Sloppy Seconds

Band of Horses – When they get in the groove, they’re hypnotic and I’m swept away, ala Crazy Horse or My Morning Jacket. “Laredo” is a perfect example. But Infinite Arms favors the airy vocals over the guitar bombast of their prior efforts. This is a double whammy, first because the band is best when they’re rocking out, and second because the acoustic tracks draw attention to the inane lyrics. “NW Apt” begs for a 5-6 minute jam but fades at the 2:20 mark. The highs are very high, but there are just too many faux Blitzen Trapper/ Iron & Wine cuts. 3.5 stars

Dirty Projectors – A lot about this disc bugged me. There are the non-stop time signature changes (seems to be a theme with our group this year). There are the Ono-like female vocals. Most frustrating is that a pretty damn good guitarist is buried in the mix and wasted on these mostly lame Vampire Weekend / David Byrne wannabe songs. 2 stars

Jesse Malin – There is nothing remarkable about this (or any) Jesse Malin disc. However, he writes nice, high-energy pop songs that are easily digestible and he occasionally comes up with a great one. This cd lacks the killer track (“Broken Radio”) and curveball (solo piano version of “Bastards of Young”) he delivered on his last release. That said, it’s a good enough listen. 3 stars

Cheap Trick – No surprises here, they do what they do. Couple of killer cuts, some good ones and a couple of duds. Sounds a little dated, but that won’t stop me from cranking the title track every time it comes on the radio. 3.5 stars

Dire Straits – “Making Movies” is an appropriate title, as these songs are cinematic in scope. With one notable exception, the tracks tie together beautifully in theme and sound. While Knopfler’s guitar work is both gorgeous and understated, E-Streeter Roy Bittan ‘s operatic piano work is just as vital in giving these songs their warm richness. File “Les Boys” under “what the hell were they thinking?” It’s all that keeps this one from perfection. 4.5 stars

Frank Zappa – A well-constructed greatest hits, everything I expected to be here was. That stated, while I respect the talent and acknowledge the influence, I don’t really enjoy the music. The scatological humor that seemed so cutting edge when I was 16 seems goofy and antiquated now. Standout was “Joe’s Garage”, one of my favorite songs ever.

Discussion Question


Last CD(s) Purchased: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers “Mojo” and Gaslight Anthem “American Slang” from Amazon last week.

Last vinyl purchased: Two Cow Garage’s “Speaking in Cursive” from the record company’s website (2008).

Last record store visited: Fantasyland Records in Atlanta last week. Did not buy anything.

Best hometown record store is Vintage Vinyl in St Louis. Best record store I’ve ever been in is Amoeba Records in Hollywood.

For the time being, maybe. Over the long haul, I can’t see it. We vinyl/cd buying folks are going to die eventually, and the crazy kids of today don’t buy physical product anymore.