Three Nights, Three Shows

I used to get out and watch many more shows than I do now; age, responsibility, and the economy have curtailed that in the past few years.

Inevitably, every band I want to see comes to town in the same two week span. For example, this week I had to pass on Jay Reatard, The Beatings, and Grizzly Bear because of show conflicts, and work is probably going to rule out jumping down to New York to see The Black Watch in two weeks at CMJ (I am still holding out hope, though!).

The shows I did go to see were "must-see" shows. Lots of compatriots over the three days, although Scott was the only one brave enough to hit the trifecta with me (and he threw in a fourth show Thursday -- show-off). Let's start with Wednesday.

Bob Mould, The Paradise - Wednesday, October 7
I've seen Bob ten or fifteen times since 1995; this show was the noisiest of the bunch, and that's saying something. I've complained that Bob doesn't vary his setlist enough; he responded with a show that included six songs (by my count) he hasn't performed with a band in fifteen to twenty-five years. I counted only three missteps the whole night -- one new song and both songs of the encore -- but otherwise A to A+ stuff. Overall, this was more a noise and effort tour de force than a musical one, but in the best possible way. Bob was in a great mood, gave lots of energy to the crowd, and played his butt off. Hearing "Something I Learned Today," "In a Free Land," and "Poison Years" with this band was epic. Jon Wurster of Superchunk on drums: phenomenal technically and smiling the whole set. His positive energy was palpable, much like watching Matt and Kim. Jason Narducy of Verbow on bass, backup vocals, and the e-bow for "Sinners and Their Repentances": a pro all the way, a great compliment to Bob's vocals, and a luxury to have someone of that talent in this band. The (typically lethargic) Boston crowd: as enthused as I've ever seen at one of his shows; Bob really should have come out for a second encore, the crowd was really ready to stay all night. Lots of great energy being passed back and forth. I left with my ears ringing (despite wearing plugs) and I couldn't care less.
Merch rating: I bought a CD on the way out, and would have bought more if I didn't everything already. He's still the best.

The Manic Street Preachers, The Paradise - Thursday, October 8
The Manics' first show in Boston since 1992 (they didn't make it this way in 1995, canceled last minute in 1999, and haven't come to the U.S. since) also did not disappoint. Despite James Dean Bradfield complaining of a cold and this being the last night of the tour (which, for any band, is typically a toss-up between total brilliance and utter disaster), the Manics started strong and stayed strong. I was surprised how few songs I knew; the new songs sounded great. They started with "Motorcycle Emptiness," which seemed to go on for ten minutes; they could have continued for another thirty. They were ferocious, they gave everything they had, and the crowd responded in kind. A great show.
Merch rating: The merch table was pretty empty, as these are the final pickings of the tour, but I would have bought a t-shirt or album if one had been there. I will definitely be picking up the new album and reviewing it.

Built to Spill, Middle East Downstairs - Friday, October 9
This was the first of three shows in Boston, supporting their new album (which I've seen very favorably reviewed but have not picked up yet). BTS has the potential for all-time great shows (I've seen them put on a few) and for pretty average shows (I've seen them put on a few), as well as anywhere in between; but I've never seen them put on a bad show. Until last night, that is. We actually walked out 2/3 of the way through their set, and we weren't the only ones. Something was wrong with Doug Martsch's voice -- he was slurring his words and had some weird head motions throughout the show. I was happy to see him play some more of the leads (as he should) as opposed to old shows; he was giving it his all, but the rest of the band was very flat. When Scott and I agreed we'd prefer sleep to watching any more, that was it for us.
Merch rating: Technically, the merch rating for this show should be that "I'll turn my back on them," but I've got too much of a history with this band to not give them a second chance. I will pick up the new album, but not because of this odd mis-step by a great band.

- Snilch

New Music Roundup, Part 2

Here's a bunch of new music I've been listening to:

• Arctic Monkeys - Humbug (2009). The Arctic Monkeys came on to the scene as UK teenagers in 2005 with Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, which was an album that actually lived up to the tremendous hype that preceded it. 2007's Favourite Worst Nightmare was a step back but still had good stuff. This album... wow. It's very rare that I don't listen to an album all the way through before giving up on it, but I did with this one. I couldn't help but think of Aztec Camera as I listened to this: UK teenager Roddy Frame wrote the brilliant High Land, Hard Rain in 1983, only to spend the rest of his professional career (which continues to this day, at 45) chasing that elusive brilliance while bristling at the characterization of "child prodigy, adult failure" at every turn. Roddy created seven albums as Aztec Camera; after being unable to escape the shadow of that name, he released three solo albums. He never quite found his way back to the start; lots of good, decent material, but nothing comparable to his inspired debut. I fear the Arctic Monkeys are in the same boat. They have lost their mojo or their edge, or both. This is uninspired, and that saddens me.CD Placement rating: Sell-back Pile 1.

• The Black Watch - After the Gold Room (2008). We love The Black Watch. I could point out numerous reviews or just let our readers (like Scott and Yves, for example) talk about how great some of their stuff is. I wish they'd tour out this way (i.e., East Coast), but that appears not meant to be, at least for the moment. Their latest offering is an EP, which feels like leftovers from their 2008 album Icing the Snow Queen (reviewed here), as there are only four new songs here. But it's still The Black Watch, and that means that it's still very, very good.CD Placement rating: CD Rack.

• David Byrne and Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (2008). Thanks to Donna and Jim for recommending this one. I have to admit -- I'm not a Talking Heads/David Byrne fan, so I was very skeptical. A car listen did not help dissuade me of that skepticism; but listening to it on my computer did. Eno really smooths out Byrne's rough edges while retaining his quirkiness. Kind of reminds me of Peter Gabriel's Ovo album, although I'm not entirely clear why. Very sophisticated pop with Byrne's distinct voice, and really nice stuff. Highly recommended.CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.

• Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career (2009). Their 2006 album, Let's Get Out of This Country, was understated but brilliant. This tries to copy that formula, but it's more of the same while not quite being as good. It's kind of boring, actually.CD Placement rating: This is not a fair rating, but for me it goes in the Pile of Death. Objectively, it's CD Rack-worthy CD I'd never listen to again.

• Duchess Says - Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs (2008). Described as "new wave revivalists," I heard them first on a mix and had to check out the whole album. This is definitely NOT for everyone, but if you're looking for jangly and weird retro lo-fi indie rock/quasi electronica that ranges from low- to high-tempo with quirky cool instrument sounds, this may just be for you. (Who IS looking for that?) It's some crazy mashup of Team Robespierre, CSS, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Nine Inch Nails, The Dresden Dolls, Madonna, and The Young Marble Giants. (Don't believe me? Listen to all those artists, absorb them, then listen to this album, and we can discuss how Rush might be a very small part of the equation as well.) I can't decide if it's inspired, insipid, or insane; it vacillates between just noise and composed, frenetic confusion. Of course, that means I cannot resist it.
  CD Placement rating: Car CD Changer. Buyer beware, it may be Pile of Death for you.

• The Fireman - Electric Arguments (2008). As The Beatles release two new box sets and Rock Band, it seems appropriate to review Sir Paul McCartney's side project. I'm just going to come out and say it: this is McCartney's best post-Beatles album, at least for me. After the breakup, I prefer John Lennon and George Harrison, and never liked Wings, so from my perspective this is not going out on a limb; on the other hand, I've never heard anything I'd call "best" from McCartney before this. It's raw, it's moody, it's got a snarl to it; even the vocals are rough and jagged. I really enjoyed it, and it's quite a surprise to see Sir Paul so edgy in his old age. Thanks for turning me on to this, Andrew!
  CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.

• Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009). Let's recap Franz Ferdinand's career:
  - 2004: Self-titled debut. Great stuff.
  - 2005: The follow-up, You Could Have It So Much Better. Quite... quite terrible. Pile of Death.- 2009: Four years later, album #3: Tonight: Franz Ferdinand. Good news: better than 2005. Bad news: still nowhere near 2004.
  - Conclusion: steer clear. Nice knowing you, FF.
  CD Placement rating: Pile of Death.

• Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (2009). This is a great up-and-coming band; and this album has been universally hailed as great. It's tough to pigeonhole their music -- poppy folk? Folky pop? 70's retro? "Alt folk"? (Okay, I made one up.) It doesn't matter what you call them -- they're just really really cool. I wasn't in a "lower-tempo" mood today, but it simply did not matter; this album cannot be denied. This group is just plain good.
  CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.

• The Lost Fingers - Lost in the 80's (2009). Got this recommendation from Twitter. Imagine 80's covers from a Canadian jazz trio. Now imagine the song lineup includes Bon Jovi, AC/DC, Michael Jackson, Wham!, and Paula Abdul. The result? Well, it's hit or miss. However, the audacity of this album is totally worth the price of admission. Songs like "Pump Up the Jam" are genius; "You Give Love a Bad Name" is surprisingly not. I am a sucker for cover albums, and this one is unique. Definitely a keeper.
  CD Placement rating: CD Rack.

• Red Red Meat - Bunny Gets Paid (2009). Pitchfork gave this re-issue album a rating of 8.9 and filed it under "Best New Music." I completely, thoroughly disagree.
  CD Placement rating: Sell-back Pile 1.

- Snilch

New Music Roundup

After many moons, it's that time again... here's a bunch of new music I've been listening to:

• Blitzen Trapper - Furr (2008). For some reason, when Carrie Brownstein recommended this album from her Monitor Mix blog, I was under the impression that this album was much more edgy and upbeat. I'm not sure whether that expectation spoiled the album, or that this album just wasn't up my alley. In either case, it just didn't do it for me.
  CD Placement rating: Pile of death.
• Longwave - Secrets Are Sinister (2008). Longwave's 2003's The Strangest Things was absolutely tremendous - it still is in my CD Changer (I may even review it someday, like I've been planning for the last three years). Their 2005 followup, There's a Fire, made it to Sell-back Pile 1. Not so good. This one is not quite The Strangest Things, but it's still pretty damn good. Dreamy shoegazer pop with shimmering guitars. Gets better with more listens.
  CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
  
• Morrissey - Years of Refusal (2009). My buddy Gavin first properly introduced me to The Smiths, long after they had broken up. It seems Smith fans are broken into two camps about Morrissey's solo career: to them it's either genius or folly. I see it as more of the latter, to be honest, and this really does nothing to dissuade me. Unlike other albums, there isn't a standout track here either.
  CD Placement rating: Pile of death.
• Screaming Blue Messiahs - Live at the BBC (2009). Reviewed previously here and here, it appears the Screaming Blue Messiahs may, at long last, have been revived as proper re-issues. Wounded Bird Records is re-issuing Gun Shy and Bikini Red this year, and BBC/Hux Records released this live recording this year as well. It's not as good as their 1987 live album release, but it's a nice document of a band that left the scene long before it should have.
  CD Placement rating: CD Rack.
• The Sea and Cake - Car Alarm (2008). I've been looking for a way into these guys since E-rock recommended them, and this fits the bill. It's low-tempo indie rock with Santana-effected guitar sounds; not something I have gotten into right off the bat, but it's one of those albums I sense I'll get into more and more as time goes on. It's odd when that happens, but nice when it does.
  CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
• Silversun Pickups - Swoon (2009). Let's be clear: this is not as good as 2006's Carnavas (reviewed here). Once you get past that, it's still quite good and definitely worth checking out. It's a little more mellow, with a little less of their "fat" guitar sound, which makes it a little worse than its predecessor. But they are 3-for-3 in my book (including 2005's Pikul), which matches only The Cribs among newer bands. I hope they both keep it up.
  CD Placement rating: Car CD Changer.
  
• Paul Weller - 22 Dreams (2008). Thanks to Donna for recommending this one. At first, I was ready to call her out for not telling me just how good this album is; in the end, I was glad she didn't, as it made the whole album and experience a complete surprise. It sounds like a cross between Bruce Springsteen and Jesus Christ Superstar. I'm not a fan of The Jam or The Style Council, but maybe I should be. This is just great.
  CD Placement rating: Car CD Changer.

- Snilch

It's a Roundup!

Here are a bunch of albums that I've checked out recently. In alphabetical order:

• Arrested Development - The Best of Arrested Development (2005). This is one of those "oh, they did that song too?" albums. I bought this cheap for "Tennessee," lucked into "Mr. Wendal" and "Revolution," and ended up with a nice collection of songs from a talented and long-forgotten rap/soul group from the early 90's. I'll get more out of this than I paid for it. Not worth it for fans, great if you want an overview of the band.
  CD Placement rating: CD Rack.
• Brendan Boogie Band - Disposable Pop (2008). Once again, if you send me your CD, I will review it. (Perhaps not in a timely fashion, but I will eventually get to it.) First of all -- the CD design and concept (it looks like a Bazooka Joe Gum CD sleeve) is one of the most eye-catching ones you'll see. Very cool. And the songs live up to the album title: it is "disposable pop" in many ways. It's got good harmonies, smart melodies, and pop-smart lyrics, and a good bit of self-effacing humor to boot, plus, it's always helpful to have a standout tune, and "Pharmaceuticals" fits the bill. I'd like some more variety in their sound, and they can be a little paint-by-numbers at times, but in the end it's still fun pop, and better than just "disposable." That's good enough for me to keep it.
  CD Placement rating: CD Rack.
• Devo - Freedom of Choice (1980). Now despite the fact that my man Sean has "D-E-V-O" tattooed to his fingers... sadly, I had never listened to this album before I went to pick him up at the airport en route to our buddy Scott's surprise 40th birthday party. (My indie cred just took a serious hit, I know.) This is a great album; but "Whip It" and "Girl U Want" alone are worth the price of admission. I'm glad I picked up this old chestnut from Akron's finest.
  CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
  
• Buddy Holly - The Definitive Collection (2006). We all know that Buddy Holly died in the plane crash that also killed the Big Bopper and Richie Valens in 1959. Even though I've been listening to him since I was six, I never realized his "career" lasted a little under 18 months, and that he was 22 (and Valens 17) when they died. Despite that, his creative influence on rock n' roll was huge in that very short period of time -- allmusic.com calls Holly "the single most influential creative force in early rock & roll." This is a great retrospective or introduction.
  CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
• Parts & Labor - Receiver (2008). This one was recommended by Dan. I first heard this in the car and couldn't see what he was talking about, other than "Nowhere's Nigh." The big stereo revealed "The Ceasing Now" and "Wedding in a Wasteland"... and a good, low-to-mid tempo, layered indie rock offering with a lot of interesting sounds. As much as I was ready to kick this to the curb, it turns out I can't. Thanks, Dan!
  CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case. Who knew?
  
• U2 - No Line on the Horizon (2008). Full disclosure: I have not been a fan of any album by U2 since Achtung Baby. They do remain one of my all-time favorites, and I have really liked some of their songs in the interim; they just moved in one direction while I moved in another. After listening to this in the car, I came to the conclusion that this one was doing nothing to change my opinion. I even wrote the review prior to the final big stereo listen -- conclusion: Pile of Death. Midway through the opening track on the home speakers, Mrs. Snilch and I had the same thought: this is much better than either of us had heard on the radio or in the car. I love surprises like this. This will not make you forget The Joshua Tree -- it definitely has its flaws -- but it is a good album. I'll take that, and keep it.
  CD Placement rating: Rises out of the Pile of Death and into the CD Rack.

- Snilch

Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy (2008)

Oh, you had to know this was coming.

When this album finally got released, it looked like the perfect target: a bloated turkey crossing the road, iconic in its dalliance. (I know what some of those words mean.) I bought this, with high hopes to blow this ridiculous, bombastic journey to Mecca through rock's desert to pieces as I rained my sarcastic machete down on its undoubtedly subpar musical gizzard.

Let's put this in perspective: when Use Your Illusion I & II were released in 1991, Guns N' Roses was the biggest band in the world. After Appetite for Destruction and Lies (which were both in the Top 5 in 1988, the only band in the 80's to be able to say that), there were people sleeping out on sidewalks to buy the double album... er, two individual albums. Now that's gumption. And they debuted at #1 and #2 on the charts, the first band ever to see that happen.

17 years later, this is their next album of original material. Think about that. Four #1 or #2 albums to start a career... followed by 17 years off. We will never see anything like this again in our lifetime, I'll wager.

And this album... 14 years in the making. All original members except Axl Rose gone as of 1997, with multiple, wild lineup changes (18 band members total) throughout the process. The album got an official name 10 years ago. The timeline:

• 1999: song "Oh My God" released from "the forthcoming album." Axl tells reporters he has re-recorded almost the entire Appetite for Destruction album with his new band.
  
• 2001: GNR shows include songs from "the forthcoming album."
• 2002: GNR tour scheduled to support "the forthcoming album." Most of the dates are canceled.
• 2006: Axl tells reporters that the new album will be out before the end of the year. European and US tours happen. In December, new release date announced: March 6, 2007.
  
• 2007: Band announces mixing will delay release date. Australian, Mexican, and Japanese "Chinese Democracy World Tour" dates happen.
• 2008: Dr. Pepper announces plan to give everyone in America free can of Dr. Pepper if the band releases Chinese Democracy before the end of the year. Except to former guitarists Slash and Buckethead.

The most surprising thing of all was that Dr. Pepper had to pay up.

So after all of this time, all this hype, all these stops and starts, the reported $13 million spent in the studio, it finally has arrived: probably the most dissected, longest produced, most legendarily anticipated album we will see in our lifetimes. The question is: after all that, exactly how good is it?

It all depends on your perspective. If you look at this as Axl Rose's masterpiece, an album 14 years in the making, the successor to the GNR legacy... you are going to be disappointed. Very disappointed. There are very few albums that could ever live up to that kind of standard, and this one ain't it. There are no hits here, no transcendental tunes, no timeless classics. It just does not justify the amount of time spent to create it. And at times Rose's lower range sounds like a dead-on impression of the lead singer from Queensryche.

However, if you listen to this as an album by "some guy" with a revolving cast of thousands, who has a voice that still has fantastic range (possibly unparalleled for male vocalists even to today), that is meticulously produced, recorded, and mixed, it's quite good. It's a very good, well produced album.

Rose's main disadvantage here is that this album was begun before the internet, Napster, or ipods, and it sounds like he chose to ignore that trend we like to refer to as "mp3's." In the car, it sounds terrible; but loud and on the big speakers, you can hear the nuances he was going for. Unfortunately, that's not the way most people listen to music these days... and my guess is that Rose has been listening to this album in big studios, from well-appointed stereos, and in car speaker systems that cost as much as my house does.

In the end, even if this album were terrible I'd keep it -- it's a piece of history. As it is, it's good enough that I'll listen to it as well. As much as I would like to wind up and just blow this album to hell, I can't. Damn.

CD Placement Rating: This is a borderline call, but I have to acknowledge this album objectively -- it goes into the Portable CD Case. Nicely done, Axl.

- Snilch

Send To Phone

Bob Mould - Life and Times (2009)

It's a pretty quick turnaround for another album by Bob Mould -- after all, District Line was released just last year. Prior to that, it's three years back to Body of Song, then three years back to Modulate, then four years back to The Last Dog and Pony Show. (Of course, if you count his album under the name Loudbomb or his collaboration with Rich Morel for Blowoff, that throws this math off. So we won't count either.)

This album shares much in common with District Line, which is also a departure from the last 15 years -- each album since the breakup of Sugar in 1995 has been a bit different from the last. As you may remember, District Line confounded me for quite awhile, but I basically couldn't put it away. And it still sits in my CD Changer -- er, visor. As for Life and Times, I can sum up the pro and con views fairly quickly:

Pro - This is a very solid album.
Con - This is a very solid album.

It's that type of cogent analysis that keeps you people coming back here.

There's a fine line between endorsement and damning with faint praise. The real issue here lies in Mould's body of work. From Hüsker Dü to solo to Sugar to solo again, I count 17 studio albums and an EP in 27 years; of those, I only count two I don't go back and listen to. And those two albums STILL have three absolutely great songs each, as well as being better than most of the music that came out that year. Not bad for your two "worst outings"; in reality, there's not a bad apple in the bunch. That's going to make any future album evaluation pretty damn tough -- and that's why some fans would equate a "very solid album" with "failure."

So how does L & T stack up? All the tracks are solid -- it's consistently good front to back, and grows on you over time. The first four tracks are solid, and "Wasted World" and "Spiraling Down" anchor the back half of the album. The only thing the album is missing is a truly great track like on his previous 17 -- but maybe I'm just not hearing it yet. In any case, I'd highly recommend it as a starting point to listening to his work, or for someone who is a longtime fan. It's really... well, it's very solid.

CD Placement Rating: Where the rubber meets the road -- this goes into the Car CD Changer. I'm sticking with that term for my rating; "CD Visor" doesn't have the same ring.

Merch Rating: I always buy Mould's CD's when they come out, so that isn't fair; I'd love to see him release some b-sides on a single or two which I'd buy. (This hasn't happened since 1996, so I'm not holding my breath here.) I'll buy whatever is at the show in October in Boston; at the last show I bought a numbered and signed print by a then-unknown Shepherd Fairey. That worked out pretty well.

- Snilch

Send To Phone

Car CD Changer: R.I.P. (1998-2009)

Any of you familiar with my respective ratings systems understands the key role my Car CD Changer has played in my ratings process. Sadly, it is no more.

To be fair, this changer has not lasted 11 years -- this is the 2nd one I've owned. Number 1 lasted six years, number 2 lasted five. Number 2, though, was plagued with cabling and playback issues over its brief existence. And once the original head unit, a radio/tape player, had to be replaced with a radio/single CD player, my tolerance for the CD Changer's idiosyncrasies reached its limit.

So when I was told Number 2 had gone rather meekly into that good night, I reluctantly decided to simply move on rather than replace it. It's a sad day. Instead, I'll have a 20-CD sleeve holder on my visor... but it won't be the same.

Feel free to pay your own homage to my late, great Car CD Changer via any comments. We both thank you.

- Snilch