Another album that I’ve been checking out lately is the new, self-titled, release from Fleet Foxes.
I had though that I might regale you with a detailed review that referenced Jethro Tull, the 60s British folk revival and Brian Wilson but someone beat me to it.
The same friend who got me to listen to Beck again for the first time in ages not only suggested this but reviewed it on his company’s website. It’s a good read with great insight.
Read it here: The Sound Room
Okay. I was on vacation last week so, forgive me for not getting to this before now.
Actually, that’s not entirely honest. I was on vacation but, the truth is I’ve not seriously listened to a Beck release in years. I did check out The Information last year but it barely made my play list.
“What’s changed,” you ask?
I was hipped to this record by a friend who shared my disappointment in the new My Morning Jacket album, ‘Evil Urges’. Not as a consolation for that disappointment but, peripherally to the conversation, he noted that he was rocking this and that it was great, and yadda, yadda, yadda. All this I’ve heard before. However, feeling a little open minded and adventurous (I credit the time away from work for easing my cynicism,) I committed to checking out Modern Guilt.
It struck me as a little unfair to review this album without proper context. After all, Beck has been releasing albums for nearly 15 years and I have long maintained that my favorite is 1994’s One Foot In The Grave– a work that is not typical of his catalog. And then there’s the fact that I saw him in concert in 2005, knew very few of the songs performed and yet, I had a great time. So, over the past week, I have enveloped myself in the music of Mr. Beck Hansen.
I’ve found myself nostalgic for the psychedelic garage sounds of Mellow Gold and the harder, yet more accessible crunch of ‘Odelay’. I relished the avant-garde muscle of ‘Stereopathetic Soulmanure’ (which has been possibly the most frequently played of Beck’s albums in my life because it’s the only one that I own on vinyl!) I discovered beautiful songs on Mutations and Sea Change (which quickly became my favorite album of the marathon.) And found myself staring at the new album, Modern Guilt, with feelings of inevitability and curiosity propelling me to listen.
I put it on last night as I rode the train and found myself sucked in to the drum beats and the lyrics. Here is a songwriter who once mixed the lines, “You can’t write if you can’t relate,” and, “drive-by body pierce” into the same song with no apology. He has turned in an album the compels me to listen to his lyrics- to hang on them even- and allow myself to be blown away by the sincere questioning of the world around. War, environmental collapse, isolation, conspiracy; it’s all here. Continue reading
Listening to Levon Helm, this morning, I found myself slipping away from the words and melody (although they’re grand) and focusing on the sound of his snare drum. Levon has such a perfectly blended snare sound; a cross between splash and snap, coupled with an impeccable sense of swing. It got me thinking about my favorite rock drummers of all-time.
5. Alan Hertz – Garaj Mahal, KVHW
4. Jonathan Fishman – Phish
3. Billy Kreutzmann – The Grateful Dead
2. Levon Helm – The Band
1. Stephen Perkins – Banyan, Jane’s Addiction
Read on and I’ll try to explain myself.
In keeping with my long running tradition of getting into a band way after the initial wave has crashed, I’m totally digging on The Magic Numbers‘ 2007 release, Those The Brokes. The fluid dynamics of the album, with songs ranging from pulsing rockers to thoughtful meditations, captures my attentions and keeps me in place from beginning to end.
Checkout the first cut, This Is A Song:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5SgDyiFkoM[/youtube]
I love how the bass drives the track while the harmonies wash over the whole thing. Some have compared their vocals to The Beach Boys and they’ll admit to the influence. Me; I hear also Fleetwood Mac. In a good way. (I like Fleetwood Mac. Don’t front. You know you do too. Aside from Tusk. No one likes Tusk. Stupid song, that.)
So this record came out in the UK back in 2006 and then hit the US in 2007. I first heard them on (yet another) KEXP Live Performance Podcast last year and was way impressed. I immediately sought out the LP, listened to it, loved it, and misplaced it in the shuffle of my music-heavy lifestyle. Until this weekend. Listening to a track from this in the car yesterday drove me to re-download the podcast for this morning’s commute. After that re-awakening, I dialed up the album and have not let it rest…
Check it out.
It’s Monday morning; a time fueled by regrets, responsibility and coffee. Lots of coffee.
Let me tell you, friends, about my favorite cups of coffee. For years, I was a two-creams, two-sugars, coffee drinker until I realized that I had no desire for those extra calories and switched over to black. I love black coffee and I can now drink any coffee served anywhere (including that recycled motor-oil stuff they have sitting for days at a time in Jiffy-Lube waiting areas.) Of course, I prefer a good cup of coffee with a nice even flavor and smoothness rather than bitterness but there comes a time, say, Monday morning, when you have to shock the system. Readiness being essential, you can’t pussyfoot around the caffeine fix.
To that end, I have discovered and enjoyed the Red-Eye (drip coffee with a shot of espresso) and the Black-Eye (drip coffee with two shots of espresso.) Those potent cups are enough to make a strong man twitch but they’re too wild for an ordinary morning and, if the coffee or espresso isn’t perfect, they can be unpleasantly bitter. Not to mention the fact that paying someone five dollars to slap you in the face can really add up in these tight times. So, I’ve devised a new powerhouse. A cup of coffee with strength, a sharp but not-so-bitter bite and, best of all, a touch of spite:
The Spoiler
If, like myself, you work in an office with large 12+ cup coffee systems, you may be able to craft The Spoiler. All you have to do is make a pot of coffee and, immediately take the first cup as it brews. (seen below in a poor illustration.)
The name is derived from the fact that the remaining cups in the pot will be weaker than average; leaving your coworkers groggy and more ineffective than usual. Meanwhile, you and The Spoiler are bolder and prepared for the day. The hefty body of The Spoiler is also ideal for iced coffee on a hot morning as it is more tolerant of the inevitable ice-melt/water-down factor.
Today, with forecast highs reaching 100 fun-loving degrees, I’m starting my day with an iced, skim, spoiler.
Ahh… Exhilarating!