4 Stars All Around!

The Mong
Music Group Commentary
June 2009

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – “So Divided” – 4 Stars
Any band that successfully covers a Guided By Voices song has a shot at ranking high in my book: shoot and score. The best part is, “Gold Heart Mountain Top Queen Directory” is one of the least enjoyable tracks on this consistently groovy CD. Would like to hear more from these lads.

Green Day – “21st Century Breakdown” – 4 Stars
Like the Thermals new one, Green Day’s seems to be an effort to please fans of their “masterpiece,” and thus must endure the comparisons they’re (probably) hoping to avoid. Although “21st Century Breakdown” is essentially the fulfillment of my previously written wish for a pure Rock album by Green Day, it’s hard to get past the underutilization of Butch Vig (who, I suspect, really could have brought that Rock-umph! home if left to his own devices). Still, my unabashed praise is that “21st Century Breakdown” is pretty much the Awesomeness of Awesometown. The songs and hooks grabbed me on first listen, unlike “American Idiot,” but the overall sound is indistinct from that smash hit; hence, the four stars.

The Thermals – “Now We Can See” – 4 Stars
An aggressive and fulfilling continuation of the amazing, “The Body, The Blood, The Machine.” Apparently the answer is de-evolution on this one, another great theme album with songs that stand alone outside of the context of the whole. Only falls short in comparison to its 5-star predecessor.

Van Halen – “Women and Children First” – 4 Stars
Who’d’a knew this would not only stand the test of time but that it would also be a release that could (arguably) be deemed “relevant.” Hey, for better or worse, the influence of the band’s original lineup is unquestionable. So if Guns and Roses were declared the “Saviors of Rock” back in the day, what’s that make Van Halen...the “Cocks of Rock”?

Genesis – [Non] G’Hits
Okay, it took me a few reminders to get that this was Greg’s “Best of Non-Hits” and that’s a cool concept for a hit-heavy band. But Greg’s true genius is revealed in the metaphysical exploration required of ‘The Riddle of the Original Multiple-Choice Song List Followed by the Completely Inaccurate Song List.’ I think I’ve got the answer to this one: See, what Greg’s saying is that the details are unimportant, name designations irrelevant; yet, we perpetually grasp for connections that make sense. This is a clear parallel for humankind’s quest for meaning that further extends to the ultimate question of God’s existence and our place in the universe. Indeed, with the contradictory correlations between the lists and the CD (which is symbolic of entropy) as provided by the CD’s creator (Greg brilliantly using himself as a metaphor for God here), what Greg is asking us to consider is the possibility that faith will not be rewarded, that right thinking and action will not lead to everlasting glory in an afterlife paradise, but that the “Genesis” of our own self-actualizing is at hand. Bravo, Greg! Or maybe what Greg wants me to take away from all this is just that Progressive Rock generally sucks so it doesn’t matter what the tracks are titled. Could be either one. Maybe both?

Prophet Greg’s Topic

Q 1. What are you choice for the five greatest songs that didn’t get airplay (that you know of)?

A 1. Disclaimer: I can’t really commit to any “five greatest songs that didn’t get airplay” … way too many to choose from. I’d have an easier time committing to five songs that did get airplay. With the assumption that the implication is songs that legitimately SHOULD HAVE received commercial radio airplay, here are the first five (in no particular order) from the last ten/fifteen years or so that come to mind with my usual qualifier that I reserve the right to change my mind at any given moment:

1) “Pop Song” by Sleeping In The Aviary
2) “The Brides Have Hit the Glass” by Guided by Voices
3) “Baby Gap” by the Gravel Pit
4) “The Fitted Shirt” by Spoon
5) “For Lenny's Own Pleasure” by Joy Zipper

Q 2. Name three one line lyrics that you think are brilliant (or at least ones that just say it all for you). ex. "Everybody wants some, I want some too" to quote from Mike's selection this month.

A 2.
1)
“We shall survive, let us take ourselves along, where we fight our parents out in the streets to find who’s right and who’s wrong.” – Bernie Taupin (“Bennie and the Jets” by Elton John)
2)
“I shouted out, “Who killed the Kennedys?” when, after all, it was you and me.” – Mick Jaggar (“Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones)
3)
“And if the whole world’s singing your songs, and all of your paintings have been hung, just remember, what was yours is everyone’s from now on.” – Jeff Tweedy (“What Light” by Wilco)