As I mentioned in my last blog, there were two albums that kept me going for a couple of years; and it's another album by one of my favorite bands. Let's just get to it. Highs and Lows is melodic, violent, pastoral, yearning, confident, reticent, impossibly sad, squeamish, bitter, frank, howling, optimistic, humorous, and implausibly contradictory. In other words, another great album by The Black Watch.
Let's start with the second track on the album: "Quondam Redhead." When you successfully can follow a graphic head wound description with "Doot doot doot doot doot doot doo," you can pretty much do anything. It's the second song of the album, and the final 3:15 of the song (which clocks in at just over 6 minutes) is basically feedback. Now if there is one rule for epic feedback, it's this: it ends the album. Period. It DOES NOT work on the second track on the album. It just doesn't. But somehow it does here.
The Black Watch -- "Pershing/Harvard Square"
There are plenty of other excellent songs to be had here: "She's a Mess," "Pershing/Harvard Square," "There's No F*$%ing Way" (my SFW spelling, sorry), "Love's Fever Dreams," "Elanor's Not Hiding"... it's a great variety of tempos, textures, and feel from song to song. It all hangs together somehow. Do I have an issue with this album? Yes. It's track order. I listened to the promo version for quite awhile... at some point I switched to the physical CD. The CD version has "Pershing/Harvard Square" as track 3, flopped with "She's a Mess." That actually works better. But it's a quibble, not a criticism.
So I went on a long streak of posts quite a long time ago... and got burned out. I didn't get burned out on music; I did get burned out on consuming it, and then spitting out content. Half of the time I was going back and reading my own reviews to recall what I thought about albums, which was not ideal.
Therefore, I cut way back. I went back and listened to old stuff, checked out some new stuff leisurely, and kept honing the latest and greatest of the $15 Songs CDs.
However, over the two years, two new (well, at the time, new) albums stuck with me... I played them over and over again for a good year.
Because of that, I'm going to tell you about them. They are from two of my favorite bands, and both are stellar additions to their catalogs.
The first is from Bob Mould (well, duh) and his 2016 album, Patch the Sky. (The other will be my next blog post.)
As context, in 2012, Mould released Silver Age.I wrote about it then, but here is the synopsis:
In short, it's the most focused and consistent work Mould has done since 1993, and his best album since 1995. It's great for longtime fans who've waited for the "next great Bob record" and for general rock fans who want something new to check out.
Now at the time, I believed I had gotten the last great Bob Mould album. It's not like he's been producing crap all these years; he just plays at another level, and this hit that level.
Then, in 2014, he released Beauty and Ruin. If Silver Age is a singles album, B&R is more a concept album from front to back. And much to my shock: I liked it as much or even better than Silver Age. Reasons? There were a few: different verse structures than he typically uses, an elevated lyrical vocabulary, and nods to the past on almost every song (which I am more than happy to detail if anyone cares). Every song points to his older work without ever repeating it. The way he described the album was that it was created as a number of three-song "packets," moving from a brooding, dark beginning to a much shinier end. And that works. Song highlights from this album for me: "Little Glass Pill," "I Don't Know You Anymore," and "The War." But honestly, the whole album is great. One thing that is a hallmark of Mould's albums are his fantastic opening and closing songs. Now, "Low Season" (the opener) is my least favorite song on the album, but it serves a purpose for the "concept" part of the album to set the initial mood and tone. As for closers, I count four in a row that easily could the final song: "Fire in the City" (melodic poppy closer), "Tomorrow Morning" (punk closer), "Let the Beauty Be," (slower melodic, uplifting, introspective closer), and "Fix It" (pop punk closer, and the actual final song on the album). All four are excellent songs, and any qualify under the high standard of his closing songs. (So if you're keeping track, that's seven favorite songs on the album.) I'd say more, but we still have to get to the album that I am actually reviewing. Let's just call it "stellar" and move on. In 2016, Mould announced that he had completed the third in the "trilogy" of albums with Patch the Sky. Based on my reviews of the first two parts of the trilogy, you can imagine that I was pretty excited for this album.
Bob Mould -- "The End of Things" (live on Colbert)
This album is as close to a "dirge" as we have seen from Mould since 1990's Black Sheets of Rain. It's a beautiful poppy slog. Perhaps not coincidentally, Patch the Sky hits on a lot of the same emotional themes of BSOR: love and loss, wistfulness and sentiment. But above all, it definitely has the biggest political slant of any album since BSOR.
Once again, great songs abound here, but my favorites are "The End of Things," "You Say You," "Black Confetti," and (last song on the album, of course) "Monument," the latter of which is the only song on all three albums clocking in at over five minutes (5:31). "Daddy's Favorite" also really opened up to me on the headphones listen. But there isn't a bad one in the pack.
Bob Mould -- "You Say You" (live in London 10/12/16)
Mould's willingness to break structure and his typical tendencies on a song like "Losing Sleep" -- and, more importantly, to pull it off successfully -- shows that he is completely on top of his game, and has created a production environment to smoothly execute an experiment like this without any clumsiness. And, despite being such a departure from the rest of the album, the song also somehow fits easily into the musical structure of the album in a way I can't quite explain... except that it just does.
So is it great? It is. In the end, Patch the Sky is a perfect compliment to the other two albums, being both in the same vein and yet completely different. Intellectually it works too: coherently addressing love, politics, insecurities, and religion, in a way the other ones don't quite do.
Now to the bigger question: which is my favorite of the three? Most of the time it's Beauty & Ruin, but some days it's Patch the Sky. And even on occasion it still is Silver Age. In the end... this is not a bad dilemma to have.
Bottom line: this is Mould's best multi-album stretch since he followed up his first two solo albums (Workbook and BSOR) with his first album and EP with Sugar (Copper Blue and Beaster). Yes, these albums are not quite at that level, but recognize a huge compliment when I give one: damn if this is not a return to form. I recommend you go out and check all three yourselves.
CD Placement Rating: clearly all three belong in the Car iPod. Just awesome.
I recently spent over a week in Las Vegas, checking out some prime spots at one of the best places in the world for great whiskey -- Las Vegas. I had a list of places I wanted to visit, and as a bonus I tried to hit all of the places where I was staying at (The Mirage). These fit into a number of categories: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, and The Confusing. I'll go from one end of the Strip to the other; there are undoubtedly other places to check out, but my liver can only take so much in one trip. What I was looking for in these venues was good variety and hard to find offerings, and secondarily well-priced selections. A well-rounded "bottom shelf" list with only a courtesy "top shelf" item or two would definitely not rate well for me. It's a long post, but at the end I promise to give some "only in Vegas" stories, followed with my bonus reviews of all the Mirage stops. Without further ado... let's get started: Delano Las Vegas (formerly THE Hotel) Franklin: The Bad Now, let me start by saying that they do have some rare and odd things here. The major issue is that you can find most everything on their list somewhere else on the Strip, and at a much cheaper price. It's simply too expensive for the lack of unique offerings. Avoid. Mandalay Bay The Boiler Room(above RM Seafood): The Good They know how to make a drink, have an eclectic mix of whiskeys and scotches, and the prices were amazing compared to the Franklin. And if you like cocktails, you'll love this place. I was able to try a bucket list whiskey (Jameson's Rarest Vintage)and could not have been happier. Great experience you should check out. Ri Ra: The Bad/The Confusing I've been to Ri Ra in the past, and their whiskey book when I visited 12 months ago was extraordinarily impressive. Plus it's great for sports and not too expensive. Classic Irish bar. I was psyched to hear that they had updated their physical book to a digital version, and completely updated their list in the process. Perfect -- making it even easier to find all of those obscure whiskeys they keep locked away there! Problem #1: the list is now tiny. I remember Jefferson's in particular having almost every variety the line carried -- now there are two or three. Same across the board -- a real disappointment. Problem #2: I asked for an older Jefferson's.... they didn't have it. I asked for a replacement (which I honestly can't remember)... and they didn't have that either. And they took their time telling me as well. The bartender didn't bother coming back after failed attempt #2, which was pathetic. My wife finished her drink and we left. Conclusion: I will check it out when I go back and hope I just experienced a rough transition. And if the bartender isn't Irish, I'm walking out immediately, as the service is otherwise awful. MGM Grand Craftsteak: Not just The Good, but The Great If I had to do it all over again, this would be the first place I stopped. It's got the best combination of well-priced with a deep selection of the obscure and rare to boot. If you just want bottom shelf items, you won't be disappointed. If you just want top shelf items, you won't be disappointed. Basically, you won't be disappointed. Definitely go here. Emeril's New Orleans: The Bad Emeril Lagasse has a couple of amazing places for whiskeys (see below). This is not one of them. If you want just some bottom shelf stuff, this would be fine. If you get stuck here, try Emeril's select Eagle Rare 10 year. It's Eagle Rare on steroids. (I think they have this at all his properties, so just find the one closest to you and you should be good.) But otherwise, avoid. Whiskey Down: The Good This was not on my list but we couldn't resist a bar with "Whiskey" in the name, right? And I am certainly glad we checked it out.They don't have the hugest selection on the Strip, but someone carefully curated items on their list. The Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey was spectacular, and I didn't see it anywhere else. Definitely hit this place. Smith and Wollensky (near MGM but not in the hotel): The Bad/The Okay "Bad" is a touch harsh for this. It's got a good selection for a chain, but it just doesn't hold up against the heavy hitters on the Strip. Stop in for a steak if you feel so inclined, but no need to make a trip just for the whiskey. New York, New York Nine Fine Irishmen: The Ugly We had a deal here, which was good because the whiskey list was awful. Even the Irish whiskey selection was ploddingly generic. Avoid. Monte Carlo Andre's Cigar Bar: The Ugly For a bar that does "Whiskey Wednesdays" every other month, this whiskey list was shockingly sparse. Go here for cognac, avoid for whiskey. The Pub: The Bad Great bartenders, great place to watch a game. Great beers on tap. Just light on the whiskey selection. Their "Monte Carlo exclusive" whiskeys are the ones to pursue if you are here. Go for the fun and the atmosphere, just expect to not be blown away by the selection. Mandarin Oriental Lobby Bar: The Good It's what you expect from a high end bar: a very solid list, but it's the lower end of the "good" list, to be honest. Spectacular views as well. Thanks to TC for insisting we check this out. We will definitely be back. Vdara Lobby Bar: The Okay Only "okay" because the whiskey list is small, but they did have a couple of gems here. Worth keeping an eye on to see how they progress in the future. Bartender was a super nice woman. Despite the list, we will definitely be back. Aria: The Good Just in general, Aria has a fantastic selection throughout the property. And they vary what is at each bar. I highly recommend exploring even the more typically "generic" bars as you might find a hidden gem anywhere on property. I heard that the Cosmopolitan has similarly upped their whiskey game across the board, but not until the last night of the trip. So Cosmo reviews will have to wait until next trip. Baccarat Lobby Bar: The Good Tucked away in a corner, this had a decent list but an annoying bartender. The weakest of the "top shelf" lounges at Aria, this is still worth checking out as they have whiskeys the other bars don't. High Limit Lounge: The Good High roller places are always going to have great selection, and this bar is no exception. Phenomenal selection of rare and obscure stuff, although pricey. A must stop for the whiskey afficiando. Julian Serrano: The Bad The food is excellent. The whiskey list is average. Lift Bar: The Good Now, your experience will vary here based on the bartender. The knowledgeable ones will show you some amazing stuff. The less knowledgeable/interested ones will not lift (see what I did there?) a finger unless you prod them. But it's an exceptional selection of whiskeys, particularly for a lobby bar. A must stop. Sage: Not just The Good, but The Great When the menu contains a "Gordon and MacPhails" entire page, you know these guys know their stuff. A tremendous list, including hard or impossible to find items. And the meal was excellent. Yes, it's pricey, but the selection is killer. They even have Pappy van Winkle flights if you are so inclined. We will stop there every time we go to LV. Todd English Pub: The Ugly Their list is decent... they just have nothing on that list. They are supposedly in transition to a newer list, but avoid until they do. Paris Gordon Ramsey's Steak: The Okay There were some things here that I've never seen before, but generally this was a generic list, which is slightly surprising. Go for the steak and the stickey toffee pudding, not just for the whiskey. Gordon Ramsey's Pub and Grill: The Bad I remember this list as being better. The waitstaff and bartenders were great and knowledgeable, they just didn't have much to work with here. Caesar's Palace Lobby Bar: The Bad Their list on the website is outdated, and they don't have a list in the bar itself. It's a pretty small selection with a couple of eyebrow-raising gems. The Mirage Tom Colicchio's Heritage Steakhouse: The Ugly The rest of The Mirage reviews are at the end of this post, but this one was a recommended stop on my list. For a guy who owns Craftsteak (see above), it's shocking how weak this list is. We'll go back for the steak (which was phenomenal), but not the whiskey. I hope this venue steps up in the future. The Venetian The Bourbon Room: The Confusing So how do you have a "Bourbon Bar" and then put together a list of just bottom shelf offerings? It's very odd. My wife enjoyed the Bartles and James winecoolers, and we enjoyed the 80s videos, but the list was surprisingly generic and lame. I'll come back for the goof, but if you're looking for a bourbon experience beyond the generic, look elsewhere. db Brasserie: The Bad We come in once, ask for a whiskey list -- and we get one, but it's small. My wife gets a DB Sidecar, which is the best cocktail she's ever had. We come in two days later, ask for a
whiskey list -- and are told they don't have one. The bartender has to get his manager, who looks at me like I have three heads for even suggesting they have a list. My wife gets a DB
Sidecar, which is mediocre. Bottom line: inconsistent, confused, and not a very deep list. Avoid. Emeril's Delmonico Steakhouse: Not just The Good, but The Great I got a flight of Pappy Van Winkle 15, 20, and 23 year old whiskeys. They had to actually open a new 23 year old bottle, and it's August. They have 28 whiskey flights and a book that is beyond ridiculous. Regular, rare, obscure, and out of production -- they have it all here. It's heaven for the whiskey snob if you have the cash. A must. We went there at least four times. Vom Fass: The Good Now this is not a bar, but a store in the Venetian Shops area. Vom Fass is a German company that was founded in the 90s, and recently has come to Las Vegas. Their niche is that they have whiskey that is "exclusive" to them. In some cases, like a couple of American distillers and their three Teeling offerings, it appears they are actually sold only through Vom Fass. In other cases, like Auchentoshanand Breval, what is exclusive is the age of the Scotch/whiskey -- so you may find the Breval as a 12 year elsewhere, but they sell the 13 year here. They hold free tastings at 7PM on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and (of course) offer 10% off if you buy stuff that night. They will also ship it to you where legally allowed. The juice is great and definitely worth checking out, but keep in mind that a full bottle of anything will run $150-250 (before the 10% off). But a must for the whiskey snob looking for a unique experience. Palazzo CUT: The Good A tremendous list, just too frenetic an atmosphere to call this "great." A definite stop for the serious whiskey drinker as they have a deep list. I just wish it were a little less chaotic there. I will have to stop there on a Tuesday or Wednesday next time. Double Helix Wine and Whiskey Bar: The Bad Locals talked this place up, but my guess is they are referring to the second, off-strip location. This list was rated G for "Generic." (Let me pause as I pat myself on the back for that one. In the distance I can hear a single hand clap.) Avoid. Legasse's Stadium: The Bad Emeril is 2 for 4 on The Strip: two great lists (one above and one right below), and two paltry ones. This falls into the latter. Go for the sports, avoid if looking for whiskey. Table 10: The Good Another Emeril location with a great list. And while it's not as expansive as Delmonico's, they do have whiskeys here that are excliusive to the restaurant. And it's a nice meal too. A must-stop. In a strip mall, two blocks off The Strip, in the direction of UNLV The Whiskey Attic: The Bad and The Confusing So The Whiskey Attic is, in many ways, summed up in one phrase: it's a contradiction. On the one hand, they've got over 18,000 different whiskeys. On the other, it's not a bar, so you can't "order" anything. What they sold was a "tasting" -- either 5 or 10 whiskey samplers to try in a 1.5-2 hour period. I figured there would be a mix of the bottom, the middle, and probably one or two hard to find and/or top shelf offerings. Instead, I got 10 bottom shelf whiskeys, two of which I'd say really hit the mark. The rest were decent, except for two that were awful. So they have all of these beautiful whiskeys there... you just can't try them. Or maybe our group was too small to be bothered with, because the guy running the thing suggested that they do sell stuff. But never offered us to try anything other than what he selected for us. Here's what to expect: a long, canned speech about whiskey tasting which goes on forever, and a "new" way to drink whiskey which includes odd references to a caveman named "Oog," and jokes about marriage (my wife and I were there together, so that seemed odd) and lawyers (my wife had already told him she was a lawyer, but I guess he forgot). He then asks three questions and does a blind taste test. Now the instructor... well, he's an interesting guy (named "J.D.") who is a walking contradiction himself. Normally I wouldn't be so blunt, but he actually prides himself on being blunt, so I think I'm okay here. He is a "whiskey expert," but is not a drinker himself. He later goes on to tell us that when he does drink whiskey at home, he drinks Jack Daniels. Or Miller High Life (which is what he was going to be having after work that day). And that he goes to The Boiler Room 5 to 8 times a month. But he doesn't drink. He went on to tell us that you should "never pay more than $100 a bottle. Nothing is worth that." About a minute later he's telling us about a bourbon he sells for $300 a pour. J.D. also likes to talk about Scotch drinkers who are set in their ways and don't keep an open mind or "respect his opinion because he's so young." He then proceeds to dismiss distilleries and brands out of hand... like he's set in his ways.... He's basically an opinionated guy who acts like he gets into whiskey arguments every day. He's very abrupt (he called a cab for us while we were in the middle of a conversation with him; guess it was time to go!) and does not bother to wonder whether the tasting he created for you worked or not. I wouldn't go back unless it were more interactive and the process were less rigid and canned. It's just confusing to me why they have so much whiskey if they're doing bottom of the shelf whiskey tastings. Conclusion: I would avoid. It's not worth the expense. Only in Vegas It's shocking how wide and varied the whiskey selection is in Las Vegas. And how rare and expensive whiskeys, when being served by employees who could care less, can fall into your lap for a song. Names have been removed to protect the innocent. - I sit down at a bar with a limited number of whiskeys. One I see, however, is a "purple unicorn" (i.e., extremely rare) -- a limited production, 20+ year whiskey that I have never actually laid eyes on before. I was told at another place that a 2 oz. pour of this runs $300. To its left is a non-age statement, younger cousin of the same brand that I can buy an entire bottle of for somewhere between $30-40. I say to the bartender, "How much for each of the [brand name]?" Reply: "They are $16 each." I say, "I'll take the one on the right." - Bartender has a 20 year+ bourbon. "How much for that?" I ask. "It's not in my computer," is the reply. "Well, that (same age whiskey) is $50, so let's call it $50." I see the same thing at the next bar for $150. - Prices wildly fluctuate. I saw a 10+ year rye on one menu for $87, the next at $45, and the following day saw it for $13. - This story I will tell as I told it to a bartender. This is a different story than either of the ones above as well. Me: "So the last place I was, at I ask the bartender how much [brand name 20+ year] costs." Bartender: "If you got that for less than $100, you got a steal." Me: "He told me $50... and I hesitated. So he told me he would give me a generous pour." Bartender looks pained and actually begins holding his head in his hands. Then I tell him about how the guy's "generous pour" was actually a legit double -- I saw him pour 4 oz. - I also got poured a double of the 15 year, 20 year, and 23 year Pappy Van Winkle at various spots. Which is insane that not only did I get doubles, but that multiple spots have Pappy in August. The bottom line: you can get wacky deals from bar to bar and from server to server in Vegas. It's a fun place to check out. And finally.... the bars of The Mirage. Most were Bad or Confusing: - Beatles Lounge: Bad. Not a great selection. Avoid, avoid, avoid. - BLT: Bad. In fact, awful. Avoid at all cost. - Fin: Incomplete. Was closed during our visit. - High Limit Lounge: Confusing but potentially Good. Great list, and some surprisingly well priced items. Of course, they didn't actually HAVE my first two choices, so it's not as great as it could be. - Japonais: Bad. With the amount of Japanese whiskey out there, how can you not stock more than the very basic? Complete fail. Avoid. - Portofino: Bad. A surprisingly generic list for a place that is aspiring to be high end. Feel free to avoid and spend your time elsewhere. - Rhumbar: Good. A good, not great, list. - Samba: Bad. Great atmosphere and staff. Woodford Reserve Distiller's is great but literally the only thing I would get on the menu. - Sports Bar: Bad. A step up from BLT (which is sad), but not worth visiting. - Stack: Bad. A couple of good things but only a couple of new things. Till next time... - Snilch
I've always found Weezer albums to fall into one of three categories: brilliant (see Pinkerton), fun (see The Red Album), or dumb/redundant (see The Green Album). I'd say Everything Will Be Alright in the End, Weezer's ninth studio album, falls into the "fun" category. There isn't necessarily a single on this album that would crack Weezer's top 10, and there's even more navel-gazing than usual (which is saying something), but if you were driving for an hour and wanted something up-tempo to pass the time, this would more than fit the bill. My personal favorite from the song would be "Eulogy for a Rock Band."
Weezer - "Eulogy for a Rock Band"
If there's not a tune that ends up in a "Ten Songs I'm Constantly Listening to" list from a Weezer album, I consider that disappointing. But I'll keep it regardless. It's harmless fun.
