Harley wants a Democrat in the White House! Harley wants to see Karl Rove frog-marched from his subterranean lair! Harley demands a music post!*
Well, one out of three ain’t bad.
“Death Cab for Cutie,” high-pitched emo-rockers that they are, have always found a soft spot in my heart. But I fear they’re starting to show their age (as am I, likely enough). Read Pitchforkmedia’s almost incomprehensible review of their latest offering here.
Oh, yeah, and the ‘Fork did a not-quite-pan of The Notwist’s latest. (Last year’s offering, Neon Golden, is a must have. No, really, it is.)
*Actually, he was quite nice about it. And, no, I don’t support frog-marching Rove anywhere.
Well what took you so long? (And don’t be coy about Rove doing the frog march. C’mon, it’s great theater!!)
As for the Death Cab CD, sooner or later everybody turns pro, and that’s not a criticism, just an observation. I liked the music before. I like it now too.
Here’s what’s stuck in my stereo now:
Sufjan Stevens, “Greetings from Michigan” (Singer/songwriter decides to compose an album for every state, no kidding, this is the first, and a gem)
Brian Jonestown Massacre, “And This Is Our Music” (In which band with great name becomes great band)
jem, “it all starts here…” (You like Beth Orton? Here’s her kid sister, more or less)
“Wig In A Box, Songs from & inspired by Hedwig and the Angry Inch” (It would be worth it if only to hear Sleater-Kinney’s take on ‘Angry Inch’, but the Polyphonic Spree knock the hell out of “Wig in a Box” and there’s more!)
Joe Strummer, “Streetcore” (His best CD and therefore for obvious reasons his saddest. It makes me mad to have to write that.)
Primal Scream, “Dirty Hits” (Because they’re hits are dirty, yes it’s an import, and bonus points for picking up the also-import Primal Scream Live which suggests there is no more powerful band on stage at the moment)
cheers.
Make that ‘their hits’…but you already knew that.
oh, and the Ryan Adams CD sucks, but the EP (which the label refused to release* becuz it was too dark) is very very good.
*well, refused to release except as an EP, in two parts. The second one comes out in December.
Sufjan Stevens, “Greetings from Michigan” (Singer/songwriter decides to compose an album for every state, no kidding, this is the first, and a gem)
Now, really, is it that good?
As for Primal Scream, not really my type anymore. All ’bout the chillin’, these days.
Currently in rotation for the upcoming evening drive* is (ahem, gonna embarrass myself) — well, I had an unexplainable hankerin’ for mid-80s rock, and put in the G-n-R (AfD, of course). Please, blog-readers, try to respect me in the morning.
von
*Live in a no-public-transportation-havin’-big-midwestern-city.
Von…
I usually pop six into the player, hit random, and listen to what passes for my own radio station. The first week or so I owned the Sufjan CD I kept hearing songs and thinking damn, which one is that? And it was Sufjan almost every time.*
*Another find thanks to the best resource I know, and a dandy Xmas gift…CMJ Magazine. All the music you need to know. Reviews of said music. And a free CD so you can sample some of it.
Um,
Other than G&R, I haven’t heard of any of the other bands you folks are talking about…
The impact of digital radio through cable, sattelite radio for the car and a large personal collection right? RIGHT?
I’m not really the out of touch, over the hill dweeb I feel like right now…RIGHT?
In my CD player right now I’ve got Boccelli, old Stones, the Dubliners, BB King and Buddy Holly. (You guys have heard of them…right?)
*hanging head*
The first week or so I owned the Sufjan CD I kept hearing songs and thinking damn, which one is that? And it was Sufjan almost every time.*
Looks like I’m goin’ to the record store, then. That’s the kind of review that moves feet.
Other than G&R, I haven’t heard of any of the other bands you folks are talking about…
The bands are pretty obscure, Spc — so no worries. And I’d take your set list over mine any day of the week.
What an interesting blog and the follow up commets were masterful.
Von, I can only hope that you will follow this up with a new blog comparing Gounod’s Messe Solennelle De Ste Cecile with the Who’s rock opera Tommy. I look forward to the compelling analysis and Harley’s sintilating follow up comments.
If they’re reviewing a recent album by a semi-canonical indie band, I tend not to trust the ‘Fork; they’re too prone to giving negative reviews to things (like Beck’s “Sea Change” or Yo La Tengo’s “Summer Sun”) if they think it will give them credibility by being tough on an idol. I lump their review of “Transatlanticism” in that category. It’s no “We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes,” but it’s good.
An album you might enjoy is “You Are Here” by +/- (pronounced “plus-minus”). It’s reminiscent of Death Cab, if Death Cab started hanging out with Amnesiac-era Radiohead, Broadcast, and Sea and Cake.
Lately my listening has revolved around angular post-punky stuff: Hot Hot Heat, Spoon, and Ted Leo are high on my list.
tend not to trust the ‘Fork; they’re too prone to giving negative reviews to things (like Beck’s “Sea Change” or Yo La Tengo’s “Summer Sun”) if they think it will give them credibility by being tough on an idol.
Have to agree. They seem to get crazy with glee every time a Tim Kinsella project pops up — the better to smash down! (Granted, I’d pile on, too, if someone hadn’t pointed me toward his earlier work in Cap’n Jazz.)
An album you might enjoy is “You Are Here” by +/-
Thanks. Maybe I’ll pick it up (their influences certainly seem to trend my way — though I was a bit disappointed by the latest offering from Sea and Cake).
Von, I can only hope that you will follow this up with a new blog comparing Gounod’s Messe Solennelle De Ste Cecile with the Who’s rock opera Tommy
Gimme a few weeks on that one, TtWD.
Ahh, geeze, here I figured we could have a music thread without partisan rancor, without the need for jejune Look-At-Me snotlockery, and in comes Timmy with the usual heavy hands and bad spelling. Oh well.
Plus ca change, plus ca meme douche bag.
Pichfork ultimately just suffers from typical hipster music snobbery and need to label everything–which I’m probably, secretly ok with. they certainly take a “what have you done for me lately” attitude when it comes to the likes of Beck and yo la tengo–both of whom I really dig.
perhaps this is inevitable as the goal of all music reviewers (and music snobs alike) is to find something new or different. “What, you haven’t heard ‘Hey Mercedes’??”
but agree, chaps at pichfork are often just full of it if not themselves.
At the very least one of misspellings were to conform with the Harley (or Zollander) method. 🙂