I Just Read About That…

This is not the right cover for the issue. I couldn't find it online!

SOUNDTRACK: THE GOLDBERG SISTERS-The Goldberg Sisters (2011).

I don’t often make lists of “Best” records or anything like that.  But I’m making an exception for this.  This was easily the best album that I had low expectations for.  That sounds like half a compliment but it’s not.  I really didn’t expect much from this album when Adam Goldberg promoted it on Craig Ferguson’s show.  But when I checked out the video for “Shush” I was really impressed.  So I bought the CD.

And I have to say that it is really, really good. 

I need to get this out of the way because it will influence the whole write up otherwise.  Adam Goldberg is an actor, a very good, very funny actor.  And this is just one of his music projects.  It was not an entirely solo affair, but Goldberg plays guitar, piano, harmonium, keyboards, key sitar and melodica.  And of course, he sings as well.  I was more or less expecting an at-home-sounding demo, maybe, or some standard rock-n-roll like many other side projects.  But the album is lush and full, complete with cool psychedelic effects on certain tracks and there’s even clever wordplay. 

Goldberg has a soothing, slightly feminine singing voice (I would not have expected that from his speaking voice).  And his backing vocalists really complement him well. 

The disc opens with “The Room” a simple acoustic guitar and a very nice complementary piano (which reminds me of some of Radiohead’s acoustic moments).  The long instrumental ending is quite intense.  “Mother Please (The World Is Not Our Home)” has questionable lyrics, but a really great sound.  There’s cool spoken words deep in the mix, which bring a creepy effects to the song.  It runs very long, but there’s lots of parts and a cool coda.

“Shush” is still outstanding after all of these listens.  It has a kind of Bowie/Beatles/90’s revival of same feel.  This kind of song only works if the production is right, and Goldberg’s is perfect.  “Don’t Grow” opens with cool fiddle strings and Goldberg’s slightly sinister whispered vocals.  It’s 7 minutes long (see, psychedelic) and features a really pretty denouement with tinkling pianos and everything.

“You’re Beautiful When You Die” is a weird little interlude–muffled piano and dark, dark lyrics.  I could probably do without it, but it’s only 2 minutes so I’ll deal.  It’s made up for by “Erik Erikson” a great rocking acoustic number that reminds me of The Smashing Pumpkins (in vocal style). 

“Third Person” returns to that Beatles-y style with a folk song with full instrumentation.  And “The Difference Between” has some cool backing vocals which elevate this simple piano based song into something more.  “Skin of the Patriot” is a slow piano ballad.  It’s not my favorite song on the disc, but it leads into the wonderfully upbeat ender “The Heart Grows Fonder” (which features a surprising and surprisingly effective melodica solo).  It runs about five minutes (of an 11 minute track).  The ending 90 seconds are a goofy riff on The Beatles’ “Revolution.” 

So overall this album is really enjoyable.  There’s one or two misfires and it could use a wee bit of editing, but man, am I glad I bought this.  And I can’t wait to see what Goldberg does next.

Watch the Ferguson bit here (wait for the hilarious awkward pause at 10:30)

Find out more at his wonderfully named website: Adam Goldberg Dillettante.

[READ: January 6, 2012] “Two Midnights in a Jug”

This is the final individual story that Karen Carlson recommended to me (the rest are all in anthologies that I’ll have to check out).  She writes: “Because it’s a grim, tough read, it might take a second read to get past the oppressive weight and find the delicate art. And it doesn’t hurt to look into the background of the writer a bit; he isn’t writing about these people by accident. A little Willie Nelson might work [for the soundtrack].”

Karen’s comments sound a little defensive!  But I admit I was pretty turned off in the beginning of the story.  I’ll also admit a personal bias of mine is that I don’t really like to read stories about the rural poor or folks in the Ozarks.  I know, it’s not very nice, but it’s true. 

So, this story is set there.  And it opens with just about every stereotype I hate about the region: single wide trailer that borders a hog farm, neon orange muumuus, coon hunting and a repossessed house.  Things are even worse than my stereotypes though, because the plumbing is unconnected and their toilet sits over a bucket.  Which they cover with lime after every use and which they have to empty daily.  Good god.

Oh and the hog farm?  They had so much hog shit that they decided to burn it.  Well, the fire has been raging for a month.  And the only thing worse than the smell of hog shit is the smell of burning hog shit.  And the only thing worse than burning hog shit is having the ashes from the hog shit fall onto your property and into your trailer every day for a month. 

Oh yeah, and Cordell, the man of the trailer, accidentally shot their hound, Trixie last time he was hunting.  She’s okay but had to have a leg removed.  Jee.  Sus.

I seriously almost stopped reading.

But there was something strangely compelling about this story. It was written really well. 

Soon, Margret Jean, that’s Cordell’s long-suffering wife, is visited by her friend Louvinia.   Louvinia marvels at their giant flat screen TV and is told that they bought it with money that the church raised for them.  (HA!)  Which Louvinia finds quite distasteful, but which doesn’t stop her from sitting and watching it.

But Louvinia’s purpose is to deliver Cialis to Margret Jean.  The Cialis is not for Cordell, it’s for Margret Jean.  She heard that it fixes your sex drive so she means to take some because Cordell has been complaining about her not getting aroused.  And Margret Jean admits that Cordell is fine–he hasn’t changed in twenty years.  Louvinia suggests that she get him to try new things in the bedroom.  But Margret Jean is happy with the drugs.

Of course when Cordell sees the Cialis he gets super pissed.  He smashes a bottle of her perfume and storms out.  This leads Margret Jean to get in a fight about the Bible with Louvinia and do something that I was utterly shocked by!

In the yard, their son Abe is considering getting a job at the hog farm, but his parents won’t let him while the fire was still burning.  Abe and Cordell have an angry few words about the Cialis.  Then, when Cordell notices that poor Trixie is in heat, he props her up and sics the five hounds on her.  Abe warns him that the stress of this will likely kill her or at least bust the stitches of her poor leg.  But Cordell knows about sex.  Don’t tell him he don’t.

The story ends with minor victories of sorts for everyone.  But it’s not exactly a happy ending or anything. 

The fact that Watkins made me care about this family, which I resolutely did not care about, is a testament to how well written and effective this story is.  I don’t know that I could handle more of this kind of fiction, but I honestly wouldn’t be averse to reading more by him.

I’m not sure I get the title though.