another time waster

you may want to check out this sight

pandora.com

this one's for ken

have you seen trace adkins new single

Honky Tonk Badonkadonk

Something Else to Waste Your Time

http://www.namemytune.com/

D'Arcy - Waterboys

Saw this today, thought it might be of interest, since it was just discussed....

MH

REMASTERED 'FISHERMAN'S BLUES' SET FOR SPRING 2006 RELEASE
The remastering of the Waterboys' classic 'Fisherman's Blues' album has been completed in London by Mike. The resulting 2CD set will be issued in a special package by EMI this Spring, probably in late March or April. CD1 comprises the original album, but with some extended versions of familiar songs. The second CD contains 14 never before released tracks.

Da-da-dum..... The January Synopsis

Well we were down 2 men, and though we had no subs we coasted to an easy win. And lucky for us we had 4 extremely loud intrusively inquisitive chaps next us- mind you there were 15 empty tables that apparently were not up to their standards in the old Spigot. With that said.....

We don't have comprehensive voting on Cursive, as D'Arcy, Greg and senile Jay misplaced their discs, but as of time of press it was the big winner. There was nary a negative thing said about it. Joybang! was the Cinderella disc of the month and was the smiled favorably on in general and tied (which is rare) with the Waterboys' selection. In essence none of the above were spoken about negatively. That brings us to Mars Volta.

We had probably the most discussion about this one. One of the members absolutely hated it, 2 loved it (one with asterixes) and the rest felt that if the stoopid stuff was eliminated; like excessive crickets, organ noodling, unneccessarily long outros- it could have been a real good find.

And now about the Fugs- half got it and enjoyed it, the other half got it, but only sorta, and didn't enjoy it. This was probably better than to be expected as we are talking about the Fugs.

In regards to our idolized bastards selling out to Madison Ave, most said they could deal with it as long as a song was not totally used out of context. There were other stipulations but you can read the individual blurbs to get those. One of us abhors the thought of artists "whoring" their music, which everyone was able to apprecicate to an extent. Our best of last 10 years brought no duplicates and wavered all over the place. As for the top tens- interesting note only 3 overlaps among all with only 1 group

February Meeting- February 21, 2006 at the Spigot, 7:30 pm

Discs up for Review

New- Odyssey- Fischerspooner (Ken)
New- One Way Ticket to Hell and Back- Darkness (Byron)
Old- Tonight's the Night- Neil Young (Mike H)
Old- Your Majesty- The Anniversary (Jen)
Ghits- Pre-Suck Steely Dan (Jay)

Topic

Inspired by Mike's Guitar CD, I began to think about exactly what constitutes a "great guitar song or CD." Do a paragraph on that subject and then give us your top ten "guitar CDs" of all time. You can do a sentence on each of your choices if you like, but don't wear us out.

For March those with homework are:

New- D'Arcy/Neil
Old- Byron/Greg
Host- Mike L.A. - Ghits and topic

The Joyous Sounds of Crickets on cd

Music group xviii

Joybang
Listened to this only twice but recalled the same thing, First few songs were okay but the title track was great. 2

Cursive
Cannot really vote on this, as I only had chance to listen to it once. Thought parts were good especially when they slowed down and played the songs. When the relied on that emo lets play it loud approach they tend to lose me. But there was more good than bad and I will listen to it some more.

Mars Volta
Somewhere in here is a great album. In fact I kept going back to find it. Interesting time changes. Some truly incredible playing. A strong lead voice that is more the extra instrument than separate entity. However someone let these guys play in the studio far too long. Every song or maybe I should say break between the movements of the songs is filled with useless studio dreck that last for minutes. For example do we really need to hear crickets, and if we do why so long. These guys truly are talented but they need to focus on a cd that focuses on the songs not the filler between them. Best moment the first part of L’via l’viaquez the song part, not the filler. Worst moment, all the useless filler. 2

Waterboys

I chose this record because of Jenn’s cover question. I found myself playing the live cd that contained their cover of Purple Rain and decided to go back to the beginning at least the beginning for me. I don’t know why I bought this record. At the time I was a metal head just discovering punk, and this was not type of music that had any appeal to me. But when the horns come in on A Church Not Made with Hands to the last strum on A Pagan Place. I was captured. No weak tracks to be found, but attention always seem to go to the poppy All the Things She Gave Me, the narrative Red Army Blues and to the bombastic Big Music. In fact it is big music that was the label The Waterboys were given. And for this and the next two albums they were one of the best at it. Unfortunately Mike Scott has not been consistent since Fisherman’s Blues but at times he can still be brilliant. However A Pagan Place is one of those albums that plays like it was written as a set list and made to be played in its entirety and in order. (That is why the re-release with bonus tracks suffers a bit) I am not sure why I bought this disc but because of them I found World Party, Hothouse Flowers the Levelers and The Frames to name a few. A dessert island disc for me. 5

The fuggs
A band that somehow manages to capture interesting surf groove every once in a while, but only every once in a while. Throw in sophomoric humor that dwindles in interest with each listening, you have a below average band.



2005
Frames Burn The Maps
Ash Meltdown
Soundtrack of our Lives Origin Vol 1
Death Ray Davies The Kick and the Snare
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Howl
Echo and the Bunnymen Siberia
Dramarama Everybody Dies
Backyard Babies Tinnitus
Nada Surf The Weight is a Gift
Alkaline Trio Crimson




1) Commercials do not bother me. In the limited arena that formatted media gives artists to present their music any outlet should be used. Any publicity is good publicity. However views of the song can change with the commercial. Crappy commercial or product may make me rethink my thoughts of the songs due to the associative effect.
2) Fountains Of Wayne. Good pop music and there is a shortage of that.

Mike Lazy ass.... I mean Mongillo's Summations

Michael Mongillo – Music Group Commentary, January 17, 2006

CURSIVE – “THE UGLY ORGAN” (New Selection) = 4 STARS
This is a perfect compare/contrast album to this month’s Mars Volta selection. Inventive and inspired musical arrangements meet smart and sincere lyrics, Cursive did everything right that Mars Volta did wrong. Art is hard (to reference the title of track three) yet Cursive manages to impart the struggle of making something great (Dare we call it “art”?) without it ever feeling forced.

THE FUGS – “BEST OF”
I get it and I respect it even but I just don’t like it. The biggest hurtle, which is true of almost all comedy and satirical “rock,” is that it just can’t maintain, either because of time-specific references or invariably changing boundaries and tastes. Although I have to believe The Fugs stuff was funny or biting or shocking or insightful (and/or any other adjective implying “relevance” that one might like to apply) once, all it is now is a mildly interesting time capsule.

JOYBANG! – “1,000 MG” (Old Selection) = 5 STARS -1 STAR (for my obvious lack of objectivity) = 4 STARS
It’s true that I love these guys because they were my band’s contemporaries back in the proverbial day but, more than that, I think Joybang rocks, then or now. We (50 Feet Tall) were headlining a show at Under Acme on Great Jones St. in NYC around ’95 and the club had booked Georgia’s Joybang as our opener. We met them briefly in the band staging area (can’t really call it a dressing room) before they went on, exchanged greetings and the standard yet genuinely supportive pleasantries, and promised to check each other out. I remember it so clearly, standing there with my band-mates, watching Joybang launch into their set. It was instantly awesome. Each member of this three-piece was a master of their instrument, they were super tight as a group, they had stage presence to spare, and the music was unselfconsciously hip. In short, they rocked hard. After the first song, which I later learned was “St. Anthony,” I turned to my drummer and said, “We have no business going on after these guys.” After they closed with “1,000 mg/I’m Not Sure Yet,” he agreed. That embarrassment aside, I was thrilled to learn that their recorded music was as powerful as their live set and from then on I was a diehard Joybang fan. My band played one more show with them and we saw them a few more times since they toured the Northeast with some regularity, but despite all their touring and all the right exposure, Joybang never hit. Unfortunately, like so many great bands of from that “alternative” scene, Joybang never made it beyond a few micro label and self-issued releases. I realize that this stuff might seem dated now (although, to me, it doesn’t) but put it into the context of “alternative rock” when the term and the music actually meant something; Joybang was indeed groundbreaking, if not original, and many less deserving acts went on to fame and fortune. Agree or disagree, it has been my goal to expose members of the group to music that you never would have heard otherwise and I knew I wouldn’t fail with this one. My personal taste and history aside, I still think that Joybang holds up to any release from, “The Year(s) That Punk Broke.”

THE MARS VOLTA – “FRANCES THE MULE” (New Selection) = 1 STAR
This one starts strong but by the end of the album (well, the first song, actually), the self-indulgence of it all just ruins it. I have nothing against self-indulgence but being weird (which it is) or even original (which it’s not) isn’t enough to sustain this level of musical masturbation. Almost any halfway decent musician can write a song with five to ten time-signature changes but, fortunately, most of them don’t: probably because, like most of us, those musicians don’t even want to hear a song with five to ten time-signature changes. And come on, the several minute long intros and exits of nothing but noise and/or real life sound effects seems so intentionally “challenging” that I have to believe these guys actually delight in trying to weed out those of us who “just don’t get it.” Well, guess what, fellas, I do get it and it’s nothing new. Call it “Post-Hardcore” or “Neo-Psychedlia” if you want to but you can’t fool me: this is progressive rock. There’s a lot of talent here, not just ability, and that’s usually not the case with a lot of progressive rockers, which makes it even more unforgivable that these cats would rather show off than make good music.

WATERBOYS – “A PAGAN PLACE” (Old Selection) = 2 STARS
For me, The Waterboys “A Pagan Place” falls under the banner of, “I understand why and recognize that this is good music but it’s not my cup of tea.” I guess if this CD were playing in the background at a party it wouldn’t make me want to commandeer the stereo but I would probably comment, “This shit ain’t bad but I wish they’d put on something else.”

TOPIC

1) How do you feel about musicians selling their songs for commercial purposes? Does it bother you to hear a song you like being used in an advertisement? Does it change how you feel about the song/artist?

How do I feel about musicians selling their songs for commercial purposes? Well, this is not an easy question to answer since many artists do not control the rights to their own music. But assuming they do, the question seems to imply that it’s a “sellout” to license ones music for commercial purposes. Since I happen to believe that the concept of “selling out” is an anachronism, I feel okay with it; yet, I suppose it’s natural for us to feel betrayed by our favorite artists (major stars or underground darlings) when they sell their music for commercial purposes. But who are we to say that Blur doesn’t deserve to make enough money off SONG 2 to last all of the band members ten lifetimes? And consider a band like Papas Fritas (on the Minty Fresh label): I licensed film festival rights to one of their songs awhile back and during my talks with them I learned that they had sold the rights to their song, TV MOVIES, to a European company, the fees for which sustained all of the member’s frugal lifestyles for over two years. This is the same story for a lot of struggling acts. To me, it seems that the necessity of “getting by” or the luxury of “getting richer” is the same set of circumstances that we all face, depending on the choices we’ve made and the opportunities we’ve had. ~ Does it bother me to hear a song I like being used in an advertisement? Yes, but only when the advertising agency making the commercial ignores the original intent, spirit, or context of the song, the literal meaning of the song’s lyrics, or the metaphorical meaning the song’s lyrics, like when that ocean cruise-line who used Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life.” That song is about doing smack and most people over the age of fifteen know this. Is “doing smack” really the association you want me to make with the cruise-line you’re hawking? Probably not. ~ Does hearing a particular artist’s song used for commercial purposes change how I feel about the song/artist? Nope. 2) Fill in the blank. The best band in the last ten years is [blank]. You have only 10 words to defend your choice.

The best band in the last ten years is Guided by Voices. Why, in ten words or less: They wrote more great songs with less effort than anyone.

MONGILLO’S TOP TEN OF 2005

1. SPOON – “GIMME FICTION”
If you don’t like Spoon, you simply have suspect musical taste.
2. JOY ZIPPER – “THE HEARTLIGHT SET” (Import)
More hooks than a tackle box with fun, trippy, and unpretentiously deep lyrics that actually improve with the band’s explanation of each song’s intended or accidental meaning (go to their UK website for a track by track audio commentary: http://joyzipper.tv/about_tracks.htm).
3. OKKERVIL RIVER – (BLACK SHEEP BOY)
This one snuck in, in a big way, in the last week of 2005 (I received it for Christmas, which is why it wasn’t on my -- evidently premature -- 2005 mix). Another dark, genre-bending Austin band (Spoon being the first) who is so inconceivably good that it makes me wonder what’s in the water down there.
4. JOHN DAVIS – (SELF-TITLED SOLO DEBUT)
Yes, it’s a religious album but the way John Davis sings about Jesus (between his blistering guitar work) is inspired (and inspiring) enough to make me think about going back to church.
5. WEEZER – “MAKE BELIEVE”
See Spoon: Replace Weezer for Spoon and after “...music taste,” add, “and you are a knucklehead.”
6. BLACK MOUNTAIN (SELF-TITLED DEBUT)
Perfect hard rock in the tradition of 70s hard rock.
7. NADA SURF – “THE WEIGHT IS A GIFT”
Required repeated listenings but eventually I figured out that this is the best we could have ever hoped for after their unmatchable last album, “Let Go.” A brilliant album in its own right, this one is another notch in this virtually forgotten band’s already phenomenal catalogue. Rediscover Nada Surf!
8. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – “LULLABIES TO PARALYZE”
More hard rock in the tradition of 70s hard rock, but not quite perfect. Maybe trying a little too hard to impress, “Lullabies to Paralyze” is a great album, nonetheless, and easily QOTSA’s best since their full-length debut.
9. MAJOR STARS – “4”
A "jam band" but not using the prerequisite Grateful Dead crap as its jam foundation. Instead, it jams with influences like Black Sabbath and Hendrix as the foundation. They may exist simply to please me, which is to say that Major Stars might appeal to only one in a hundred people’s taste.
10. THE DEATHRAY DAVIES – “THE KICK AND THE SNARE”
See Weezer: Replace The Death Ray Davies for Weezer and after, “...a knucklehead,” add, “and, also, you like to suck eggs.”
HONORABLE MENTION: MEREDITH BRAGG – “VOL. 1”
Harkening back to Matthew Sweet's best work, Meredith Bragg (with his band, The Terminals) makes sad and achingly beautiful music. A bit earnest, but it works because it actually is earnest.

Greg's January Picks

Waterboys – A Pagan Place
One of the more unique voices since The Psychedelic Furs. I like happy music. This is happy music, it was great in the 80’s, but that’s where it should stay. None of the songs on A Pagan Place had enough substance to keep my attention. I liked the one hit they had back in the late 80’s, but the difficulty that I found with this disc was distinguishing one song from the next. “A Pagan Place” was the exception. I was hoping for a little more from this CD. I really tried hard to like this CD. It just didn’t happen though, the formula that worked 20 years ago doesn’t apply any more.
2

Joy Bangers? I thought that this was one of the extra credit CD's just for fun. I loved it, but I didn't review it. If I remember to write something I'd have given it a 3.5

The Fugs – The best of the Fugs
I don’t get it. My IQ dropped 10 points from having to listen to it. I can’t afford to lose any points.
0

Cursive – The Ugly Organ
I’ve come to the conclusion that with all of the new so called “emo” bands that having a true singing voice is not a requirement. That’s okay, I’ve gotten used to the “emovoice”. Since I can’t sing to save my life I feel better listening to these bands. I like the fact that bands like Cursive feel comfortable using orchestration. Some of the songs were little more than noise. That might be my age talking, but from a guy who loves Tool and various of Mike Patton’s bands it might not be my age. I did like how this band isn’t afraid to explore. All in all I can see some talent and some intelligence in their music.
4

The Mars Volta- Frances the Mute

I first heard this band in the CD store and asked who they were. I heard a lot of influences including King Crimson and even a little Yes. I know that Byron must have liked this band. Track # 7 blew me away when I first heard it. I will admit that the songs are a lot too long and that some of the random noises could have been done away with. It took me more than a couple of listens to have this CD fall into place. I was especially impressed with the talent of the drummer and the use of horns. Surprisingly, I was told that this is the CD where the band laid off of the drugs. A lot of the bands I prefer require some getting used to. This band is definitely one of those.
4

Thoughts on selling out. My feeling is that most songs are used in advertising for something completely unrelated to what it was written about. If the artist that wrote the song decides to allow someone to use it for another purpose, then they should have that right. If the Beatles chose to sell the rights to their catalog to Michael Jackson, I think that makes them idiots. Selling one or two select songs, I might understand, but all of them? If you can’t live on the 600 Million that you are worth, then you are doing something wrong. Selling out for any reason other than total belief in the cause that your song will support is just that, selling out. David Bowie sold stock in himself. As talented as he might be I don’t think that that stock is doing too well right now. I don’t think that as an artist I would be able to part with a paining. When you create art it should come from your soul. Casually parting with it for a few dollars better be for something that equally fills that empty space. I think that the Beatles are amazing and I’m sure that Paul McCartney regrets his decision every day. Vanilla Ice on the other hand. Best band in the last ten years:Tool – Sheer Talent, creativity, originality, no regard for criticism.

January's Reviews (from the token ovary bearer)

CD Reviews:

Cursive – Ugly Organ:
If anyone remembers my earlier recommendation, Murder by Death, they will remember that I love the cello. Murder by Death was recommended to me because of my love of this band Cursive. Cursive began without a cellist and the album “Domestica” is amazing, but the addition of their cellist Greta just added a little extra spark to their music. Lyrically Tim Kasher is fantastic, though angry and embittered. He wrote most of this and the previous album after a bitter divorce. In “Art is Hard” he criticizes a lot of commercial or shall I say “emo” music out there “Cut it out- your self-inflicted pain / is getting too routine / the crowds are catching on / to the self-inflicted song…Fall in love to fail / to boost your CD sales." Songs like “Sierra” and the tale of Pinocchio in “Driftwood: A Fairy Tale” are favorites of mine.

If you like it, check out their album “Domestica,” which some people consider their best album or check out Tim Kasher’s side project The Good Life.
Score: 4


Joybang! – 1,000mg:
As soon as I started listening, I was immediately reminded of Sunny Day Real Estate, in some cases…a little too much. The vocals were uncannily similar to Jeremy Enigk and in trying to find out who their vocalist was; I could find no information on the band so I’m not even sure if it is him. I love Sunny Day Real Estate and this could easily be an EP of theirs, but not necessarily a good EP. It was mediocre at best. I give it a 2 for the Sunny Day Real Estate sound but I’d listen to “Diary” over this any day.
Score: 2


The Mars Volta – Frances the Mute:
I was/is a big fan of At the Drive In which split and formed two bands, Sparta and The Mars Volta. The two went in completely different directions and I am a fan of both, but The Mars Volta offers something completely different. This album may be difficult to listen to because of the seemingly endless moments of strange and somewhat un-listenable noises, but if you were to edit the songs and delete those crazy jumbles of monotonous noise…then this album would be quite amazing and would have made my top ten of the year. I do really like this album, I have just learned through many repeated listens (I do own this album) when to fast forward to the next track. (If you notice, on my best of 2005 CD, I used the radio edit of “The Widow” instead of the full, long-as-hell, album version.)
Score: 3 (Would probably have been a 5 without all of the unnecessary “noise.”)

The Waterboys – A Pagan Place:
The Waterboys are one of those groups that, if you’re Irish and like rock music (Irish rock especially), make you feel guilty if you don’t like them. I, having some Irish heritage, feel like I should worship this band like so many others do. Alas, I cannot commit to the church of the Waterboys and all of their saxophone glory. In all of the different albums of theirs that I have heard, not one has really stood out as a groundbreaking or amazing CD. This one is no different. There is better “Irish music” out there and as a regular rock band, they kind of bore me. And did I mention I hate the saxophone? Replace that saxophone with some fiddle, violin, bagpipes, or Uilleann pipes and then perhaps I would like this album a little more. It’s not terrible; it’s just kind of there.
Score: 2

The Fugs – Greatest Hits:
Can I just say…what the fuck? This is just plain insanity, but I loved it. It really had me cracking up. The poor recording quality and the randomness made me think that these guys just got together every now again, drank a lot and told someone to press the ‘record’ button. It still makes me laugh just thinking about certain songs. Amazing, not musically, but amazing nonetheless.


Topics

Top Ten of 2005

At first I thought making this list would be difficult, because there was a lot of good music that came out this year, but once I began making my “Best of 2005” mix I was able to limit my list to ten pretty easily. My decisions were based on my difficulty in picking one favorite from these CDs to put on the mix.

Wolf Parade – Apologies to the Queen Mary
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – S.T.
System of a Down – Mezmerize/Hypnotize
Coheed and Cambria – Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness
Kaiser Chiefs – Employment
The Decemberists – Picaresque
The New Pornographers – Twin Cinema
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Howl
Bloc Party – S.T.
Spoon – Gimme Fiction

Honorable Mentions:
Antony and the Johnsons – I Am a Bird Now


Question #1 – “Selling Out?”

I am so torn on the subject of musicians selling their music and most of my reasons against it are selfish. It is somewhat of a touchy subject for me. There are two different ways a band can “sell-out.” They can either get signed to major label (and lose all creative control of touring and licensing), or they can sell their songs to commercials.

I like going to small shows where ticket prices aren’t overly inflated and there is a small, faithful following. I like the more-intimate setting of club shows versus large arena shows, regardless of where your seats are. When a band becomes too commercial, they tend to draw the “bandwagoners” and teens who only care about that one single and end up either talking through the whole show and then screaming when they hear that one hit song, or they are hanging out in the bathroom or by the merch tables for the duration of the show. Perhaps this may only apply to some of the music I listen to, but it gets quite annoying to see these kids at shows where they only seem to be there just to be “seen.” (Don’t even get me started on what kids are wearing these days!)

But on the other hand, having met a lot of bands in my day, seeing them get commercial success makes me happy for them personally because I know the sacrifices many of them have made to get that far. Being broke and touring non-stop is difficult and to finally make good money for what you’ve given up so much for must be amazing.

I admit that when Moby sold the rights to an entire album of his music, I lost a bit of respect for him. I think a lot of his fans did. There are many other songs that I love being exploited on car commercials and jeans commercials and I cannot help but feel a little disconnected to those songs now. They aren’t as cherished to me anymore now that everyone across America is hearing them daily on the television.

I am still torn on this issue. It does bother me immensely but I like to see the “little guys” get something for their efforts.

Question #2 – Best Band of the Last Ten Years

The best band of the last ten years is Radiohead, because even my least favorite albums of theirs are amazing.

Host in the Machine - January Reviews

Midwest Miguel

Joybang – I’ve listened to this 6-7 times, and it is just not registering with me. I don’t find anything good about it, but there is nothing patently offensive either. Reminds me a little of the Smashing Pumpkins and Slater-Kinney, both of whom I’ve never been able to get into either. Guitars are good, songs are a little repetitive, vocals are ok. In fact the whole dang thing is ok. Nothing more, nothing less. 2 stars.

Mars Volta – Every once in a while, I make a mistake in that I judge the proverbial book by its cover. When I saw the song lengths involved, I assumed the worse about this disc. I would like to admit how wrong that was of me to do. I would like to admit it, but I can’t, due to the fact that the disc stunk. Ungodly bad. In fact after 2 listens, I am at a loss to think of a single positive thing to say about it. I can’t even give it my old prog rock review standard, “I didn’t like it but the guitarist/drummer/keyboardist is/are really good” line. It’s just a lot of freaking noise, absolutely fugging pointless. It’s hard for me to pick a low point, but if pressed, I’d have to go with “L Via L ‘Viaquez”, which accomplishes the rare feat of sucking in two languages over pseudo-intellectual, middle eastern jazz Phishy noodling. Close behind was “Cassandra Gemini”. Memo to band: if I can run two miles at the Y, and the song is STILL not over, its too freaking long. Mike’s rule of rock #7: Unless the name of your band is the Allman Brothers or the Grateful Dead, don’t record 30 minute long songs. You all will never know how close I came to writing a 2 page review of this disc out of spite. 0 stars

Cursive – Whoever wrote this one had some anger/relationship issues. I’m not sure I’ve heard a song as brutal in lyrics and execution as “A Gentleman Caller” for quite some time. Most of it is too grating for my taste, but I liked the subtler tracks like “The Recluse” and “Harold Weathervein”, which had a Lou Reed/Velvet Underground feel to it, with the cello, bells, etc. “Staying Alive” is an excellent song, but runs on about 3 minutes too long. The Bellmore tracks were not my cup of tea, but I don’t think I’m exactly their target audience. I played it for my teenagers, and they liked it, said they could see it getting on the radio station they listen to. 2.5 stars

Waterboys – Hadn’t heard these guys in a while. Nice album, but the sound is hopelessly dated, and the disc doesn’t hold up nearly as well as “Fisherman’s Blues”. The wall of sound built on “Church Not Made With Hands”and “Rags” is wonderful, but on some of the other tracks, like “All the Things She Gave Me”, the mix is too tinny. That dang ‘80’s drum sound is prevalent throughout, giving the whole disc a Tears-For-Fears meets Simple Minds kind of feel. “Red Army Blues” sounds like really bad John Waters soundtrack music. Mike Scott’s Bono-ish vocals hold up very well, and the playing is consistently solid. All in all, a decent disc by a generally overlooked band that didn’t get the attention that they should have back in the day. 3 stars

The Fugs – I submitted this because I believe that Mid-1960’s, New York hippie pornographic protest folk rock is a genre this group has given short change to. In truth, Ken asked me for a Fugs disc, and we agreed the group needed to know about the Fugs. I’m sure this is a love/hate disc, with no middle ground, but these guys really have been short changed by history. Zappa and the Mothers of Invention get all the kudos, when in fact the Fugs were doing that kind of music first. The mixture of country, bluegrass and rock was not heard of at the time, and their debut album came out before Dylan went electric. Some of the protest-y material is a bit dated, but thanks to Dubya, not entirely obsolete. The live stuff shines, and proves that there was some legitimate musical chops in the band. The Fugs reunited in the 1980s and put out a couple of CDs, but they sucked, and none of the material was included. “Nothing” is my personal favorite, very minimalist. 3 sheets of Saran Wrap and 2 Coca Colas.

Discussion Topics

Top 10 of 2005

I thought this year was a little weak. Lots of 3-3.5 star discs, not many in the 4-5 star range. With the exception of #1, I don’t think any of my top 5 would have made last year’s top 5….

Honorable Mention – None. Not a single freaking one. Nada. Zip. Zilch. The man has beaten me down. I’ve lost the will to mention CDs honorably.

10. Liz Phair – Somebody’s Miracle
9. The Moaners – Dark Snack
8. Death Cab for Cutie – Plans
7. My Morning Jacket - Z (Mad props to D’Arcy for submitting this one)
6. Aimee Mann – The Forgotten Arm
5. Marah – If You Didn’t Laugh, You’d Cry
4. Son Volt – Okemah and the Melody of Riot
3. White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan
2. James McMurtry – Childish Things
1. Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning


Discussion Question 1

I ask this question because I get sick to my stomach every time I hear a great song being used to sell products. Pete Townshend in particular, has whored the Who catalog out to anyone who is willing to write him a check. Did Dylan really need the money he got from Victoria’s Secret?? One of the lowlights of the last year for me was hearing Steve Earle’s great “The Revolution Starts Now” being used to sell Chevy Trucks. That kind of prostitution ruins a song for me, and lowers my opinion of the artist every time. I understand intellectually that the songwriter owns the song, and can do what he or she wants with it, but I think it is just wrong to sell it to the highest bidder. Is a younger band justified in doing this to try to get exposure and a little jack? I don’t think so. It’s less of a sin but a sin no less in my eyes. Yes Neil, I’m aware U2 did it with their ipod ad, and I’m not excusing them or justifying it, but at the very least it was a music related product, and a new song. It wasn’t as if they sold Band-Aid the rights to “Sunday Bloody Sunday”. It is naïve to think that art and commercialism exist outside of each other’s realms, however, in my humble estimation, any artists who agree to have their songs sold for commercial products are whores, and the level to which they’ve sold their souls is just a matter of negotiation.

Discussion Question 2

The best band in the last 10 years is:

Wilco – 8 great CDs. Always evolving, never repeat themselves.

January 2006 Reviews with Love

Monsignor Boucher
Reviews January 06

Joybang!- 1000Mg
This was a surprise to me. For some reason I had a predisposed opinion that I wasn’t going to like this. Don’t know why. Possibly the fact that I never heard of them and that it looked lo-fi, which normally juices me, anyway I almost made up my mind before listening. Turns out I rather enjoyed this disc.

Its hard to find information about them. All I could uncover is that they were a 3 piece band from Atlanta (maybe?) and that are no more. Their sound is definitely indie, but with good hooks. Decent drumming surrounding solid licks overlaid with an unquestionable indie vocalist. I hear Rush, Dinosaur Jr., Smashing Pumpkins, Blonde Redhead and non-expansive Sonic Youth. Songs refreshingly evolve and don’t follow a strict A/B/A structure. They seemed to be on the verge of taking off with their songs dissonantly but they hold back. Maybe live they actually do this. Dare I say that if you added 8 minutes to their songs they could be in Progland?

Really liked “Bride’s Day” and “I’m Not Sure Yet”. Too bad they gave up and too bad this disc is only 21 minutes. (3)

Mars Volta- Frances the Mute
This was a perplexing and exasperating disc. There was nothing easy about this disc. The music is amazingly difficult, conceptually abstract, it requires discipline to listen to and you spend energy trying to figure out why they did some of the things they did. Zappa”esque” instrumentation, on a dime time and style changes, musicianship extraordinaire, lyrically musical and vocals more instrumental than singing. I couldn’t hate this but I can’t love it either.

I feel that Mars Volta believe length equals quality where I think they get their concept and ideas across in a much shorter time. The first 9 minutes of “Cygnus” is incredible and engaging. Guitar is fantastic. The next 4 minutes could be stricken without loss. “The Widow” is good quasi-power ballad for 3 plus minutes then unnecessary organ noodling (Mike H knows a lot about this). “L’Via L’ Viaquez” is a great rock song that segues into a samba then back to a blazing guitar solo back to a samba… good but exhausting and repetitive- we get the idea. Extended crickets chirping to open Miranda adds little to the song.

Take away these unneeded song extensions and I think this is a very strong album. The album is critically acclaimed but the critics must be tossing aside these elongations. Because of these extensions it is a disc I will rarely put on as I would have to either fast forward a few minutes here or there or I would have to re-edit all the tracks to just what I liked. If I did there would be some great stuff, but should I have to, to enjoy an album? (2)


Waterboys- A Pagan Place
There is an E-Street feel to this disc. And as with Bruce, sometimes the band sounds- albeit good and professional- a little too familiar and expected. You know where the song is going musically. Intro/lyric/chorus/sax fill back to lyric etcetera. Mike Scott is good songwriter. This disc is bookend by two real good songs “Church Not Made With Hands” and “A Pagan Place”. His Lyrics are well crafted as the story in “Red Army Blues…” There is just something about many of the songs that incorporate the body of the disc where they blend too much together. I’m listening and before I know it I’m up to “Rags” and couldn’t remember the songs prior.

Does this mean I am ejecting the disc and tossing it away, no. But I have a bigger problem that my favorite Waterboys disc is Fisherman’s Blues which is very different from this. It is a good disc of songs. It will remain with my collection. (3)

Cursive- The Ugly Organ
These guys must be downright zany. If they were any happier they would crack a frown. Cursive’s Ugly Organ is dramatic, edgy and tense. They also don’t love themselves too too much. Ugly Organ sounds very Murder By Death-like. The cello is haunting but in your face. The guitar work is erratic but compelling. Vocals are decent until they reach an over the top scream-a-la-Muse or Far. Song structure is solid, but few of the songs leave a lasting impression with me. “The Recluse” and “Sierra” I liked. It’s not that the rest are dogs there is just something missing that hooks me entirely.

Ugly Organ gained points each time I listened to it, but I think it has reached its peak with me by now. The disc is one that has to be played within the right pissed off or self deprecating frame of mind. This will probably limit me playing it, but the songs are interesting and not throwaways. For this reason The Ugly Organ is a keeper. (2.5)

FUGS
Lyrical complexities and intricate pathos are rarely seen in union musical virtuosity. And by no means is it remotely seen here. I will accept a small percentage of the responsibility for this, but I am not apologizing. The Fugs are one of the first of the “we don’t give a fuck” bands. They sang about what they wanted in the words they wanted. And hell, much of it is a pisser. “Nothing”, “Cocka Rocka”, “Defeated” always crack me up. Their unabashed verse on sex is still beyond couth. Their total intoned melody and their lack of any musical chops leaves you wondering are they serious or not? Is it total comedy or are they making social commentary? Not for kiddies or those with weak constitutionals, but I will always have a wet spot for the Fugs. Hypothalamus. That’s the brain for me.

Selling Out
Times have changed. Many bands sell their music for ads to get exposure. This would have been sacrilege 20 plus years ago. But with limited radio airplay a new band has to think of new ways to get heard. I’m probably going to be in the minority, but I am not offended when artists, even those I worship, sell their music for commercials PROVIDED the following; a) all of said artist’s songs released pursuant thte ad don’t sound like that ad over and over again implying artist has become a jingle writer over an artist, b) the song wasn’t written with the intent to sell a product then released as a ‘serious’ song, c) the product being peddled does not maim babies, deliberately cause cancer or is stupid, d) they don’t perform at corporate events or pep rallies, and e) the song isn’t being totally used out of context (ie Reagan using “Born in the USA”). Most everything else I feel is okay. It is their right since it is their music.

Best of last 10 Years
I must go on record that the limit to 10 words rule sucked.

Rick Rubin. Produced across genres with integrity. Stayed true to artist. (I could elaborate but I will not break the rules)

These are not honorable mentions but artists I could have put together arguments for.

Considerations: Dylan, Cash, Green Day, Liz Phair, Wilco

For Your Consideration
Ken’s Top 10 of 2005

Not in any particular order.

Beck- Guero
Kaiser Chiefs- Employment
James McMurtry- Childish Things
Death Ray Davies- Kick and a snare
Spoon -Gimme fiction
Neil Diamond- 12 Songs
Hold Steady- Separation Sunday
TSAR- Band-Girls-Money
The Sun- Blame it on the Youth
Giant Drag- Hearts and Unicorns

Not Honorable Mentions just discs worthy of purchase by me but were missing that special sauce to put them on the final list.

Soundtrack of Our Lives –Origin Vol 1
Dandy Warhols–Welcome to the Odditorium
Audioslave- Out of Exile
Todd Snider – That Was Me
Neil Young- Prairie Wind

noseforbeer jan. 06 reviews

Mars Volta, Francine The Mute “1”
One good song does not make an entirely good LP! Having only ever heard “The Widow” (which is the one good song), I was looking forward to listening to this CD. Boy, what a let-down. The over-exaggerated '70's power rock' meets 'big hair band' meets 'progressive rock' thing is too much! I thought it was funny when Jack Black and Tenacious D poked fun at this concept but there is nothing fun about this CD. Track 5 (Cassandra Gemini)--it's worse than anything even Iron Butterfly could have done.

Joybang, 1000 mg. “4”
Thank you for submitting this, I can't seem to take this out of my cd player. The whole
EP is good, and I really liked track 6 (1000 milligrams). This song has a lot of power and the chorus is stuck in my head... “I am one thousand milligrams, I am vitamin C, I'm impressed by the Branch Davidians”... Yes, I am impressed.

Cursive, The Ugly Organ “3”
This CD has moments were it is really good with a great beat, some cool guitar work,and strong lyrics. I was not real impressed with the vocals, they often didn't go with the music or lyrics. Screamed too much in songs that didn't need it.

The Waterboys, A Pagan Place “3”
I am familiar with this band and I like a lot of NEW WAVE . The Waterboys are good background music, it has a good feel to it. But they lack power and edge to pull me in. Lead man Mike Scott has a lot of talent but not enough creativeness to take HIS band to the next level.

The Fugs“2”
The Fugs are like a horrible car crash, ever bit of morality I have tells me to look away but my morbid curiosity wins over to keep my attention. I don't know if they are a bunch brain-dead hippies or the godfathers of political and social punk rock. What ever they were, it was original. I don't think I will keep this in any kind of rotation but I'm glad to have heard it, at least from a historical point. Best song: “Kill For Peace” !
If any one likes The Fugs check out the late 70's early 80's British punk band Crass. They were more political, with less humor, but I think just as surprising.


2005 TOP TEN (no honorable mentions)

1. SON VOLT – Okemah And The Melody Of Riot (I have been waiting for this since the break up of UNCLE TUPELO. I was not disappointed!) Also best live act this year; I saw them twice.

2. DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE - Plans (This disc contains #1 song of the year Soul Meets Body.)

3.NICKEL CREEK – Why Should The Fire Die (Very close behind #2!)



4.WHITE STRIPES – Get Behind Me Satan

5.OK GO – Oh No (My top five were easy. The last five would not have even been on 04's top 25, since 04 was such a great year for new music.)

6. FRUIT BATS – Spelled In Bones

7.WILCO – Kicking Television (live in Chicago)

8.JAMES McMURTRY - Childish Things

9.RAVEONETTES – Pretty In Black

10.MY MOURNING JACKET – Z


1)a) How do you feel about musicians selling their songs for commercial
purposes? Does it bother you to hear a song you like being used in an
advertisement? Does it change how you feel about the song/artist?

I have mixed feelings. When it is an already commercial band it really doesn't bother me at all. But when it is a band or artist that tries to come across as being independent, anti-establishment, or humanitarian I usually see it as SELLING OUT! When Steve Earl's “The Revolution Starts Now” line was used by Chevy trucks it was annoying and disappointing. When U2 licks the corporate ass of anyone who will throw a buck their way it makes me want to puke! Maybe I'm just a simple man and I can't comprehend the Zoo TV tour and it's anti-commercial, over commercial, post modern, larger than life, art saga LIE. Because that's what they are; a lie. Oh yea, and their music sucks!

I can't help to wonder if Midwest Mike knew he might strike a nerve in me with this question.

2)Fill in the blank. The best band in the last ten years is. DRIVE BY TRUCKERS You have only 10 words to defend your choice.
Two things make this band great , lyrics and smoking guitars!



I am sorry but I will be late with my best of '05 CD. Songs are on my hard drive but my re writable CD drive is down. Here is the list:



1.SOUL MEETS BODY - Death Cab For Cutie
2.WHEN IN ROME - Nickel Creek
3.THE DENIAL TWIST - White Stripes
4.JET PILOT- Son Volt
5.HERE IT GOES AGAIN - Ok Go
6.GALAXIES - Laura Veirs
7.ANYTIME - My Morning Jacket
8.LITTLE GHOST - White Stripes
9.MEDICATION - Son Volt
10.I WILL FOLLOW YOU INTO THE DARK - Death Cab For Cutie
11.SILENT LIFE - Fruit Bats
12.BEST OF LUCK - Nickel Creek
13.FEEL GOOD INC. - Gorillaz
14.KICKING TELEVISION – Wilco
15.TELEVISION TELEVISION – Ok Go

New Music Suggestions

As I just emailed out to everyone...

Perhaps a way to help alleviate the stress if honing our lists down to ten at the end of the year would be to recommend new cds as they come out. Being able to contribute one new disc a couple times a year makes it hard to spread the word about new music and/or great new albums.

I would recommend that everyone post their recommendations on the blog as they think of them, unless you plan on bringing it for your future pick. To make things easier on everyone in choosing which recommendations they would like to look into...perhaps a brief description and/or "Recommended if you like..." like CMJ Magazine does, could be added along with your recommendation.

Just an idea...

ARGHHH!!

ONE MORE JACKSON BROWNE COMMENT AND I THINK I'LL EXPLODE..

Darryl Hannah

an honorable mention to...

Okay I don't see why I am being labeled as the honarable mention narzi. If you check my posts I always have one for most of my lists. However just one. A top 10 list with 5 honorable mentions is a top fifteen list. And isn't the point of these lists to make the tough decision that seperates the 10 best from the rest. Otherwise its taking the easy way out.

The debate rages over Honorable Mentions

Okay, maybe it doesn't rage... but I may have no choice but to have honorable mentions. Sorry DPL.

Sid's December Reviews

Gorillaz – OK, I didn’t listen to this one too much. What I heard was interesting to a point, but I’m not really sure I would latch onto this even if I had the chance. I assume you classify this as urban, and I’ve never heard anything with that designation that even remotely appealed to me, so that’s a positive. Some interesting beats and I’m trying to be more broadminded so I’ll give it a 2.5 and reserve the right to change it next month.

New York Dolls – Contrary to what you might think, this is a new disc for me to a degree. I bought Too Much Too Soon when I was in college and I loved it, but I was never able to get a copy of this first Dolls CD. Eventually, I had what I figured were the highlights on various compilations and live Dolls bootlegs. So just a month or so ago I ordered this along with the new Dolls DVD (which I’ll report on next month). Obviously, from a historical perspective, this has always been considered a groundbreaking album. What I found is that it is also a great CD, one that really didn’t sound as dated as I though it might. They were a great band, but first and foremost this is Johansons’s album. His vocals carry it. Secondly this is Rundgren’s album. Without that sound, it just wouldn’t be the same. If it were released now, I’d give it a 4 – 4.5 and it would probably make my top ten. Because they had the foresight to do this in ’73, it’s a 5. Just so you know, I do not subscribe to the notion that this influenced punk to any great degree and musically it is much closer to Aerosmith than any punk stuff that followed.

My Morning Jacket – I bought into the hype an bought It still Moves, their critically acclaimed 2003 release. Bored me to tears. Sure the guy’s got a great voice, but to say that the CD plodded along is an understatement. Maybe I was expecting something different. Different deal with this one. There are still a few duds, but the highlights are great and a couple really rise to the point of classics. What a Wonderful Man, Off the Record (though it should have ended at the 3 minute mark), Anytime and especially Lay Low are standouts. I’ll probably listen to this again. 3.5 stars



Blind Faith – The story behind this record is fascinating, so if you’ve never read about it, you should. I recall vaguely, as a youngster just getting into music that this album was controversial in some manner, but I had never bought it or listened to it. When I put it on, of course, it sounded instantly recognizable. Every song seemed familiar and it is probably because somewhere along the line I had heard each of them. And each of those first 5 songs is at least a minor classic. I know I have at least two on live Clapton albums and I think Winwood has kept his contributions alive in live shows as well. Unfortunately it all falls apart with the Do What you Like – 18 pointless minutes of musical masturbation that they should have been too embarrassed to put out. I don’t know if this was the source of controversy at the time – probably not because Clapton and Winwood were the days’ untouchable “geniuses” - but they clearly ran out of ideas and proceeded to rip off record buyers with this piece of crap “song.” This is far worse than any of the stupid jams Traffic used to foist upon a gullible public, so I can’t even blame the egomaniacal Winwood for this one. It reeks of an entire group calling it quits and giving the public a big fuck you. I’m now glad I never bought it. None of them deserve a penny. 3 stars because the first five songs are great.

Iron Maiden – Like everything Byron has brought to the table, I own nothing by this band. This, though, is why this little exercise we call music group is so great. This is something I should have. Oh, I’m not going to run out and buy the catalogue, but this is a legitimately great rock band that doesn’t seem to take itself as seriously as many of Byron’s earlier selections. And, for gods sake, it rocks and has a certain menacing quality at times that you gotta love. True to form, though, they sneak into prog mode every once in a while, but they only linger there for a moment and then it is back to the rock and roll. A 3.5 star band.

Radio Shows We’ll Never See

1976-79 Show – Greatest musical era ever.



1969-70 show – Hear pop music systematically destroyed by a bunch of great bands that would end up influencing a bunch of awful bands. Seriously – a very cool period of time in the cross-history of Rock and Society.



Lo fi show – Not quite sure how to describe lo-fi, but I know it when I hear it and this show would usually turn into a tribute to Guided By Voices.



Big Star and those who wish they were Show – Jangly Guitar Pop – Gin Blossoms, M Sweet, Posies, Teenage Fanclub – you get the idea.



Uncle Tupelo and those that wish they were show – Bring on the Alt Country – Being from Nashville hurts your chances of making onto this show.

November Reviews From Sid

So there! I posted something. This is my first post on a blog. Hope it was as good for you as it was for me.

BB King and Friends – Hey, it’s the blues performed by the single most important blues artist of all time. And he’s got some pretty good guests. He’s also got some pretty sketchy guests, people I wouldn’t walk across the street to see. It is on those songs that you realize how great BB King is. Nobody seems to really drag him down. As always, I have issue with the presence of strings, especially on The Thrill is Gone. You have Clapton and BB, you don’t need strings. This is one I’ll probably listen to again when I’m in the mood for some Blues light.
3 stars

Tiger Mountain – This is a CD that I should like. Came highly recommended by Not Lame dot com, the best pop music website around. And it starts out great. Shouldn’t be Long is a great pop song with a decent hook. At first I couldn’t figure out why the rest of it didn’t resonate. I think it is two things. It’s just not that well written. The hooks come close, but never really materialize into the kind of catchy hooks that we’ve heard with Kaiser Chiefs, Deathray Davies and Franz Ferdinand. And it is also the lack of energy. It often sounds like a bunch of guys trying to make a good record rather that and band putting energy into well crafted songs. Oh, and the Drumming is atrocious. 2 stars

Linda Perry – In Flight – Yup it is and I’m sure it is still going because I gave it a mighty toss about 5 songs in. Maybe I just don’t get it because I’m a fat, old, white male, but this is unlistenable. ½ star because I don’t think I’ve given anything a 0

Jimmy James and the Vagabonds – First thing that hit me was here is the CD that Southside Johnny must have listened to a thousand times. I know it is somewhat unfashionable to like Southside, but he has a great voice and tremendous feel for soul and R&B music for, as politically incorrect as it sounds, a white guy. Anyway, the phrasing and style are identical to Jimmy James, so for me this record is important on that level at least. And it’s fun in the same easygoing style that the BB King record is. Easy to put on, well done versions of some classic songs. Nothing to dislike, but I’m still going to pull out my Stax box set or my James Brown records when I want to hear R&B. 3 stars

Hot Rod Circuit – What a frustrating band. Songs start out great - just the kind of lo fi guitar stuff I like, but eventually this guy is screaming at the top of his lungs. And I think I know why. He doesn’t know how to write hooks or at least he doesn’t think he does, so instead of a good chorus, he just yells. Stop already. Go listen to Guided by Voices. Come back when you’ve learned your lesson.

Question

Rather than address the question of what songs should be covered, I’m going to broaden the discussion into what bands should be covered most and why a good cover is a good cover. Eddie Cochran is a good place to start for any rock band.
Simple songs, easy lyrics – hard to fuck up as long as you play them with energy. Gram Parsons is another good place to start although you have to be a good singer to get away with it. Big Star songs are always a welcome addition to any show – it shows someone in the band was paying attention in pop school. Replacements are always cool to cover for the same reasons.

The common theme for me isn’t “did they do a good job?”, It’s more “OK they were cool enough to know this was cool, so it was a good choice.” At a show I guess that’s what defines a good cover. And it is totally subjective of course, because my cool is someone else’s uncool. I guess one of the key things is - Does the cover say something about where this band comes from? For instance, if you cover a lame band, it’s a lame cover. Think Journey. No way to make those songs good and if you were influenced by Journey, by definition, you suck.
The exception – and this is another thing that defines a good cover – Did you find something in some lame band’s catalog that lends itself to re-interpretation. The entire first Me First and the Gimme Gimme’s CD is what I’m talking about. Leaving on a Jet Plane, Fire and Rain, Uptown Girl, Seasons in the Sun, Mandy, Rocket Man…one song lamer than the next turned into punk pop scorchers that reveal great songwriting that unfortunately was performed by lame artists first.

One cover song no no – don’t cover tremendously successful songs by best selling artists. Nobody needs to hear you play I Wanna Hold Your hand just because you were influenced by the Beatles. Go deeper into an album or cover Badfinger or Big Star because if the Beatles were an influence then those two bands were too.

Favorite covers

Messin with the Kid - Rory Gallagher

Cortez the Killer - Matthew Sweet

Summertime Blues - Springsteen

Everything by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes on Have a Ball

Replacements – Another Girl, Another Planet