Survived the Mexican Water

Wolf Parade – At Mount Zooner
Gets my vote for coolest cover so far this year. I think Jen and I are back on track. I liked the way that it sounds like they are singing in a huge warehouse on certain songs. I’m assuming that this is a new cd because it sounds like a lot of other popular bands, al la Fratellis, The Killers and a few others that we’ve reviewed, but they have an edge that I like. At times I felt that it got a little poppy, but it still held my interest. 3.5

Robert Plant and Allison Krauss – Raising Sand
I have to say that I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one. It seemed like a good idea and Robert Plant has pulled off some odd mixes before. I will admit that I preferred the songs that Allison Krauss sang over the Plant songs for the most part. Overall the album was surprisingly listenable and I’ve found it on a few Sunday mornings while reading the paper. 3.5

Love and Rockets – Express
I forgot how much I hated 80’s alternative music in the 80’s and how much I love it now because it reminds me of that time in my life. Although I wasn’t a big L&R fan back in the day, I definitely appreciate them more now. 3

Robert Palmer – Sneaking Sally Through The Alley
Okay, now we are talking about a classic. I remember listening to this cd back when it was already a classic, but it was new to me. I actually had to look on-line to see if Robert Palmer was still alive, sadly, he is not (2003). At times he’s almost like a James Brown on Ritalin, wicked funky but you can actually understand what he’s saying. This cd won’t go to the desert island with me, but it will remain in my collection for a long time. 4.5

Big Star – Big Star
I can certainly understand the band’s significance and I can hear how many of today’s bands have been influenced by Big Star. Before I looked to see who was playing I actually thought I was listening to a current band, then I thought I was listening to a Grateful Dead cover band. The more I heard the more I liked it. Good stuff, it must be Jay’s pick. It’s funny, but I don’t know that I heard one song that I recognized as a hit, a lot that could have been though.

Five favorite songs by bands that you generally think suck.
This was a great question, but it was more difficult than I thought. I only own music that I like and scrolling through 11000 songs to find the one or two that fit the bill wasn’t easy. Here are my choices, I’m sure there are others but it’s the best I could do.
Madonna - Ray of Light
Jimi Hendrix – Voodoo Chile (I know I’ll get hell for this pick, it’s not that I think he sucks, he doesn’t, I just don’t go gaga for the guy)
Doors – Touch me and Break on Through (Sorry for stealing your song Jay, but I agree with you 100%)
Guns & Roses – Welcome to the Jungle
Grateful Dead – Hell in a Bucket

Diversity, It's just music

Mg 7-22-8

Allison Krause/Robert Plant

Allison Krause in great voice. Plant hasn’t sounded this good in years. The band is clean, the production tight. Then why is this cd so boring? 1.5

Love and Rockets

Was a fan of this band when going through my gothic music phase. The Cult, these guys and the Mission always seemed to find their way to my turntable. Now some 22 years later I dusted off the disc and surprise its still pretty cool. Yes the Bauhaus boys put out some good music in their days and this disc is there most consistent. True to start off with an atmosphere track is a bit boring but the songs that follow are great. But Sunshine, Kundalini Express, All in my Mind, Laralay are all great tracks one after another. Yes I do like the cover, but is a great song. Could do without the acoustic version on the second half of All in my Mind. But still a great disc 4.0

Robert Palmer

One of the best three song intro of an album ever. But when Lowell George is your guitarist and you have a voice as talented as Robert Palmer it’s going to sound pretty damn good. While the rest of the cd does not hold up to the opening, there are some good songs with excellent singing and playing from all those involved. This cd and Pressure Drop are two examples of how talented Robert Palmer truly was. 3.5

Wolf Parade

Did not realize I had disc until too late.

Big Star

I really should like these guys much more. After all they are such an influence to many a band I find great. Its not that I dislike the band, it’s that I find the bands they influenced far better than they are. Perfect example Cheap Trick In the Street is better than the original. I guess it’s similar to Carson and Letterman. Carson was the first but I’d rather watch a letterman greatest hits.

Songs

Feel Like a Number, Bob Seeger

Hurricane, Bob Dylan

Keep on Rocking the Free World, Neil Young

Here Comes Your Man, Pixies

Man I’ll Never Be, Boston.

July's Synopsis aka Mongillo sells out!

Well the recent sausage hang just a got a bit longer with addition of big Sandy a pharmaceutical professional from the land of CVS. This is great because now our drug problem is solved. Huray vicadin! We allowed Sandy to weigh in on past recordings which did affect the rankings. Mick from the Stones called and thanked him for his 5 for Let it Bleed placing it now at #10 with a bullet (as it should have been in the first place D'Arcy, Jen and Greg)

The meeting was a test of fortitude lasting almost until Mid-night except for the old fart Jay who left prior to 9 and blamed it on his kid. Mind you the kid who called us all losers. I personally think he went home to message his prostate- if you get my drift. But I digress.....

Big winner was Robert Palmer, who we learned was a deliberate act by our director to re-crack the top 10, which he did by reaching the #4 spot (but he lost Okkervil from the top thanks to Sandy's new additional ratings- ZING). Plant/Krause had the widest gap with a few lovers and a few haters. And who says you can't zoom a zoomer, Wolf Parade was the lowest overall score but it had a more consistent rating than Plan/Krause. Mr. Mongillo and Mr. Lucas has a love fest with their rockets of love, er- I mean the Love and Rockets cd. The rest of us shrugged.

In regards to the topic, read the posts. many were quite interesting. Some great songs from some shitty or quite highly abased artists.

Next Meeting is August 26th

Host is Monsta
Old- KB, Monsta
New- D'Arcy, Jay

July-a-rama

July Music Club

Robert Palmer-Sneaking Sally Through the Alley.

As embarrassing as it is to admit, I have never listened to this in its entirety. I am glad I finally was force fed it, because without a doubt this is the best Palmer recording ever. He was a white groovemaster with “Addicted to Love” but SSTTA is far superior. Tight but not strangled, and the Little Feat comparisons are indubitable, since Lowell George was the producer. Almost perfect less the slightly long “Through it All There’s You”. (4.5)

Wolf Parade- At Mount Zoomer

Borderline classic”al” rock in style of play where they could have drifted off to Progville excess but luckily only skimmed the edges. WP’s songs had movements within them. “Soldiers Grin” and “Language City” are examples of these movements that kept the songs interesting. Main complaint I have is that the vocals were hard to decipher and could have benefitted from less studio manipulation. Otherwise this was a fairly enjoyable disc. (3)

Love and Rockets-Express

I was thrilled to finally get a Love and Rockets discs. I have always wanted to dive into them beyond the single. I am glad I didn’t dive in head first or I would have broke my neck. The lyrics were choppy, the music repetitive, and a 3 minute fade in for a slightly interesting opening number is unnecessary. Being a Cure fan, I should’ve liked some of this but I felt as if most of the songs weren’t really thought out clearly and each was padded beyond their god given usefulness. (1)

Plant/Krauss- Rising Sand

When I first listened to this last year it was quite a shock. Robert Plant sounded nothing like Robert Plant and his vocals blended harmoniously well with Krauss pristine singing. The songs are sparse with a sneaky, understated groove that can be slow at times but are well written, arranged and performed. “Please Read the Letter”, made my best of 2007 disc and only their cover of “Fortune Teller” is banished to immediate fast forward status. (3.5)

Big Star-Ghits

I understand the influences- Still, even after listening to this greatest hits, I do not understand what the fuss is all about. Big Star, in my opinion, wrote a couple of top shelf great songs (“September Gurls” hands down their best) and the rest can literally be dull as all hell and unoriginal. I know they are cited by all the rock critic gods as the 70s power pop answer to the next Mahavishnu, but not by I.

Topic

5 favorite songs from those we think suck.. I’m sure there are more

1. Take it Easy- Eagles
2. Toxic- Britney Spears
3. Only the Good Die Young- Billy Joel
4. Running on Empty- Jackson Browne
5. House of the Rising Sun- The Animals

Can Mr. Palmer Go Top Ten?

The Mong
Music Group Commentary
July 2008

ROBERT PALMER – “SNEAKIN’ SALLY THROUGH THE ALLEY” = 5 STARS
Robert Palmer and his backing band, Little Feat, have never sounded better, collectively or separately. (The Meters backed him here too but I don’t know their material well enough to make that claim.) I cannot play this album without listening to the whole thing. Every track’s a winner: even the twelve-minute plus, “Through it All There’s You,” is a highlight. “All killer, no filler!”

ROBERT PLANT & ALISON KRAUSS – “RAISING SAND” = 0.5 STARS
Yawn and yawn. “Raising Sand” is as boring as the Honeydrippers but the average song-length is, painfully, twice as long and, astoundingly, even more pointless. By the way, I was listening to this yawn-fest when I wrote this and had to wake myself up twice while writing the previous sentence. Half a star for the amazing production, though.

LOVE & ROCKETS – “EXPRESS” = 4 STARS
I first heard this in 1987 and played the cassette so often that it eventually broke in my car’s player sometime around 1989. It’s been awhile since I’ve heard “Express” and revisiting it was a nice surprise. The lyrics are strong and the hooks plentiful. As much as I remember listening to this back then, I don’t remember thinking it was a great album, in the terms of ‘the pantheon of great albums,’ nor do I now, but it definitely stands the test of time and is a damn good listen.

WOLF PARADE – “AT MOUNT ZOOMER” = 1.5 STARS
What is with the critical intelligentsia’s hard-on for all these Canadian bands!?! Better question, why do all the “prestige” labels keep signing them? They all sound pretty much the same and none of them live up to the hype. Still, this is perhaps the least annoying of the oh-so intentional mish-mash of styles and influences (spawned, indisputably and ironically by the American “Elephant 6 Collective”) of this seemingly unending wave of (these types of) bands. And by, “least annoying,” I mean that I didn’t find it unlistenable but, bottom line (and I think I’ve used half of this slight before when referencing Elephant 6 derivatives but it still applies), this stuff sounds like the soundtrack to a corny adventure to Middle Earth with the singer from Interpol wailing like a stoned bard as its narrator. And that ain’t good.

G’HITS – BIG STAR
Jay put together a great song selection from one of the greatest ‘band’s band’ of all time, also one of the best Power Pop bands of all time.

TOPIC
“Lists five favorite songs by bands that you generally think suck.”

“Song Against Sex” by Neutral Milk Hotel (Speaking of “Elephant 6”)
“Padraic My Prince” by Bright Eyes
“Voices Carry” by ‘Til Tuesday
“Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand
“West End Girls” by Pet Shop Boys

This was a hard list to compile.

July's self-indulgent, irresponsible musings

Robert Palmer – An overlooked artist, regrettably remembered for his cheesy videos. However, this is not his best work (see “Riptide”). First 3 numbers hit like the proverbial ton of bricks, but it’s a pretty precipitous drop from there. Closing track is about 8 minutes too long. Even the best tracks sound a little dated. Highlight for me is the title song. 3 stars

Love and Rockets – The first 6 minutes sound like the kids who ride the short bus took a field trip to the studio. It gets better, but not much. Some of the songs, like “Kundalini Express” have a really nice groove, but just drag on too damn long. Disc suffers from an incredibly tinny, big-drum 80’s mix that really dates it and gives it a cold, mechanical sound that left me with a headache each time I listened. “Ball of Confusion” is the keeper, despite being 4 minutes too long. 2 stars

Plant/Krauss – In the year-end rush, I think I short-changed this one. After spending more time with it, I really like what’s going on here. Both artists are forced out of their comfort zone in that Plant never has to sing harmony on his own stuff, and Krauss’ other efforts never really get out of the bluegrass mode. This paring in combination with T-Bone Burnett’s flawless production makes for really good listening. Not a bad number on here, but “Please Read the Letter” is the highlight. Upping my Y-Keep review slightly. 4 stars.

Wolf Parade – I just didn’t get it. There’s nothing here that grabbed me in any way. The songs just seem to meander somewhat endlessly and didn’t have any kind of a hook that drew me in. There was nothing patently wrong with it that I could identify, but in the end I just wasn’t moved in any way. 2 stars

Big Star – We need to come up with a polar opposite for “guilty pleasure”. I know I’m supposed to like these guys and that they’ve influenced a multitude of bands I love from REM to Wilco to Drive By Truckers. However, I just can’t get excited listening to them. I’ve tried and tried, but with the exception of “September Gurls”, nothing knocks me out. All the pieces are there: clever lyrics, nice poppy tunes, good vocals, but I find the majority of their songs rather interchangeable. Not bad mind you, just not great. I’ll chalk it up to a personal defect, as I’m sure Jay will.

Discussion Question

“Wish You Were Here” – Pink Floyd – God do I hate Pink Floyd. However, this straightforward, no BS tale of a relationship gone sour has realism musically and lyrically that is completely different from the rest of their crap.

“Desperado” – The Eagles – I’m convinced Warren Zevon wrote this one and gave it to Henley & Co to settle a drug debt. Beautifully written, sung and produced. This cannot be said about any other Eagles track.

“Go Your Own Way” – Fleetwood Mac – A band I don’t have much use for, but this song is great. Great harmonies, great lyrics and one of my favorite guitar solos ever as the song fades out.

“Crazy Train” – Ozzy Osbourne – I despise everything about Ozzy. His “work” both solo and with Sabbath is ridiculously overrated. However, there is no denying the incredible riffing on this one, and his normally shite vocals don’t miss the mark this time.

“Epic” – Faith No More – I shan’t delve into Mike Patton’s lengthy litany of lameness, but this song kicks ass.

To da homies in da house.

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1822929