SOUNDTRACK: RICHARD THOMPSON-Across a Crowded Room (1985), Daring Adventures (1986) & Rumor and Sigh (1988).
One thing I have really noticed in my crash course of RT CDs is how completely timeless his work sounds. Aside from a few production values issues, notable on Across a Crowded Room, it’s really hard to know when these songs were done. It’s quite remarkable. And, when you factor in just how solid a songwriter he is, it’s hard to find a bad album of the lot. I wish I had done this sooner, I’d be even more hardcore RT than I am now.
Across a Crowded Room. The only flaw I found with this one was that the backing singers and instrument choices really tend to date this record in the 80s. Some of the songs get a little bogged down, especially when compared to the raw live versions. That said, this disc has five songs that I think are amazing, and that’s just scanning the title list. “When the Spell is Broken” and “She Twists the Knife Again” just show the amazing range of styles that RT can pull off, from beautiful heartbreak to bitter rage. Stunning.
Daring Adventures. Allmusic.com doesn’t seem to like this record very much, and I guess that they have a point that the middle of the record isn’t too memorable. But any record that starts off with “Bone Through Her Nose” and “Valerie” is allowed to coast for a song or two. That said, overall the album is (here’s that word again) solid. And “Al Bowlly’s in Heaven” is simply a wonderfully moving song.
Rumor and Sigh. Wow. This is a high point. “Read About Love,” “I Feel So Good” (one of the greatest balls out rockers that no one knows about!), “I Misunderstood” (oh, emotional heart wringing right after the rocker!). And, here’s what I’m talking about regarding the timelessness of RT, “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” (such a great, tender song about thugs) came out in 1991!? at the same time as “I Feel So Good?” That song simply has classic written all over it, and here it is barely 15 years old (and hey if that’s a long time to you you must not be over 30 yet). And “God Loves a Drunk,” such a sad mournful song that I first heard in a great cover by Mary Coughlan. And this is an aspect not really talked about yet…the number of songs he’s written that others have covered and–proving how great a songwriter he is–how others can makes them sound equally good. Must…stop…gushing. Since you’re here, go check out Richard’s Song O Matic!
Incidentally, here is a great blog with lots of excellent RT info: Taking It Back to the Roots
[READ: June 25, 2007] McSweeney’s #19.
I just finished all of McSweeney’s #19 last night, and it is a real mixed bag. Let’s start with the packaging. A pretty nifty box! With cool pictures all around it. Inside the box is a fascinating array of materials. Primarily, they are war-related. And, assuming they are real, they include: a leaflet on War veterans’ pensions circa 1883; a typed correspondence from 1911; Two photos from the YIVA Jewish Research Institute 1920 and 1930; a pamphlet “The Stuff That Wins” from the YMCA to inspire boys in WWI from 1918; handwritten letter; a British pamphlet “Some Things You Should Know If War Should Come” from 1939; flier “Young Men of Seventeen! (Join the Marines Today)”; “The Big Plot (Proof of the Justice Department’s plan to jail 21,105 Americans” (anti McCarthy tract written by Paul Robeson); Air Raid Instructions pocket guide; “Fallout Protection: What to Know and Do About Nuclear Attack” 1961 (written by Robert McNamara…yes THAT one); “Your Horoscope Tells You How You Can Help the Republican Party WIN!” (by the Nixon people); Rainbow mission attack plan; letter from Donald Rumsfeld about leaking classified information (2002); George W. Bush dental records from 1973; “A Pocket Guide to the Middle East” from 1957. (more…)
SOUNDTRACK: RICHARD THOMPSON-Strict Tempo (1981), Amnesia (1988) & Hand of Kindness (1983).
SOUNDTRACK: ARCADE FIRE-Neon Bible (2007) [update].
I’ve decided my previous review was a little harsh. There are some tracks that do stand out. In fact, the first four tracks are really great. With “Intervention” being perhaps even better than “No Cars Go.” Then the ending is very solid. The middle tends to meander a bit, I’m afraid. And, I still stand by my comment that the highs and lows just aren’t here. The way to really notice this is to hear how great the highs and lows of “Intervention” and “No Cars Go” are. You really miss them on the rest of the album!
SOUNDTRACK: ARCADE FIRE-Neon Bible (2007).
I was pretty excited when this album came out. I really enjoyed the last Arcade Fire album, especially “No Cars Go.” And then I found out that “No Cars Go” is redone on this one. I have not had quite the visceral reaction to this one as the previous album. I fear that it may 
be a little too “polished,” that some of the highs and lows and harsher edges have been trimmed down. I guess it’s a bad sign when you listen to the whole album and it’s really only the one song that you already know that makes you pick your head up to listen. Having said that, the album is pretty solid, and if you were a little put off by the totally indie, shouty singing of the first album, this one may be for you. I don’t want to make it sound like the album is bad, because it’s still better than most of the things you’ll hear on the radio. And, I’m really happy for them that they hit number one on Billboard. I just hope the next album gets a little more edge back to it. Of course, having said all this, I’m going to be listening to it again tonight on the way home from work, so I’ll see if maybe it’s better in the dark.
SOUNDTRACK: MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE-The Black Parade (2006).
I know that Green Day is derivative. It’s obvious that they aren’t the originators of any kind of punk anything, and yet, they seem to have been the catalyst for a new breed of poppy punk bands, and they make an excellent reference point for these snotty young kids who sing catchy choruses with brash guitars. My Chemical Romance follow in a Green Day footstep. I don’t know too much about their previous records, but this one garnered rave reviews, so I thought I’d check it out. It seems to be some kind of concept album.
SOUNDTRACK: LCD SOUNDSYSTEM-LCD Soundsystem (2005).
What’s a metal/prog guy like myself listening to LCD Soundsystem for? Even though the music of this genre (techno/electronica/ whateveritscalledthesedays) is not very complex…most songs in fact repeat the same motif for the entire 5 minutes of the song, and yet, damn if it’s not catchy. I tend to get excited by rave reviews of records, and there were some great reviews of the newest LCD record. I wound up getting the first one instead on the excitement of “Daft Punk is Playing in My House,” a ridiculous song that’s basically three notes repeated for 4 and a half minutes, but the conceit of the song, that Daft Punk is playing at his house, makes the song not only catchy, but also singable. Great good fun. Overall, this genre of music can get repetitive, which is great for the dance floor, but can get tiresome when just listening for pleasure (see the Hackers Soundtrack for an excruciatingly bland listen, and for a hilarious picture of Angelina Jolie when she was like 12 or something). But after a couple of dance floor tracks, he mixes it up a little bit with what is almost a ballad “Never as Tired as When I’m Waking Up.” This is a strong collection of songs. 
SOUNDTRACK: WEAKERTHANS–Reconstruction Site (2003) & Watermark (single) (2001).
I heard about the Weakerthans in, I think Esquire, of all places, in their Canadian Bands You Must Listen To article. They were described as more literate than The Decemberists, and even thought I have not actually included a Decemberists album yet, my love for them is pure. So I thought I’d check them out. Turns out the main Weakerthan used to be the main guy in Propagandhi, a fun, overly political punk band that I enjoyed when I was feeling overly political myself. I was very pleasantly surprised to see that the Weakerthans keep a similar musical sensibility: catchy pop punk stylings, yet they are less angry and more introspective. The music is not as brash as other pop punk bands, in fact there are even some quiet parts! 
SOUNDTRACK: THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS-Mass Romantic (2000).
I Just Read About That... 