Under The Wire

Eric Clapton- 4.0
At first listen I thought- kind of boring; kind of trying too many things- dixieland, gospel, and even (eeegads) standards. I hope he doesn’t turn into Rod Stewart for crying out loud- boring! But, you know, the more I listened to it the more I came to appreciate it.
This is a nice Sunday morning cd- have your coffee, and relax with a little EC on the turntable. He does all genres well, and even the standards get a little EC treatment. Yeah, maybe he’s getting old- but so am I. Looking out my window Sunday morning and listening to Rocking Chair and River Runs Deep and That’s No Way To Get Along. It’s still EC and he’s still god.

Brian Wilson- 2.0
Some people are going to absolutely hate this, but I’m a BW fan and think the guy is a brilliant composer. But here, he’s covering another composer’s work. I happen to love show tunes, but do we really need Brian Wilson’s take on these standards. Probably not.
It’s a good cd, but not one I’ll reaching for if I want to listen to Gershwin tunes.

Superchunk- 4.5
My favorite cd of the month. Indie darlings Superchunk have not skipped a beat in 10 years. They sound great- buzzsaw guitars ripping out power chords, McCaughan’s energenic vocals, cool lyrics, and that youthful intensity that belies their age. This is a fun listen- 42 minutes of punk-pop joy.

The Whigs- 4.0
The Whigs debut serves up a nice dish of indie/alternative rock with an Americana-ish feel to it. I’m thinking MMJ meets Sebadoh. Nothing is totally stellar or really stands out here but it’s also all good. I like Parker Gispert’s vocals and the production is just right. Don’t Talk Anymore and Half The World Away are the highlights for me and there really aren’t any lowlights. A solid cd.

Sea Level- 3.5
I know what the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Black Crowes, Allman Bros., Blues Traveler and long list of others know. Chuck Leavell is a brilliant keyboardist. One wouldn’t think that jazz and southern rock go together- but here’s Sea Level. This is their first release and sounds as good to me today as it did in 1977. A couple of misses here, but also lots of great, Allman-esque, guitar work and of course the virtuosity of Chuck Leavell.

Flashcubes
Who knew? Jay did. I’m a sap for obscure power pop groups, so thanks Jay. Most enjoyable stuff from a band I never even knew existed- and I grew up in Central NY. Go figure.

this month last mont revisited

Sea Level

So do you think that adding the occasional Allman Brothers riff or vocal you can hide the fact that this is a jazz fusion cd? However the compositions have no sense of structure or melody. They are just an excuse to get from one solo to another. And in doing so they use simple tricks as slowing the pace down or quieting the sound a bit. The solos are good but never truly great or memorable. Sea Level forgets what Jeff Beck, Jeff Lorber, Gary Moore’s Coliseum and/or G Force or Eric Johnson realize that melody is important but a great hook makes it memorable. 2.0

Superchunk
The grower of the month. A good pop band with good chops. The production could have been a bit cleaner allowing the guitar to shine through a little more because the riffs deserve it. Not a big fan of the voice but the lyrics are good and the songs rock so with each listening it bothered me less. 3.0

The Whigs
Did not know of this cd. Thought their second was the first. Still a good band. Like them raw and angry more so then mellow. 3.0

Brian Wilson
I understand that the Beach Boys are great American Band. And I do like some of their songs, but play more than three in a row and I got to get out of here. Gershwin…see my Beach Boys description. So imagine my surprise, no wait no surprise I hated this cd. Slow and painful, and could barely take more than 2 songs at a time. 1.5 but only for the production that is brilliant.

Eric Clapton
Where is the guitar? Can this be a little more sedate? Cool, lets mine the songbooks of others because as a writer I am not really that good. Surround myself with catchy names. What do I get, a slow quiet uneventful cd that would sound out of place in a small club where I guess it is meant to be played.

Flashcubes
I nice pop collection similar to Marshall Crenshaw. Better when their songs are quicker and more guitar, but a good listen.

Concerts

A good live band takes the audience away from the recorded versions of the songs and makes them better. They some how make the songs sound bigger and more alive no matter what the venue you are in. Also a cool cover never hurts either.
Let Down
Guns and Roses, Counting Crows, Black Crows, Sonic Youth

Brian Wilson and Pucifier TOGETHER!!

After the DYN back office updated its review information it was found that Brian Wilson and Pucifier were now tied for 2nd worst DYN rating ever. Mr. Wilson has reached out to Pucifier and they have decided to record a forthcoming CD titled "Brian Wilson Reimangines a Vagina". It will be something worth looking into.

OK..I Missed a Month...What does that do to my FICO score?

Superchunk – Majesty Shredding

Long time coming for a new CD from these guys…and wow, what great energy and hooks! Right out of the gate, “Digging for Something” really rocks and the lead guitar work at the end of it is very innovative and cool. The poppy side really comes out in songs like “Rosemarie”, and “Crossed Wires”…in fact, the whole CD has a very pop feel to it and they do a great job of execution…admittedly, this is a style of music that I enjoy greatly, so a 4 ½ from me shouldn’t be a surprise.



Clapton- Clapton

We sure have been listening to a lot of “grownup” music lately, and this CD is no exception. It certainly is sonically slick and Clapton proves that his vocals continually get better with age, but what I want from Eric Clapton is “Layla”-era pain and heartbreak with awesome lead guitar work, or at the very least, a heartfelt “Tears in Heaven” or a “From the Cradle” homage to his blues influences. This has very little of that anywhere, and worse, there’s not a “shred” (pun intended) of evidence here that he is one of the greatest rock and blues guitar players ever, so for me it was sterile and boring. 2 1/2 stars.



Brian Wilson- Reimagines Gershwin

OK…more “grownup” music, but at least this pushes some boundaries and tries to bring those ‘Great American Songbook’ songs to life outside the Sinatra/Bennett big band genre. Trouble is, it’s spotty, bordering on muzak in places – probably because I hate bossa nova – though there are other tracks like “I Loves you Porgy”, “They Can’t Take That Away from Me” and “Someone to Watch Over Me” where the re-interpretations really click with me. What really kept this from being better than a 3 for me though, was the fact that I remember The Happenings version of “I Got Rhythm” which bettered this effort when Brian was working on “Pet Sounds” and I think if this was fully fleshed out it may have gotten to that next level. 3 stars.



The Whigs – Give Em’ a Big Fat Lip
Along with Superchunk as a ‘new’, this was my favorite ‘old’ of the month…I really like their energy and their overall sound…the songs vary in style and texture nicely so I was never bored, and while this was a first listen to this CD for me, it had a nice, familiar feel to it…I could almost sing along with some songs that I was hearing for the first time – the sign of a great hook. The only negative I could find was that they fall prey to using the last track for an ‘experimental song’ and this one, “All My Banks” was about 2 minutes too long, but all in all it was a really good listen, so I’ll give it a big fat 4.



Sea Level – Sea Level

Ah, yes…Chuck Leavall…an awesome keyboard player with the Allman’s and an unmistakable force behind this band. It’s funny, at the time; I was less enthralled by this than I should have been. It has a lot of jazz/fusion to it that I wasn’t into much then, but now that I listen with more mature ears, it’s a very good CD. The musicianship is top notch and while the lyrics are just an excuse for vocal melody, the guitar work from Jimmy Nalls is a lot better than I remember. 3 ½


GHITS – Flashcubes

I’m a powerpop guy, so I enjoyed listening to this hour of the Flashcubes…they’re probably the best band from Syracuse, NY that you’ve never heard of. What was interesting about this mix is that it points out how great the songs from “Brilliant” are. Natalie is a just about a perfect power pop song, and “Do Anything You Wanna Do” and “Catherine” are pretty close to that level and any of them could have easily been one of the biggest charting songs between 1977-1980. I’m a little surprised that there are no newer songs, like the new Roy Wood cover, “Green Glass Windows” or tracks from “A Cellar Full of Boys” like “Student Rape” and Boy Scout Pinup” but thanks, Jay for a fun hour on my drive into Hartford today.


Topic: What makes a good live band a good live band?

Any “good” live band has to be able to play and sing at the same level of talent as their recordings, but it’s a band’s ability to be energetic and entertain and make you care about what they’re doing regardless of the size of the venue, the crowd, the extraneous circumstances like dopey people singing off key around you, etc…that make a “great” live band. I’ve seen small bands and solo artists be very compelling and entertaining beyond just faithfully reproducing their studio versions of songs (like OK Go) and I’ve seen small bands (like the Arctic Monkeys) just phone it in. These days, it’s a multi-media live show vs. just standing up there and playing, so big-time creativity in lighting and video make a difference. Hearing Roger Waters perform “The Wall” was good…seeing the entire show unfold was the most spectacular ‘rock concert’ I’ve ever witnessed. A good live band will also “play the hits” regardless of what they’re trying to sell on that particular tour, but a great live band will find a way to weave their set together to please as many concertgoers as possible and interact with the audience, usually through storytelling, like Springsteen and J. Geils back in the day.

Eric Clapton- It’s a shame that Eric Clapton lost both of his arms in a bizarre farm accident. You know, I remember when he was known primarily as a guitarist and while this CD obviously points out that he probably doesn’t even own a guitar anymore, I can’t help but think back to his past albums. He was a pretty good player in the day, you know, before he lost both arms. I even remember a fairly famous double album he released where his playing was almost as good as Duane Allman’s. Anyway a Clapton album with no guitar playing just seems so unfair to poor old Eric that you wonder why he even bothered to release this utterly useless piece of boring shit in the first place. 1


Sea Level - There was a time that I bought anything and everything even remotely connected with the Allman Brothers. Charlie Daniels mentions Wet Willie in the same song that he mentions Dicky Betts in, I buy not one, but two, Wet Willie records. Dicky Betts plays on an Elvin Bishop song (the excellent Travelin’ Shoes) and I buy Elvin’s entire catalog. Allman Roadie Joe Dan Petty forms a band called Grinderswitch, I buy every record they put out and drive three hours to see them live. So when Chuck Leavel released this first record with Sea Level, I bought it even though the Allmans had already proved they were dead with the release of Win, Lose or Draw two years earlier. So this is my first listen in probably 30 years and while it was interesting to hear this again, it was not nearly as interesting as I thought it was in 1977. Pretty lightweight – kind of like a George Benson record or something - but some nice playing and decent melodies. Gotta say, though, beyond it’s sentimental value, this is actually the sort of lightweight shit that I’m prone to mock as the musical province of a hopelessly yuppified America. 2


Whigs – Ken gave me their latest and I was under-whelmed, but this one is great. Any thing that sounds this much like Sebadoh – with the great writing and songs to match them note for note - is a winner with me. A solid 4 that is as close to a 4.5 as you can get..

Superchunk - They near the top of the class for this kind of music. Powerful hard edged power chording and good hooks. A I’ve said in the past, loud guitars and hooks….what’s not to like. And they don’t seem to have lost their edge over the years. This is as good as anything they’ve ever done. 4

Brian Wilson - Unless you’re a Beach Boys/Brian Wilson completist, then this rehashing of these famous and admittedly good songs is utterly without value. It didn’t need to be done, shouldn’t have been done, but If you’re going to do it, at least make it interesting. I’ve never bought into the Brian Wilson mythology. I know I’m supposed to wax eloquent about Pet Sounds, et al, but I’m sorry, I think they stopped being interesting after Fun, Fun, Fun. 1

Flashcubes - The Flashcubes are from Syracuse NY and really never emerged beyond the local scene that they dominated beginning in the late ‘70’s Christi Girl was their first single and that was followed by Wait Till Next Week. Various live tapes existed, but no official recorded output. Ten of the first 11 songs were written in the late 70’s when they were consistently playing around Syracuse, but none were ever released until 1997 when they released Bright Lights a greatest hits record from a band that had never released an album. Their cross-breeding of the Rasberries and the British invasion is what brings life to these great pop songs. The last 9 songs are by their “comeback” record Brilliant. And it lives up to its name. I am a big fan of this type of music and I’m hard-pressed to think of another band even loosely associated with this genre that could put together 20 songs as consistently great as the 20 here. If you didn’t like this collection you either don’t like power pop or you simply did not listen enough.

What makes a good concert – volume, a small hall where you can get close, at least one surprise cover song and good true sound. And a show if necessary

"Wesley Willis SIngs Gershwin" would have been a classic....

Eric Clapton – Depressing that my favorite guitarist keeps churning out this crap. “Clapton” is his “laid-back” persona, full of generic 2/4 toe-tappers defunct of anything remotely interesting. What’s maddening is that strictly as a guitar player, the sum-bitch still has it. A lazy, half-assed effort that screams “contractual obligation.”  Never thought I’d look back wistfully at his Phil Collins produced albums.  2 stars

Superchunk – Heard a lot about them, and this was $5 @ Amazon, so I gave it a shot.  Liked the vocals, good guitar work.  The sound is gloriously clean and impeccably mixed.    Not much more to say; this is just a very solid indie rock disc from start to finish. 3.5 stars

Brian Wilson – The concept was a brilliant one.  Take tired old songs and let a deranged retard with no voice sing and rearrange them in his signature style.  Unfortunately, Wesley Willis is dead, so Brian Wilson got the call.  Enough already with the reverence for this acid casualty.  Yes, Wilson created some great singles and a couple of solid albums in the 60’s.  That basically equates him to a screwed-up version of John Fogerty.  Every new Fogerty album isn’t treated as if Moses was carrying it down from Mount Sinai. Yet when Wilson releases anything, the critics bow down at Buddha’s feet.  Not me, buckos. The emperor has no clothes. ½ star    

Sea Level – Sea Level reminds me of the Yellow Jackets & Weather Report, two bands I loved trying to sneak into my college afternoon jazz show (and inevitably got busted for).  I liked the instrumentals, very mellow fusion that I will put on once in a while.  The tracks with vocals are a disaster, both lyrically and execution wise.  3 stars

Whigs – My copy was fubar.

Flashcubes – Was relieved to find out this wasn’t the band with Bjork; apparently I had my Cubes confused.  Was ready to dismiss it after the first two tracks, but it kept getting better.  Really good power-pop band that careens from the Marshall Crenshaw sound to the NY Dolls.  It’s a keeper.

Discussion Question



What makes a good live band to me is a band that is spontaneous, daring and plays a couple of unexpected songs. Bands that have disappointed me are usually ones I’ve seen numerous times. The recent DBT show was a disappointment, seemed like they were going through the motions, and the song selection was predictable. Whether they had a bad night or whether I’ve just seen them too often is open to debate. They got their asses whipped by the opening act (Henry Clay People) who were fun, spontaneous and clearly having a great time

Shma

The Mong
Music Group Commentary
September/November 2010

Eric Clapton – “Clapton” = 0 Stars
“When Somebody Thinks You’re Wonderful”!!! Are you friggin’ kidding me? So, very, very tired. This album of by-the-numbers yawners is about as exciting and appealing as the picture of Clapton on the cover.

Sea Level – (self-titled) = 2 Stars
Chicago meets Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood meets the Grateful Dead meets Elevator Music. Impressive musicianship with interesting arrangements but then there’s the whole Chicago meets Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood meets the Grateful Dead meets Elevator Music thing.

Superchunk – “Majesty Shredding” = 4 Stars
A classic Superchunk album. Sure, there’s nothing new here but it delivers the goods, damn good.

The Whigs – “Give 'Em All A Big Fat Lip” = 5 Stars
My enthrallment with this album, hearing it five years after its release, can definitely be chalked-up to it being one-hundred-percent my taste: monster hooks and absorbing lyrics driven by tube-amplified guitars with just the right amount of sloppy soul; yup, it’s the kind I like. With each track better than the last, this will likely bump one of my (soon to be previous) top ten albums of the aughts.

Brian Wilson – “Reimagines Gershwin” = 0 Star
In the mythic land known as Hasbeenville, populated by those who know not when to stop flooding the marketplace with their wretched wares, a once-great singer/songwriter named Brian Wilson faced-off with one of the most overrated guitarists of all time, Eric Clapton. Swords clanged and it was Wilson who drew first blood. But Clapton retaliated with a flying dagger that pierced Wilson’s tarnished armor. They circled one another, shouting curse words in an obscure tongue known as Aging Hippie, but when they lunged towards each other, quite suddenly and for no apparent reason, they both died. Nobody cared.

G’Hits – Flashcubes
Shma.

this month last month

Against Me!

Is bigger better? Against Me!’s last cd New Wave was excellent. But with success comes money, stature and expectations. While with New Wave their out look on life was supported through well-crafted songs, with White Crosses that doesn’t always happen. While the first single teenage anarchist is perfect example at them hitting their stride, unfortunately there are near misses along the way. Sometimes too much hard rock, sometimes to much heart felt earnestness sometimes too acoustic. Never truly awful, but more of a distraction to the cd than a driving force. Still with all these faults White Crosses is a decent cd, you just wish it was more consistent and had better anthems. Because Against Me! can write them. So bigger is not necessarily better here. 2.5

Joe Jackson

When handed this cd last month all I could do is groan. Haven’t ever been too big of a fan and did not really want to listen. Well I was wrong. What sets this apart from the Joe Jackson that I remember is guitars. Not overwhelmed with drippy emotional keyboards but straight up rock songs based around a guitar riff. Go figure. Yes most of his biggest are here, but the not so famous are pretty good too. There are a couple songs where the dreary keyboard starts to creep in but not enough to change the mood of the cd. And yes Anthrax’s version of Got the Time is one of the rare times where the cover outshines the original. 3.0

Concrete Blonde

This was the cd that marked the beginning of the end for Concrete Blonde. The LA punk over tones that marked their first two cd’s, were replaced with more production and expanded songs. Gone are the Thin Lizzy covers replaced with Andy Prieboy (although it is probably the best song on the cd). . Bloodletting is a good cd, but it misses some of the rawness that previous cd’s had. Heavy production led to the Heart like Joey and a mid tempo malaise that seems to stall the cd at times. While James Mankey is one of those few guitarists that has a sound that is his own the true star is Johnette Napolitano’s voice. It might be one of the greatest female voices in rock history. Unfortunately with the exception of Tomorrow Wendy this cd has not aged as I thought it would. 2.5

Peter Wolfe

So Peter Wolfe has discovered his inner Karl Wallinger. While not directly in his vocal sound, although he does come close at times, the songs here definitely are structured in style as a World Party cd. The catchy pop tunes, the dabbling in a soul/funk groove, the somewhat famous female back up singer, they are all here. Unfortunately we get bang rather than goodbye jumbo. Still bang was a good cd and like it this fades towards the end being possibly two or three songs too long. 2.0

Paul Weller

Paul Weller reminds me of another leader of a three piece that came out in the late 70’s. First few cds were raw and full of life. Fire the band and surround himself with jazz type musicians, then realize that hey I am a pop star but wait to late I’ve gotten boring. Like Sting’s police Weller’s pinnacle was with the Jam. And the Jam were a far better band. But man style council was okay but his solo stuff is pretty boring. I don’t know if it’s his yearning to be Clapton or what but wild wood and others were awful. Luckily Sandor gave me the Jam songs I wanted most on here. The rest won’t survive because between Snap and Jam cd’s I have what I need.

Topic

Oh when I was a wee young un all I knew was AM radio. As I grew into my high school mullet I discovered what is now classic rock but my focus was on all things Metal and the new Queen cd’s. Once in college I discovered jangle pop. Now as me hair grays and disappears its an amalgamation of all this but it all boils down to if it has a decent guitar part I’ll probably like it.

My Dessert Island has been known to change throughout the years. What changes the most seems which cd by a band will I bring. Mainstays will always be: UFO Strangers In the Night, Dada Puzzle, Beatles Revolver, Kiss Destroyer, Dramarama Stuck In Wonderamaland. There will be a Manic Street Preacher, a Queen and a Thin Lizzy but which one changes. The last two varies but The Snake,The Crown The Cross seems to making its way to the island permanently.

Don't read this before 11-3 (Greg's early post, Nice!)

• Eric Clapton – Clapton - 4.5
Classic. I picked this off the shelf not knowing if it was a rock CD (one of my favorites is Behind the Sun), but was pleasantly surprised with what it actually is. I suppose that today it’s a lot like so many other cds that other “aging” artists are putting out, but it’s Clapton, come on.
• Sea Level – Sea Level - 2.5
Been done so many times by so many bands, I just couldn’t listen long enough to get into Sea Level. I’m sure that they have a huge cult following from the days at the Sting, but I can’t get into this style of music. Nothing ticks me off more than hearing an instrumental version of a classic song “Scarborough Affair”, I hate Kenny G, these guys aren’t Kenny G but, come on. Ultimately, just too 70’s jam band for my taste.
• Brian Wilson – Reimagining Gershwin - 4
Rhapsody in Blue is one of my favorite pieces so I was excited to hear about this. It’s perfect! Wilson is a classic, Gershwin is a classic, this cd isn’t a classic, but I loved it.
• Superchunk – Majesty Shedding - 2.5
I’m going to give the same advise to Superchunk that some record guy gave to the Stones, “lose the singer and you guys will go far”. Maybe that’s why I’m not a record producer. I seem to always like the bands that everyone else thinks suck. That in mind, these guys must be really great.
• The Whigs – Give em all al big fat lip - 3.5
Big surprise, but these guys were new to me. I’ve heard of them, but have never heard them. It’s funny, but they are so similar to so many other bands that I wouldn’t give two listens to, but these guys just appealed to me. Sometimes you can’t explain why you like one thing and not another. I love Jimi Hendrix’s songs, but pretty much only when they are done by other artists. The Whigs had a good feel and the vocalist had the right voice for the music. Funny how that works, but it works. Since it’s against the rules to vote on my own disk, the Greg’s coveted pick of the month this month goes to the Whigs, nice job fellas.
• The Flashcubes – GH
Got it late, but loved it. Catchy, fun and really easy to listen to. Love the song about the chick with five personalities. Happens to me all the time.
• What make a good live band a good live band? What bands that you like
have disappointed you when you've seen them live. Just general
discussion about what makes a good concert.
Bad
The Black Crows
The Cult (apparently any band that starts with “The”)
Good
Chicago
Tool
Moody Blues