RiffDraft

“Every club you go into, there’s always some old guy. He ain’t really old, just a little too old to be in the club.” – Chris Rock

Finalizing my Best of 2009 music mix and thinking back over the past year, I pondered, “What was the best show I went to in 2009?” I got a chill – did I go to any shows in 2009? Have I gotten that old and lame? Then I remembered…I did see a show…Herman’s Hermits. Wait – I have gotten that old and lame! The most memorable concert of the year was by a band whose heyday was in the ’60s playing a free show that we took the kids to see while sitting in camping chairs in a park in Hamden, CT? The funny thing is that, even after recalling that I had seen a couple of other shows, it was.

Peter Noone is a cheeky, winning performer. Judging by the countless YouTube clips I’ve watched with my daughter since the show, his stage banter is well rehearsed, but it’s fantastically self-deprecating. He customized his schtick for the venue, cracking sarcastically about what a rare thrill it was to play in Hamden and stay at the local Clarion Inn. He tossed out tons of free swag. You could tell that he genuinely appreciated still being in the business of entertaining people. And then there’s the songs.

I’m Into Something Good, Wonderful World, Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter, End of the World, Listen People (my personal favorite), Dandy (penned by The Kinks’ Ray Davies), the indomitable I’m Henry VIII, and the show stopper There’s a Kind of Hush.

While I was young by comparison at Herman’s Hermits, I was definitely the old guy in the club at the other notable show I went to in 2009, Yale’s Spring Fling. The Decemberists and N.E.R.D. headlined. I’m normally a fan of The Decemberists. They made things interesting by leading a Simon Says round of getting the crowd to lay down on the ground before wrapping up the show with a musical chairs jam session where the band switched instruments. But, I think they were annoyed about going on later than expected and Colin Meloy conducted the whole thing with an undercurrent of attitude.

When the sun went down, it turned out that N.E.R.D. didn’t play a show – they threw a party. Pharrell is a consummate showman, bouncing all over the stage, pulling the dweebiest kids in the crowd on stage to dance with him. At one point he said to the audience, “Yale! On a scale from 1-10, where do you think you are right now? Are you at 8? (crowd cheers) Or, are you at 10? (crowd roars) Well, I was just talking to Shay on the side of the stage and I told him, let’s show them what 20 looks like! (can’t hear the crowd because the two drum kits have already kicked in and the party’s back on).” It’s a testament to Pharrell’s magnitude of cool that he can pull that line off without tripping the cheese detector. Do you think Pharrell will still be charming the adoring throngs when he’s 61 the way Peter Noone still does for the Noonatics?

Nowadays it takes a lot for me to download an entire album. And once I do, I rarely ever listen to one all the way through. Here is my latest exception: Kathleen Edward’s Failer.

The album sounds just like the cover looks: stranded with a beaten-down truck in the middle of nowhere.  Sometimes you feel that way,  but hey, at least you’re going somewhere.  Kathleen takes you there and then away from it.

My clicker finger is anxious to download more of her albums, but I’m going to hold on this one for a while–get to know the characters, live in their worlds, and visit their haunts.  Unless somebody else comes along, I have a feeling I’m gonna be here for a while.

When I was a kid, I formed an instant connection and adoration for my favorite bands.  The first time I heard Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” I was like, “What’s that!”  I went out and bought their albums one by one and let few other bands in.  I was exclusive with my favorite bands for extended periods of time.    4th -7th was Van Halen, 8th-10th was Led Zeppelin, etc.

I find now that my favorite artists seem to sort of sneak up on me.   I wake up one day and realize, “hey, you really like Aimee Mann.” But, I don’t feel like an Aimee Mann fan.  I don’t own a t-shirt (solid proof of teenage fanhood).  But, if you look at my top 25 most-played songs in my iTunes, you see Aimee Mann all over that list.  If you look in my car, you’ll see her CDs on the first page of my CD wallet.

Honestly, I listen to her more than I realize.  She is great to put on anytime: while I’m driving, cooking, working, or working out.  She does two things, that few other artists do, which I think speaks to her amazing qualities as an artist: 1) she has created a sound that is all her own.  I can’t describe it, but I think it has something to do with the underlying melody of the bass guitar.  It’s always thick with a slow hint of swing, accented by spare, nimbly-played drums.  There’s actually a lot of California sunsets, freeways, breezes, etc. in the mix, as well.  2) she can write in waltz time (3/4).  That’s an old Beatles trick (think, “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away”) and she does it well.  It sounds so easy and effortless, but it’s hard to write a waltz time song without it sounding hokie and country.  Few other modern artists have been able to write effective waltz time songs (Elliott Smith could).

This year, Aimee Mann has a new album out called @#%&*! Smilers.  It’s typical Aimee Mann and comes in an interesting booklet package. I like it, but then again at this point, I like anything she does.

My friend, Jennifer, told me about this weekend’s episode of NPR’s “This American Life” and told me “you have to listen to it.”  She gave me the following details: the commentator is this artsy chick who just got dumped and is trying to deal with the break-up.  As most people do, she listens to all kinds of break-up songs (including Phil Collins) and decides to write her own break-up song.  She ends up getting love/break-up songwriting advise from Phil Collins, himself.  All of this in 20 minutes.  It is a great piece of radio journalism:

http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=339 

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.