Sid's July Junk about Music

Katrina and the Waves - I was really hoping I would like this. Of course I had formed an opinion of this band quite some time ago when it was first released. That is - A too late for the bus New Wave cash in - an opinion based totally on the sound of the single and my arrogant “if it’s not punk, it sucks” attitude. But I wanted to like it. At least partially because I’m tired of giving Byron’s selections 1.5’s. But alas, it still doesn’t resonate. Maybe it’s dated or maybe there still is a hint of phoniness. There’s just not much to it for me and so I will write it off as a classic “it meant something at a certain time in my life” CD for Byron. But it still gets at 2 because it IS somewhat catchy.


Drive By Truckers - So the early buzz was that this was not the three guitar romp that the previous albums were. So be it. Never really saw much brilliance in that approach anyway, although I have to admit I didn’t give it the old “college try.” Midwesterner Hopkins has been prodding me for the last two years to get into these guys and I have to admit that my disinterest in the band (despite owning 2 official cds, one unreleased live cd and one live DVD), lies mostly with my laziness and inability to find the time to truly “get into it.” So I hate to dismiss their earlier work, but this sounds to me like a huge step forward because it is so much more tuneful than its predecessors. Sounds as though they took some time off and listened to some Uncle Tupelo records, which was a good move because this is the kind of understated record that Tweedy and company were famous for. And the gritty lyrics work for theses guys in a way that could be construed as sensationalism if not for the fact that there is a certain honesty to them that makes them work. 4

Bad Brains - I don’t think it’s mandatory that every band have some type of style that we can define. Certain bands live – and thrive – on eclecticism. But for this band the eclecticism fails them more often than not. I don’t get who they are and therefore, can’t figure out what they are. Is it a hardcore band? Is it a punk band discovering certain roots music? Are they trying to be a reggae band? Or do they just suck? Well, I don’t think they suck, but I wish they would decide who they are, because when they are hardcore/metal band, they really sound great This seems like a CD by a band in transition and if you’re into the band you’ll appreciate it as such, but in a vacuum, despite some great moments it sounds like kind of a mess. But it’s the kind of mess that, as I said, has its great moments, so it still gets a 2.5

Joy Zipper – I loved the song on Mike’s 2005 compilation, so I figured I would love this. For the most part, it delivers, but it tends toward predictability in a way that I can’t really understand, because it isn’t so much predictable, as they sometime seem like they’re tying too hard not to be predictable, which makes it predictable. Confused?…yeah, me too, ‘cuz I thought I’d love it not just like it a lot, which I do. But in the long run, it’s hard to criticize any particular songs – everything is pretty strong - although the chick is the one whoreally makes the record a 4.0

Ocean Colour Scene – Hey, it’s Brit Rock. What a surprise! They still can’t spell over there, but here’s the real surprise…it sounds great! A great discovery for me….until the CD breaks down and I throw it away because it was recorded on a shitty Memorex CD. Or D’Arcy’s burner failed him. I would love a copy of this that I could listen to.





Topic

As much as I try to sift through the clutter in my mind, I can’t think of a band that fits the bill. Now, if I would have looked over my CDs instead of waiting till today at work to write about the topic, then maybe I’d have an answer. I’ll have something for the blog, I’m sure. Or not. It’s possible that I won’t because I tend to form pretty quick opinions and listen to way to much stuff to “give something I don’t immediately like a chance.” That’s reserved for Music group, and then only sometimes.

And regarding the rather lengthy list of bands whose talent and creativity suffer a leave of absence halfway through their career, I think it is a function of them just outliving their talent, just as an athlete outlives his talent and age. That’s why so many first records are so good. Artists used to take five years developing that first record and then 1 year putting together the second. It’s bound to suffer. And most people are not talented enough to string together a bunch of great music and they go on too long. An artist only has so much in them. It just can’t last forever. Name an important band other than the Beatles whose last record wasn’t one of their worst. And, actually, it could even be argued that Let It Be was a far inferior product to its predecessors. It’s just inevitable that, eventually, every band will suck before quit or break up.