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.