RiffDraft

I moved back to my hometown a few years ago and teach at the local university. Right down the road from my house is the university pool, where I used to swim as a kid. Back then, U2’s Joshua Tree was really big. So, I remember trying flips off the diving board while hearing “With or Without You.” I’d also hear other songs by Prince, Duran Duran, etc. Somehow they all sounded great coming out of a small boom box next to the lifeguard stand.

Nowadays, I occasionally go down to the pool for a swim. The music is not the same, so I bring my iPod and listen to it before I jump in. This year’s go-to pool jam? Rilo Kiley’s Under the Blacklight. It’s the perfect summer companion.

Unlike some of their other releases, this one is really upbeat. It’s a party-in-a-box. Each song is a completely different exploration. It’s truly remarkable what they’ve managed to do in 12 songs. One minute you’re hearing Euro-dance music, the next you’re hearing California-tinged Tom Petty, and then it’s on to Al Green and Mavis Staples. They switch gears flawlessly and have the confidence in their range and ability to have fun with it–which makes it light and lively.

Unlike a lot of the other music I consume, I have a feeling that I’ll be coming back to this album 5 years from now (perhaps on my way to the pool).

A few years ago, I bought a 4 disc Byrds boxed set.  Being a mild fan, I figured that the boxed set would suffice.  But a few of their early singles, like She Has A Way, I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better, and She Don’t Care About Time, caught my attention.  They all had one thing in common: they were written by one of the early-Byrds, Gene Clark. Wanting to explore some of his other songs, I recently purchased The Byrds’ second album, Mr. Tamborine Man.   I initially wanted to comment on the overabundance of stickers on the cover:

but, after listening to it over and over again, I realized that this is one of the greatest rock’n'roll albums of all time.  I put it in my top 30.  You hear the beginnings of the California sound so often emulated by other artists.  The hypnotic drone of the Rickenbacker 12 string over tamborines and 3 part harmonies, crystallized into something completely new for 1965.  The Beatles, Stones, a young Tom Petty, and eventually, bands like Big Star and REM all took notice. It is no secret that The Byrds most famous songs were written by Bob Dylan.  4 out of the 12 songs on this album were Dylan’s.   However, a closer listen to The Byrds yields a recognition of the magnificent 2 1/2 minute pop song sensibilities of Gene Clark.  Clark’s choruses always pack a powerful and concise punch–all the emotion of the song being summed up in that one line.  In the song below, You Won’t Have To Cry, notice how the whole song builds up gradually, ending with an Orbison-like crescendo.   There is a beauty in the economy of words used in this song.   Listen for the harmonies (I think that’s David Crosby adding the high harmonies in the second verse “there’s no reason to feel blue, because of what he says to you”), the tamborine, and, if you’re listening for the Rickenbacker, it’s in the left speaker. You Won’t Have to Cry - The Byrds 

This weekend, I picked up a copy of the Flight of the Conchords brand new CD.  It’s basically music from their HBO show.   It’s been a long time since I’ve bought a novelty CD like this and I highly recommend it.  As usual, I’ve tried to intellectually dissect what makes it all work so well.  These guys unflinchingly cover a broad range of musical styles: Prince, “Bowie”, Pet Shop Boys, turn-the-lights-down-low soul, hip-hop, etc.One thing I think is unique about what Bret (pronounced, as far as I can tell, “Brit”) and Germaine, is that they are genuine fans of each of these styles and use it as a vehicle for their comedy.  When they tackle a soulful “Ladies of the World” the joke is not on modern soul music, the joke is on them.  It wasn’t always like this.  Comics have been mocking modern music for years.  Think about Spinal Tap.  The joke is on all the hard rock bands of the late 70’s–their empty-headed shallowness.  Remember Dana Carvey’s “Choppin’ broccoli” song?  The joke uncovers the meaninglessness of words in pop songs.  You get the feeling, listening to Flight of the Conchords, that they sincerely admire all of the styles they cover.  In doing so, they have chosen to imitate, instead of mock.  That, as they say, is the “sincerest form of flattery.” 

Paul Ford at the Morning News blog has way too much time on his hands. The folks at SXSW have made a torrent file available containing nearly 48 hours of continuous music. Mr. Ford listened to all 763 songs in the torrent, rated them, and provided a six word review of each song. Most notable is his review of Abra Moore - ” Soft pink vagina frosted jazz cupcakes.” Mmmmm, cupcakes.

http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/reviews/sixword_reviews_of_763_sxsw_mp3s.php

That’s the actual title of The Clientele’s 2007 album. I agree with the sentiment. This album pretty much took over my internal soundtrack last week. When I listen to it, I hear certain overused adjectives like “exquisite” and “achingly beautiful.” Some of the songs make use of a harp-like guitar, while others add well-placed orchestral strings. Over the top of each delicate song are the hushed vocals of Alasdair MacLain. He sings it like he means it. Lovely imagery throughout.
Check their World Cafe interview here.

In 2006 I had the privilege of spending 6 months working in Minneapolis and discovered that their public radio station is one of the best ones out there. I stumbled upon MPR’s The Current while adjusting the radio in my rental car and was surprised to hear Son Volt’s “Drown” being played. Muddy Waters then the Thievery Corporation were next and I was hooked. Checkout the following playlist from the 3 to 4 am hour this morning:

Roxy Music - Love Is The Drug

She & Him - Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?

Depeche Mode - Stripped

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Snow (Hey Oh)

Diamond Nights - The Girl’s Attractive

Prince - Chelsea Rodgers

The Apples in Stereo - Energy

The Streets - Could Well Be In

Jack Penate - Spit At The Stars

Tori Amos - Body and Soul

Morphine - Honey White

Kanye West - Flashing Lights (feat. Dwele)

Yo La Tengo - Mr. Tough

Uncle Tupelo - No Depression (1988 Demo)

The Black Keys - Strange Times

I’m not sure about the radio stations in your town but I believe it is illegal to play Prince, Kayne West, and Uncle Tupleo on the same station in Georgia.

I’m no big fan of the blues. The early stuff is really raw and often repetitive and I can’t relate to it. The one exception for me is Mississippi John Hurt. His music seems to come from some other place: somewhere profoundly simple and sweet. He’s no snake-charmer, he doesn’t pack a pistol in his boots, and he’s not running around with your woman. And I like that.

Listen to the song below. Everything about it is simple. It’s no more than a verse and a chorus (or is the verse and chorus the same?). The guitar is sparse, jumpy and driving, and the voice, soft and creaky. But something about it transcends it’s humble ingredients and, if you’re me, you listen to it again and again. There’s just something there…

My Creole Belle

 A quick look at where my listening priorities are… (Click to see a larger view)

I’ve always thought that if an alien came down to earth and asked about me about what American music was, I would have them watch the Martin Scorsese directed movie, The Last Waltz, covering The Band’s last concert ever, on Thanksgiving Day 1976.

The Band’s drummer/singer, Levon Helm (think “The Night They Drove Ole’ Dixie Down”), has a new solo album out. After hearing a few cuts off it on my local public radio station, I decided I needed a copy and bought it.

How I bought the album is illustrative of how the practice of buying music is changing. My first stop was eMusic. I’ve been a member for 2 years now, and I really like it. Buying from eMusic ($10/mo. for 40 downloads/mo.) would make the price of the 13-song album $3.25. But the album wasn’t available on eMusic.

I took a look at amazon.com and saw it listed for $13.99. I really prefer having the actual CD, with liner notes and artwork, but I couldn’t justify that price. I thought of going to one of the record stores in town or Wal-mart or K-mart. Too much trouble.

I checked iTunes Music store. $9.99, of course. I had my finger on the “buy album” button, but I hesitated. I don’t like how iTunes-bought music is copy-protected in such a way that it limits how you share it with friends. I never feel like I fully “own” the music.

I went back to amazon.com and found that they have an mp3 download service. The price? $8.99 and DRM-free. Bought it.

As much of an Apple fan as I am, I am pretty impressed with what amazon.com is offering and wonder what this will mean for the iTunes music store and digital media downloading. There seems to be more quality competition now and that’s a good thing.

Rock’n'roll has always been about blurring gender lines: guys with long hair, dancing, and often singing in high pitches. That’s part of it’s weird attraction. As a kid, I spent a lot of time listening to my “big three”: Led Zeppelin, Rush, and The Police. The singers in each band sang in impossibly high registers. In fact, most popular male singers have high voices.

Because of this, I think music becomes more of a spectacle than something participatory. And that’s something rock’n'roll lost when it moved beyond folk, rockabilly, and the blues. Try singing “Roxanne” in your normal voice. The best you can do is what Eddie Murphy did in 48 Hours–a laughable falsetto.

Fortunately, there are some excellent singers out there with normally pitched (manly) voices. Over the past year, I’ve found a few that I really like, and they’re mostly British, for some reason:

1) Richard Hawley - This guy sings some pretty dreamy stuff. Ripply reverbed guitars on songs about long black trains. Hank Williams meets Brian Setzer.

2) Lloyd Cole - I love his album “Anti-Depressent”. Aptly titled, light and refreshing

3) Nick Lowe - see “Lee’s Best Album of 2007″ post below. This guys a crooner and you can sing along without turning red.

4) Billy Bragg - I’ve been a fan of his since the Mermaid Avenue collaboration with Wilco. He has quite a range, and can go high, but his voice always resonates at a low register, which is much appreciated.