Reviews clearly written in the Christmas spirit

Screwing up my curmudgeon-like average....

Mendoza Line – An interesting mix. Part Cowboy Junkies (“Since I Came”), part Velvet Underground (“I Lost My Taste”), and part what the latest Rilo Kiley disc should have sounded like (“31 Candles”). The male and female vocals really blend well on the few times they sing together. The tracks that work the best for me are the final two, which are straightforward Americana, with a touch of Tom Petty. 3.5 stars

Weakerthans – A runaway cat. A bus driver who sees his ex in the faces of his passengers. A retired NHL goalie. Not the standard lyrical fare for indie rock, which is what makes this disc so special. John Sampson’s way with words makes this album shine. The band plays their parts well, but the lyrics are the showpiece. “A Civil Twilight” would be on my short list for one of the best songs of the year. Each track is like a short story put to music. Lines like “Got more faults than the state of California” and “The pause feels like an extra year of high school” are just knockouts. Catchy tunes too. 4 stars

Richard Thompson – RT is a favorite of many of the jocks on our community station, and every time I hear him, I think, “ I need to really check this guy out”. I’ve listened to a disc or two and it never clicked. Well, this disc clicked big time. In fact, I have a hard time listening to anything else at the moment. RT is simply a phenomenal guitarist and songwriter. His voice takes some getting used to, but like Dylan’s, he uses it to great effect. “Wall of Death” would go on my list of the 100 greatest songs ever written. IMHO, this is one of, if not the finest g-hits collection the Down Your Nose group has ever produced.

Discussion Question

“Definitive” is a hard word to come to grips with. Does it mean, “Widely regarded as their most important work”? Does it mean “most representative of what the band sounds like”? For Borgie’s purpose, I have defined “definitive” as “the one a balding, overweight man in the Midwest likes best”.

Stones – Let It Bleed
Who - Quadrophenia
Beatles – Revolver
Dylan – Blonde on Blonde
Prince – Sign O’ the Times
U2 – Achtung Baby
REM – Automatic For the People
Lou Reed – New York
Kinks – Give the People What They Want
The Cure – Kiss Me X3
Neil Young – Rust Never Sleeps
Frank Zappa – Joe’s Garage
Led Zeppelin – Houses of the Holy
Queen – News of the World
Tom Petty – Hard Promises
Metallica – The black one with “Enter Sandman”. Title escapes me.
Warren Zevon – Self-Titled
David Bowie – Let’s Dance
Pearl Jam – Vs.
Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run