Fuck Paste! Read Magnet!

The Mong
Music Group Commentary
April 2009

Blue October – “Approaching Normal” – 2 Stars
Faux Emo-Grunge with a dash of “Canadian New Wave.” With so much to dislike here (including shallow lyrics, over-emotive singing, ultra-lame violin, and fucking singing kids, no less) it’d be easy to miss the occasionally excellent melodies, complex song-structures, and first-rate production/engineering, all of which makes this twice as disappointing, really, since there seems to be some real talent here amidst all the suck.

The Boomtown Rats – “Tonic for the Troops” – 2.5 Stars
I guess I really never have heard this one before. Overall, it sounds dated and too much like too many other things, even in the context of when it was recorded. Not bad...not great.

Chris Isaak – “Mr. Lucky” = 3 Stars
Like Robbie Robertson remains forever rooted in the haze of post-high school, early college, for me Chris Isaak is tangled up in the early-90s slice of pop culture when we all thought David Lynch was a genius. And like then, Isaak’s channeling of Roy Orbinson is surprisingly appealing but the surprise now is there are moments in “Mr. Lucky” that are, if not inspired, then heartfelt. So, like Lynch, Isaak may be repeating himself over and over again but at least Isaak is sincere.

Robbie Roberson – “Robbie Robertson” = 2 Stars
Some things grow better with age; this is not one of them. One star for nostalgia and one for, “Somewhere Down the Crazy River,” that, as intentionally “weird” as it is, still really works somehow.

Little Feat – G’Hits
Southern fried funky awesome! I don’t have much Little Feat and, what I have, I have on vinyl, and so, after this, I need more. Especially great was hearing their version of “Sailin’ Shoes,” since their backing on Robert Palmer’s version is one of my all time favorites. All good. Jay, fire your CD burner up.

Jay’s Topic
One of the reasons I like rock and roll is because, in my formative years, I read interesting, exciting rock magazines with reviews written by interesting, knowledgeable and passionate rock fans/journalists. I imagine you did as well. What are your five favorite rock magazines of all time? Discuss briefly each one’s influence on you. Five Favorite rock writers/critics? Got it?

I can’t really participate here because the only music magazine I have ever read consistently is Magnet, from the (early-ish) '90s ’til now. I recently tried CMJ for a spell, which I enjoyed mostly because, unlike Magnet’s likable yet obstinate refusal to use a points or stars rating system for reviews, CMJ has a ratings system and even the handy “sounds like” subheading. But CMJ was way too expensive and I barely ever read it so I let that subscription lapse after only one year. I tried Paste at the recommendation of Monsta and also because I was able to chose my own price when I subscribed online so I figured, for a buck, what the hell. That was one of the most emotionally expensive dollars I’ve ever laid out. I soon grew to hate Paste for its middle-of-the-road, self-important pretentiousness. Yet, with every issue of Paste that arrived, I was compelled to read it because, apparently, I love to get my blood boiling on everything from narrow-minded, irrelevant essays on ‘violence in entertainment,’ to the absurdity of Zooey Deshanel being the best musical artist of the year. And I’m really not throwing down the gauntlet here, Monsta, because my feelings about Paste do not extend to you. I’m honestly shocked that you’re a fan of such a pedestrian publication ... and my shock is intended as a compliment. But I digress. Since I’ve only got one magazine to cite, that’s all I can comment on. So, I love Magnet because their many writers are consistently even-handed and knowledgeable, Phil Sheridan’s “Back Page” is almost always hilarious, their original photography is downright amazing, and because their main goal is to expose their readers to new music, not prove how fucking clever and trend-setting they are, or how much smarter they are than me. And I don’t really have a favorite rock critic or writer except, I guess, Phil Sheridan at Magnet. Does Hunter S. Thompson count? Look, I don’t even have a favorite film critic nor do I subscribe to any film magazines other than Fangoria. I guess you could sum it all up by “saying” that I don’t really like reading about music, art, movies, TV, books, etc. I prefer talking about that stuff...an exchange of ideas. That’s why I’m sincerely thankful I’ve got our spirited ‘music group.’ Peace!