever sound like the Prince of Darkness but alas I stand corrected. Nice work Andrew. The album's title track, "New Crown," is a good epic with the track morphing from standard riff rock into a Foghat "Slow Ride" groove complete with a nice fuzzed out guitar solo and some wonderfully funky mud bass thumping along at the bottom end. Very tasty.
"Feelings" is lo-fi garage rock that has Andrew Stockdale sounding like Jack White fronting the Buzzcocks. "I Ain't Got No" struts like AC/DC, while album closer "Radio" sounds like early nineties shoegaze filtered through the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
I had a lot of fun listening to this one, but it does also feel a little samey on repeated listens, and it never really seems to transcend its influences, which makes it difficult to proclaim it a classic or even essential album. That being said, if you are like me and have a soft spot for seventies inspired hard rock guitar riffs then by all means pick up this album and enjoy. I'd rate it 3 1/2 burning coals.
Stream the whole album here:
http://wolfmother.bandcamp.com/album/new-crown
Friday, February 14, 2014
VALENTINES DAY SPECIAL: A SIX PACK OF GREAT LOVE SONGS
SEVEN GREAT LOVE SONGS
1. "HEROES-" DAVID BOWIE
This song is probably the most epic love song ever written. Bowie wrote the song while detoxing in Berlin in the late seventies. He happened to observe a couple that daily met for a romantic rendezvous by the Berlin Wall. Bowie imagined their story and wrote a song about lovers finding freedom in each other while living under oppression. "Though nothing can drive them away, we can beat them just for one day. We can be heroes just for one day." The song gets really epic though toward the end when Bowie passionately sings, "I can remember, standing by the wall, and the guns shot over our heads; and we kissed, as though nothing can fall; and the shame was on the other side. Oh we can beat them, forever and ever, then we can be heroes, just for one day..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3SjCzA71eM
2. I'LL BE YOUR MIRROR - VELVET UNDERGROUND
This one is an oddball with its simple spare arrangement and Nico's unique, to say the least, singing voice. However the lyrics are probably the sweetest most heart on the sleeve lyrics Lou Reed ever wrote. Basically its a song where he encourages his lover by saying that when she is feeling bad about her self all she needs to do is look at him and he will be her mirror reflecting back all the beauty he sees in her.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31g_4B9AkYs
3. STAND BY ME - BEN E. KING
I'm not sure this song was intended to be a soundtrack to love during an apocalypse but that's the way I always imagine it. Listen to the lyrics: "If the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall, or the mountain should crumble to the sea, I won't cry... I won't shed a tear, just as long as you stand, stand by me..." Now picture a movie with two lovers holding hands looking at the sky during an alien attack, a war or some other apocalyptic event while this song plays. The world crumbles around them yet they feel peaceful because at least in the world's final moments they have each other.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbg7YoXiKn0
4. ANDROGYNOUS - THE REPLACEMENTS
I like love stories about misfits finding each other and this one is one of the best. It tells the story of Dick who wears a skirt and Jane who sports a chain but yet, "they love each other so..." Paul Westerberg plays it as a drunken piano ballad and it works perfectly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8J9WssSj7Q
5. LET'S STAY TOGETHER - AL GREEN
You can't have a list like this without including Al Green and his most famous song, "Let's Stay Together." The title says it all. Let's quit fighting and work it out. With his seductive singing voice and the smooth vibe of the music, the Reverend Al Green makes a pretty convincing argument.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COiIC3A0ROM
6. THIRTEEN - BIG STAR
I never had a high school sweetheart, but if I did and I was hip enough to know who Big Star was, this would've been our song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pte3Jg-2Ax4
There are many others of course, but these six are probably my faves. What are yours?
1. "HEROES-" DAVID BOWIE
This song is probably the most epic love song ever written. Bowie wrote the song while detoxing in Berlin in the late seventies. He happened to observe a couple that daily met for a romantic rendezvous by the Berlin Wall. Bowie imagined their story and wrote a song about lovers finding freedom in each other while living under oppression. "Though nothing can drive them away, we can beat them just for one day. We can be heroes just for one day." The song gets really epic though toward the end when Bowie passionately sings, "I can remember, standing by the wall, and the guns shot over our heads; and we kissed, as though nothing can fall; and the shame was on the other side. Oh we can beat them, forever and ever, then we can be heroes, just for one day..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3SjCzA71eM
2. I'LL BE YOUR MIRROR - VELVET UNDERGROUND
This one is an oddball with its simple spare arrangement and Nico's unique, to say the least, singing voice. However the lyrics are probably the sweetest most heart on the sleeve lyrics Lou Reed ever wrote. Basically its a song where he encourages his lover by saying that when she is feeling bad about her self all she needs to do is look at him and he will be her mirror reflecting back all the beauty he sees in her.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31g_4B9AkYs
3. STAND BY ME - BEN E. KING
I'm not sure this song was intended to be a soundtrack to love during an apocalypse but that's the way I always imagine it. Listen to the lyrics: "If the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall, or the mountain should crumble to the sea, I won't cry... I won't shed a tear, just as long as you stand, stand by me..." Now picture a movie with two lovers holding hands looking at the sky during an alien attack, a war or some other apocalyptic event while this song plays. The world crumbles around them yet they feel peaceful because at least in the world's final moments they have each other.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbg7YoXiKn0
4. ANDROGYNOUS - THE REPLACEMENTS
I like love stories about misfits finding each other and this one is one of the best. It tells the story of Dick who wears a skirt and Jane who sports a chain but yet, "they love each other so..." Paul Westerberg plays it as a drunken piano ballad and it works perfectly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8J9WssSj7Q
5. LET'S STAY TOGETHER - AL GREEN
You can't have a list like this without including Al Green and his most famous song, "Let's Stay Together." The title says it all. Let's quit fighting and work it out. With his seductive singing voice and the smooth vibe of the music, the Reverend Al Green makes a pretty convincing argument.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COiIC3A0ROM
6. THIRTEEN - BIG STAR
I never had a high school sweetheart, but if I did and I was hip enough to know who Big Star was, this would've been our song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pte3Jg-2Ax4
There are many others of course, but these six are probably my faves. What are yours?
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Music Review for Warpaint's: Warpaint
Let me start by saying I love this album’s artwork. It’s one of those few album covers where the artwork is a perfect picture of how the music within sounds. The artwork is pretty, sexy and ethereal which also describes the music on Warpaint’s eponymous second album. It’s been four years since their previous album, “The Fool,” and from the sounds of it the group spent that time experimenting with and perfecting their chops. The time gap has definitely paid off as Warpaint has crafted a dreamy near flawless late night headphones record.
A brief intro opens the album and sets the tone with its smoky keyboard ambience, slowly pulsing bass, spacey guitar swells and basic but prominent drumming. “Love Is to Die,” is probably the album’s most obvious single and again the drums are out front bursting through the sonic smoke and acting as a tour guide through the song’s foggy ambience. It’s a tune that seems to both fear and idealize love with its chorus that says both, “love is to die,” and “love is to dance.” Check it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnuFYYJHaY0
“Hi” has a trippy hypnotic bass line, a perfect blend of live and programmed drums, and a chorus that has Theresa Wayman swooning, “In the middle of the day, you find love…” A similar slow and hazy vibe permeates “Go In” which also incorporates a sample from one of the forefathers of afrobeat, Tony Allen and his song “Hustler.” The tune floats through your head with the last forty or so seconds featuring some backwards guitar blending into a keyboard forged stratosphere. “Feeling Alright,” opens with Stella Mozgawa hitting her drum sticks together before the song bursts into a determined almost funky stomp.
Some of the songs float gently and some of them float menacingly, but they all float as the girls incorporate the lessons they’ve learned from hip hop and electronic music into a seductive fusion of trance-like electronica, spacey psychedelic rock and sexy dream pop. This album is a step forward for the band and as such it earns four burning coals.
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