The new Blitzen Trapper album, which came out a few weeks ago, might just be the best album of 2008. No, this is not a joke. It is seriously amazing. I've always thought they were pretty good, and I was a big fan of Wild Mountain Nation, but on Furr they've taken huge leaps forward in terms of consistency and style. Better production, better variety, better pacing, better lyrics. They're daring to sound almost normal on some tracks - I know, most bands don't dare to sound normal, but then again BT is not a normal band. And most importantly, every song is astoundingly good, stuffed with hooks but never predictable. Have a listen:
Gold For Bread - Blitzen Trapper
From Furr (2008)
This song is Beck meets Lynyrd Skynyrd, and is just intensely, deliriously delightful. It's like they took three really good songs and proceeded to smush all of them together in one crazy schizophrenic package. Favorite parts: that amazing lead guitar tone, the twittering synths, the bits where he sings falsetto, and of course the hilarious nonsense lyrics.
Furr - Blitzen Trapper
The lead single, straight up Dylan pastiche. But it's stunning! Spare and simple, lovely melody, and words that actually carry a message and sound good doing it. First rate. If this band ever break through, it'll be on the strength of this one, and it will be fully deserved.
Saturday Nite - Blitzen Trapper
Tricks you into thinking it's a throwaway until you listen again and hear the 3 bajillion catchy parts squeezed into its meager two minutes (the last half of which is a completely untouchable outro). Goofy fun. I might even regret saying this, but this song reminds me, of all things, of STEELY DAN, Pretzel Logic-era. Not in terms of tone, obviously, but - the keybords, the major 7th chords, the brilliant pivots in terms of song structure, the ultra-smooth clavinet solo in the middle, the agility and accuracy of the sound. I don't know, maybe it's just me. Decide for yourself.
Tuesday, October 7
Sunday, September 14
We Won't Be Undersold
Working Full-Time - Constantines
From Tournament of Hearts (2005)
Sometimes it takes just one little musical element to push a song over the dividing line between really good and truly great. In this song, it comes at 1:50.
These guys are seriously underrated, and put on a hell of a live show.
Shot Down - The Sonics
From Boom (1966)
If you don't know the Sonics, they're one of those bands who vie in the hearts of critics for that ever esteemed and pointless title of First Punk Band (along with the MC5, the Who, the Stooges, et al.). To my ears, they pretty much sound like the Who if the Who 1. were from Seattle, 2. were slightly worse musicians, and 3. only wrote songs like The Ox. This still adds up to pretty god damn ruthless. There's no question in my mind that in 1965, this band was the hardest rocking group in America.
This song has some serious heft, and it throws itself around liberally. The machine-gun-fire drum fill in this song is so, so satisfying.
From Tournament of Hearts (2005)
Sometimes it takes just one little musical element to push a song over the dividing line between really good and truly great. In this song, it comes at 1:50.
These guys are seriously underrated, and put on a hell of a live show.
Shot Down - The Sonics
From Boom (1966)
If you don't know the Sonics, they're one of those bands who vie in the hearts of critics for that ever esteemed and pointless title of First Punk Band (along with the MC5, the Who, the Stooges, et al.). To my ears, they pretty much sound like the Who if the Who 1. were from Seattle, 2. were slightly worse musicians, and 3. only wrote songs like The Ox. This still adds up to pretty god damn ruthless. There's no question in my mind that in 1965, this band was the hardest rocking group in America.
This song has some serious heft, and it throws itself around liberally. The machine-gun-fire drum fill in this song is so, so satisfying.
Thursday, September 11
Rawk
L'auberge du Sanglier/A Hunting We Shall Go/Pengola/Backwards - Caravan
From For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night (1973)
Not much to say about this one - just that I love prog rock, especially that of the epic and melodic variety. The violin kills on here, and that orchestral section, combined with those synths . . . mmm. Delicious.
One day I might do a good post on the Canterbury Scene - I listened to a bunch of it this summer. All those bands seem unjustly neglected, in my opinion.
Oh, and in case you're wondering, "L'auberge du Sanglier" means "Wild Boar Inn," as best as I can tell. As for "Pengola," I have no idea.
From For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night (1973)
Not much to say about this one - just that I love prog rock, especially that of the epic and melodic variety. The violin kills on here, and that orchestral section, combined with those synths . . . mmm. Delicious.
One day I might do a good post on the Canterbury Scene - I listened to a bunch of it this summer. All those bands seem unjustly neglected, in my opinion.
Oh, and in case you're wondering, "L'auberge du Sanglier" means "Wild Boar Inn," as best as I can tell. As for "Pengola," I have no idea.
Monday, September 1
Secretly Wishing For Rain
September – David Sylvian
From Secrets of the Beehive (1987)
This song is appropriate for obvious reasons, but it’s also a very personal favorite. For me, this is the ultimate in “atmosphere over melody.” I mean, there’s really no tune to speak of in this song, just clever vocal twists and turns. Normally, mood alone isn’t enough for me to really sink my teeth into.
But what a mood! Everything is so perfectly placed – Sylvian’s voice, crooning and mysterious and playful and uneasy; lyrics that feel like a haiku; the piano, like brown leaves gently falling from the trees; those strings creeping in, so wonderfully inobtrusive, like a memory slowly remembered. My favorite bit – those last piano notes. They’re a musical semicolon, like pressing pause on the vcr, turning that movie into a photograph for just a little while. This is all in 78 seconds!
Note: This has to be the most pretentious thing I’ve ever written. I’ll try harder, I promise.
Friday, August 29
Tuesday, August 26
Gravitate
Jitterakadie - Death Vessel
Exploded View - Death Vessel
Both from Nothing is Precious Enough for Us (2008)
I enjoy a great number and variety of folk songs, but I enjoy my folk music the absolute most served one of two ways: 1. Inordinately jubilant and clear as crystal, or 2. Totally fucking apocalyptic. Luckily, Death Vessel had the foresight to include one of each on their (excellent) new album that was released last week. The former song makes me smile; the latter makes me shiver.
This band is a happy new discovery for me. Their songs are thoughtful, well written, and terrifically arranged. Joel Thibodeau's alto-tenor vocals (yes, that's a dude singing) are mesmerizing - as unique as Joanna Newsom's voice, but with a more immediate beauty. I have a soft spot for pure voices - the cleaner, the better - and I've never heard a more spotless tone and delivery than what he provides here.
An interesting aside: This band now joins my roster of "Bands with awesome-yet-deceptive Death Metal band names." The list so far:
The Grateful Dead
King Crimson
Smog
Murder By Death
My Bloody Valentine
Styx
Meat Puppets
Primal Scream
Black Mountain
Destroyer
Dead Can Dance
War
Death Vessel
Any additions or revisions would be appreciated.
Exploded View - Death Vessel
Both from Nothing is Precious Enough for Us (2008)
I enjoy a great number and variety of folk songs, but I enjoy my folk music the absolute most served one of two ways: 1. Inordinately jubilant and clear as crystal, or 2. Totally fucking apocalyptic. Luckily, Death Vessel had the foresight to include one of each on their (excellent) new album that was released last week. The former song makes me smile; the latter makes me shiver.
This band is a happy new discovery for me. Their songs are thoughtful, well written, and terrifically arranged. Joel Thibodeau's alto-tenor vocals (yes, that's a dude singing) are mesmerizing - as unique as Joanna Newsom's voice, but with a more immediate beauty. I have a soft spot for pure voices - the cleaner, the better - and I've never heard a more spotless tone and delivery than what he provides here.
An interesting aside: This band now joins my roster of "Bands with awesome-yet-deceptive Death Metal band names." The list so far:
The Grateful Dead
King Crimson
Smog
Murder By Death
My Bloody Valentine
Styx
Meat Puppets
Primal Scream
Black Mountain
Destroyer
Dead Can Dance
War
Death Vessel
Any additions or revisions would be appreciated.
All I Hear Is Music
In the Wilderness (Rough Mix) - Genesis
From Genesis Archive 1967-75 (1998)
It's no secret that Genesis is my favorite band of all time*. I think that trying to explain the why and how of it would probably be pointless - I can't even fully justify it to myself anymore. Genuine love of the music mixes with nostalgia and the feeling of discovery in such a powerful way that they become inseparable, forming themselves into my musical DNA. I suspect that this isn't uncommon for most people with regards to their favorite band - thus the Backstreet Boys embark on their seventh tour. Genesis are admittedly a weird band for a kid to latch on to - it's just that when most 13 year olds in 2000 were listening to Nirvana, Eminem, and Creed, I was listening to 70s prog-rock. Thanks, dad.
But anyway, I was paying my audio-tithe to Gabriel and co. recently when I stumbled across this gem. It's a demo from their first album, From Genesis to Revelation, released in 1969 when the oldest band member was 18. As you might imagine, it's a pretty crappy album - made worse by an idiot producer who decided that overdubbing horns and strings onto pretentious, amateurish songs would give 'em some real pizzazz (it didn't). Luckily, the version on the terrific Genesis box set has a stripped down and far superior version.
Ignore the lyrics please - they're pure silliness. Just enjoy a lovely song by a bunch of young kids on summer break, played with palpable enthusiasm and intimacy, and topped off by a minor miracle of a chorus.
*Peter Gabriel-era
From Genesis Archive 1967-75 (1998)
It's no secret that Genesis is my favorite band of all time*. I think that trying to explain the why and how of it would probably be pointless - I can't even fully justify it to myself anymore. Genuine love of the music mixes with nostalgia and the feeling of discovery in such a powerful way that they become inseparable, forming themselves into my musical DNA. I suspect that this isn't uncommon for most people with regards to their favorite band - thus the Backstreet Boys embark on their seventh tour. Genesis are admittedly a weird band for a kid to latch on to - it's just that when most 13 year olds in 2000 were listening to Nirvana, Eminem, and Creed, I was listening to 70s prog-rock. Thanks, dad.
But anyway, I was paying my audio-tithe to Gabriel and co. recently when I stumbled across this gem. It's a demo from their first album, From Genesis to Revelation, released in 1969 when the oldest band member was 18. As you might imagine, it's a pretty crappy album - made worse by an idiot producer who decided that overdubbing horns and strings onto pretentious, amateurish songs would give 'em some real pizzazz (it didn't). Luckily, the version on the terrific Genesis box set has a stripped down and far superior version.
Ignore the lyrics please - they're pure silliness. Just enjoy a lovely song by a bunch of young kids on summer break, played with palpable enthusiasm and intimacy, and topped off by a minor miracle of a chorus.
*Peter Gabriel-era
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