Lets drop the big one now....

The Snake, the Cross, the Crown – A challenging disc, it does not reveal its strengths via casual listening. I found it to be thoroughly engaging. The high-points (“Cakewalk”, “Behold the River”) are exceptionally well constructed, musically and lyrically. Some of the tracks become almost hypnotic, particularly “Electronic Dream Plant”. Not easy to find something to compare this to, but I enjoyed it. 3.5 stars

Of Montreal – Unlike my hero, Ken the open-minded, I am self-aware enough to say there are some genres of music I just don’t like. Gay synthesizer, falsetto singing, pseudo-intellectual disco music is one of them. Apparently, I ain’t got no soul power. 1 star

US3 – The opener, “Flip Fantasia” is phenomenal, the highlight of the month. Success of each remaining track is inversely proportional to the amount of rapping being done. While it is an interesting blend of hip hop and jazz, the novelty wears off about halfway through the disc. Might have been a 4 star disc if the vocals had been wiped off. 2.5 stars

Walt Mink – One of those discs that always seemed to fade into the background after a few songs. A couple of strong tracks, but a fair amount of fluff on this as well. Mink is better when playing his power pop Elvis Costello imitations, like “Goodnight”. More experimental material like the raga “Act of Quiet Desperation” does not work as well. 3 stars

Randy Newman – Put this together because there are too many people who only know Newman for his Disney soundtracks and his fluke hit “Short People”. Newman’s greatest strength is his lyrical craftiness; he is the ultimate untrustworthy narrator. Is Newman the racist protagonist of “Rednecks” and “Short People” or is he pointing out the futility of bigotry? Is “I Love LA” the chamber of commerce sing-along it appears to be on the surface? If so, why point out the “bum on his knees”? And who else but Newman writes a beautiful song that lyrically is sung from the viewpoint of a dishonest slave ship captain (“Sail Away”)? He also has the ability to play it straight, like on the ballad “I Miss You” (perversely written to his ex-wife). Extremely versatile musically as evidenced by his ability to play straight rock (“I’m Dead”), his numerous orchestral work, and even a note perfect ELO tribute/mockery. One of America’s greatest songwriters.

Discussion Question #1

I would chose to produce the CD by a newly reunited Uncle Tupelo. With the last Wilco disc returning to a more conventional sound, and the last Son Volt disc being somewhat experimental, I think the time is right. My job as a producer would be to watch Tweedy and Farrar try to out-do each other’s songwriting and guide them towards a sound that is focused on the alt-country sound the band founded, but has some of the flourishes and risk-taking of Wilco’s best music.

Discussion Question #2

A) Two Cow Garage – III
B) The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini