Roger Roger Roger

Dave Alvin- 4.0
Dave Alvin loves to tell stories thru his music and has been putting out good stuff since the early 80’s. This latest release is no exception.. A lot of the “characters” in his songs have to deal with a lot of shit- including how we handle the losses of life. A subject that hit close to home as I lost my buddy John Mobley to colon cancer a month ago. I think Alvin is a great wordsmith and a great songwriter. So much of this record deals with how we handle what life dishes out. We either let it get to us or we embrace the experiences and let them enrich us.

Presto Ballet- 3.5
Never heard of Kurdt Vander hoof before listening to this cd. And since I’m a fan of 70’s prog rock- I’m a fan of Presto Ballet. Although I’m not sure any song needs to be 12 min long-- my only criticism of the record. Lots of melodic hooks coupled with some fine musicianship make me think of Kansas, Styx, and Rush. All good things to sound like.

The Kills- 3.0
Not a huge fan of moody garage rock but I like Allison Mosshart’s vocals. She can be romantic and silky and she can be gritty and raw. The record is actually pretty melodic and I do like that fuzzy, guttural guitar. Although on Baby Says it sounds like the guitar part was recorded on a defective tape machine. It was actually kind of annoying.

Roger Waters 4.0 each
The king of the concept album for sure. And when you get guitarists like Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton to play on your records – well that’s pretty cool too. These are not necessarily cd’s you would reach for if want casual background music. These are cd’s you really have to listen to if you want to discern what they’re all about. In Amused to Death the cynical Waters tells us a story about the demise of the human race. A human race that has replaced decency and humanity with a destructive culture of greed and consumption. And it is the utter disregard for the consequences of our actions on other human beings as well as our planet that will lead to our demise. Yet here we all are- laughing as we plummet towards total environmental and economic collapse. Chilling. I feel it’s even more relevant today than it was in 1992. Oh yeah- the music? Very Pink Floyd-ish.

In Pro’s and Con’s Waters weaves his tale through a series of dreams –or is it a nightmare- that take place from 4:30 AM to 5:11 AM. What a concept! The dreams have to do with life. Marriage; kids; the other woman; making enemies; being successful; and just being a middle aged guy with doubts and fears and questions about all the choices you have made thus far in your life. Makes you think. Oh yeah- the music? With E.C. swinging the axe--brilliant stuff!

Topic
1. Ben Gibbard…… Lucky bastard- married to Zooey Deschanel
2. Wilco- nuf said