Mike M- August 2005

Michael Mongillo
Music Group Commentary, August 23, 2005

THE ARCADE FIRE “FUNERAL” = 1 STAR
I am amazed that this awful album was on so many “Indie Rock” top-ten lists last year. This stuff reminds me of the highly overrated Elephant 6 “collective” bands (Neutral Milk Hotel, Elf Power, The Apples in Stereo), most of whom sound more like “Middle Earth Hobbit Music” than Rock & Roll. The Arcade Fire continues the E6 tradition of ridiculously high-fi production to achieve a low-fi sound, gimmicky instrumentations (harpsichord and accordion are among those heard here), and meandering arrangements. But it was the whiney male/female (dare I call them) “harmonies” that truly pushed this album into the realm of, “One of the most overrated albums, ever.”

DEATHRAY DAVIES “THE KICK AND THE SNARE” = 4 STARS
Fuzz rock/pop hasn’t sounded this good or this sincere since Papas Fritas debuted on the Minty Fresh label in 1995. Finally, a band that I can wholeheartedly adopt. The hope of discovering great music like this is the reason why I wanted to join this music group in the first place. Deathray Davies is a band that I’ve heard of but probably never would have heard otherwise so, thank you, whoever submitted this album.

GRAHAM PARKER “HOWLIN’ WIND” = 3 STARS
I appreciate this album a little more than I can claim to like it. Putting it in the context of when it was recorded (1976), it’s hard not to give it the respect it deserves. Which is not to say I don’t like it; I do. Some great bands were clearly influenced by Parker (The Replacements and The Figgs, to name just two) so it was fun to revisit his roots and rediscover theirs.

ROCKPILE “SECONDS OF PLEASURE” = 0.5 STAR
A later-day Big Star without the monster hooks, scruffy charm, or hard-rockin’ soul. It makes me feel like I’m fifteen again but only because I have an irresistible urge to describe Rockpile as, “Totally fucking gay.”

SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS “BEST OF” = 2.5 STARS
Although I can’t deny it is really good, slick Country Rockabilly (or whatever you want to call it) I just can’t connect with it, or it with me. It reminds me of the music I’d hear blaring from the jukebox of a bar that I realize, too late, I should have never walked into because, sooner or later, a bunch of good ol’ boys are going to start a fight with me for not having a mullet and not wearing cowboy boots.

> The seven pillars of rock and roll (Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Everly
> Brothers, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Elvis Pressley and Jerry Lee Lewis)
> are arguably the most important and influential artists in the history of
> RnRoll. Going by only YOUR opinion, how do they rank with you? Are they as
> important as preached or not? Of the pillars, who do you hear in YOUR
> favorite artists? If you were to create your own seven pillars who would
> they be?

This four-part question could warrant an answer as long as a music history master’s degree thesis. Short of that, I can only give short and simple answers and they are…
1) RANK?: Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Pressley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Everly Brothers.
2) ARE THEY AS IMPORTANT AS PREACHED: Yes.
3) WHO CAN I HEAR IN MY FAVORITE ARTISTS: All of them.
4) MY SEVEN PILLARS (not including any of the “actual” seven and their inclusion doesn’t necessarily mean I’m a big fan): Beatles, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Black Sabbath, The Clash

> Secondary: Sometimes stupid lyrics are funny, witty and great and
> sometimes they are just plain inanane. We all have our boundaries- what
> are yours in determining a song with stupid lyrics or topics is great or
> dumb?

Great: What makes lyrics “great” to me is never the same. And I’m talking language and content here, not how the words are sung. I love some lyrics because they’re eloquent and precise while I love other lyrics because they’re sloppy and random. It always comes down to how or why I connect with a band/artist’s music as a whole. For example, I can’t think of a single band/artist who I can claim to like based solely on their song lyrics.
Dumb: Mostly when lyrics try for straight-out comedy (which is not the same as wry or humorous lyrics) they don’t work for me. In fact that almost always ruins a song because it’s like hearing the same joke over and over, every time you hear that song. Also, any song that has a lyric or a variation of the lyric “I was walking down the street…” is dumb. Flat out dumb.