Happy Christmas, Merry Chanukah, Baked Holidays, Happy Kwanzaa, and Other Mixed Festivus Greetings

“The Mong” – Music Group Commentary, December, 2006

MUSIC COMMENTARY

BECK – THE INFORMATION (New / Monsta ) = 4 STARS
Arguably Beck’s best CD since, well, his last one. This guy consistently puts out great material and this is right up there. Few, if any, artists are better at mixing a vast array of genres and influences that (remarkably and unlike many who attempt to do this) never sounds forced or elitist. Considering his body of work, I would go so far as to call Beck a genius and “The Information” is another chapter in his remarkable career. The DVD this CD came with, however, is a complete waste of time. It’s just so, “That’s what’s neat about me,” that Beck and all his pals got together with a HD camera and made crap up for (apparently) a weekend and then called the results music videos, but I think the only people who will enjoy it are, well, Beck and his pals. I know that’s the point, more or less, but still...

DECEMBERISTS – THE CRANE WIFE (New / Jen) = 1 STAR
Wait, I’ve got a better title for this CD: “Welcome to Middle Earth.” Seriously, if this band’s primary influence isn’t the quivery-voiced bard who strummed and sang all the songs in the animated version of “The Hobbit,” then there’s some uncanny channeling going on here. And that’s “uncanny” creepy and bad, not the cool X-Men kind of “uncanny.” All not-kidding aside, musically the band is okay but the vocalist has a gratingly annoying voice (aforementioned bard-like, quivery, nasally tone) and his melodies mostly sound the same. And back to influences: OK Decemberists, just step away from your piles of vastly overrated Elephant 6 Collective CDs (Neutral Milk Hotel, Elf Power, The Apples in Stereo, etc.) and no one gets hurt.

FEAR – THE RECORD (Old / Neil) = 3 STARS
I’d like to pretend I was into Fear at the height of the LA punk/hardcore scene, but that would be untrue. This album was, however, much appreciated and often cranked in my high-school heavy metal circles, right along with Stormtroopers of Death, mostly because this stuff was combative, juvenile, and funny. A deeper understanding and appreciation of Fear and their contemporaries came in college. Go figure. But a heady analysis of the sociological, historical, psychological, and other relevant causes/effects of punk/hardcore is a chore best left for Greil Marcus (author of “Lipstick Traces,” etc.) so I’ll spare us all my academic musings. I will say this, though: Listening to “The Record” again for the first time in ages, I admit that it’s hard to factor-out the nostalgia in my rating but, truth is, I still think it’s funny and slam-danceable. And now I know it’s relevant too. Man, I’m getting’ old.

JASON AND THE SCORCHERS – LOST AND FOUND (Old / D’Arcy) = 2.5 STARS
A better-than-average Rock & Roll bar band. Not much more to say about ’em. By the way, if you rated this higher than The Gravel Pit (“Mass Avenue Freeze-Out”), inarguably a bar band in this vein, then I’ve got one question for you: Where do you get your crack?

SUPERDRAG – BEST OF (Me) = 5 STARS IF WE RANKED G’HITS
They consistently cranked out one great album after another and, unfortunately, no one seemed noticed. Hopefully future generations will discover them.

TOPIC

If I could be any member of a rock band (and not be the world’s greatest bass player, as Jay suspects), I would be the lead/sole guitarist. My style and sensibilities and stage presence would lean towards Alex Lifeson of Rush. Lifeson always knows exactly when to hold back and let his playing serve the song but when it’s time to step up and jam, he rocks. Even though his lead playing tends towards sloppy, I’d stay on track with this since, well, that’s one of the reasons why I love his playing. I would marry AL’s abilities with the great, six-string, song writing abilities and general chops of John Lennon. If it would even be possible to combine the multi-layered effects sound of Lifeson and straight-ahead style and sound of Lennon with yet another guitarist, my sound (tonally/sonically) would combine the denser, eviler sound of Josh Homme of Kyuss/Queens of the Stones Age, who, incidentally, is an immensely underrated guitarist/songwriter. So, while we’re at it, throw in a bit of Josh’s chops and lead playing into the mix. The result: if this is even possible, I would be a freestyle-progish, top forty, hard rock guitarist/songwriter.