Tidal

Today's Music That Generally Defies Things is Fiona Apple's Tidal. Now, I could probably go on and on about Fiona Apple herself, but this is a music blog, so let's get down to business.

I really like this album! It has a dark and timeless quality to it that I can't exactly put my finger on. I know the album came out 15-ish years ago, but it doesn't sound dated at all. It's mostly just Fiona singing, with that deep, beautiful voice of hers, and playing the piano. To put things in context, some time ago I blogged about Regina Spektor, who I would consider something of a descendant of Apple, musically anyway. However, I wouldn't go so far as to say they are peers, exactly, just because they are both women who primarily play the piano. Spektor's music is light and friendly, very inviting, whereas Apple's music is reluctant and spurning. Tidal isn't a friendly album, not the kind of thing you listen to at a picnic on a warm summer day. If you want to call it 'emo', that's your business, but I would hardly consider that term applicable here. Tidal came out amidst a sea of distorted guitar and dirty male singers, establishing Apple as a musical force in her own right, and for good reason. I could name any number of songs off this album as starting points, but I do like "Sleep to Dream", and of course, everyone loves "Criminal". I used this as my background music for cooking last week, and it worked out great.

So, to summarize, this is a wonderful album, but if you're easily influenced by your music, save this one for days when you want to stay inside and brood. Also, if you are Fiona Apple, call me.

In Other News:
It's time to make a serious push.

Rubber Soul

Today's Music That Jason Really Isn't Qualified To Discuss is Rubber Soul, by the Beatles, silly. Now, I can't really say that I'm a qualified music critic in any sense of the word, just that I like to think about the music I listen to and that Clear Channel radio and MTV are probably my mortal enemies. So I hope you didn't come here expecting any sort of refined criticism, but if you want a somewhat-uninformed, fairly angry person's point of view, well, you're in the right place. This is the music blog for people who are a fan of extremely uninformed public-television debates.

Anyhow, Rubber Soul takes us back to a place where we only occasionally visit and usually just hope for, where popular music is actually tolerable. It's a rare thing to have the most popular music also be well-written and listenable; we may never have that in the U.S. again. But somehow, in 1965, that is exactly what happened. I really don't care for much of the early boy-band Beatles stuff, but Rubber Soul is a fine album. It predates a lot of the overblown, goofy Sgt. Pepper's-era stuff, so most of it is pretty simple. It's a logical yet enjoyable bridge between their teen-idol days and the more complicated albums of the later bearded period. The lyrics aren't exactly early R.E.M., but Lennon and McCartney manage to make even simple love songs seem both innocent and clever ("Drive My Car"). Harrison got two songs on this album, thankfully, and somehow Ringo even got a songwriting credit! Amazing. But this is a fantastic album, one that probably deserves more credit for pushing the limits of what people should expect from popular music as much, if not more, than the quality of the songs (which is high praise, indeed). The songs here have a basic, uncluttered quality, and they are as memorable as anything you've probably heard. If I say "Norwegian Wood", or "In My Life", or even "Michelle", you'll know what the song sounds like without having to hear it. So in short, if you like your Beatles more complicated and drug-occupied (White Album), this probably isn't the album for you, but it is worth your time.

In other news:
I tried to get my paws on the new British Sea Power album this weekend, without success. I'm having some new tires put on my car today, so it will probably have to wait. Damn nation!

Welcome to the Monkey House

Today's Music That Jason Has A Lot Of Thoughts About is Welcome to the Monkey House, by the Dandy Warhols. First of all, some thoughts on the presentation of this album that don't have anything to do with the music. The album cover is black, with a yellow banana in the center. The banana is half-unpeeled, with a zipper running down the sides of the peel. It's not completely original (if you think about the Dandys' influences, you'll probably figure it out) but it is simple and clever if a little smug. Still, it looks cool, and it's one of my favorite t-shirts as well. The album title is also taken from a Kurt Vonnegut short story of the same name, and it's a pretty good story. Given the Dandy's innate pedantic nature, these items aren't surprising, but still interesting.

Now, the music. This album represented a real departure from the other Dandy albums; prior to this, their albums had been drug-laced 60's revivalist rock albums, sort of. Maybe that's not completely correct, but 'drug-laced' certainly is. Anyhow, the prior album to this was mostly guitar and voice driven, with some horns and other instruments. This album, though was predominantly electronic, with a good deal of synthesizer leading the way. A lot of people were really turned off by it, people who wanted another Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia. Me? I didn't like it as much as Thirteen Tales, but to be fair, that simply wouldn't be possible. I applaud the band's efforts in trying something new, even if that something also was kind of a fuck-you to the fan base. But I digress.

So what about the songs? Well, some of them aren't so great, and seem to be more fascinated with their sound effects than actually putting any effort into the music - see "The Scientist". Some of them seem to use the electronics much better, keeping the ominous tone of some previous efforts and synthesizing it - see "You Were The Last High" and "I Come In Burned". There's even a song that seems a little out of place here - "We Used to be Friends" - which isn't a bad tune though pretty simple. As a whole, I appreciate the effort, and even listen to this album from time to time, but it does remind us that valor and ignorance are sometimes the same.

In Other News:
Today is better but still unresolved. Also, it's stupid cold out today.

Sound of Silver

Today's Music That Jason Isn't Really Into is Sound of Silver, by LCD Soundsystem. Now this is my first and likely only exposure to LCD Soundsystem, and I know they're fun and popular with the kids, but I didn't care for this record at all. It has sort of an upbeat neo-disco electronic sound, which didn't really appeal to me at all. I suspect that in an arena full of sweaty half-drunk people who all want to dance, this would play like gangbusters, but it doesn't translate over to a decent set of speakers set to a reasonable volume. Some of the songs are a little catchy and have a good build to them, but I couldn't get behind the singer's voice at all, and the lyrics aren't really anything to write home about. (Yes, I know that this isn't supposed to be the Decemberists, but that doesn't mean it has to be one step above LOLCATS in lyrical complexity.) So if you actually read this, well, you're welcome to refute my claims. But I hardly see myself checking out any more LCD Soundsystem from the library, much less buying any.

In other news:
I've heard good things about the new British Sea Power album, so maybe I'll pick up a copy when I can bring myself to visit the one local record store that I like. If they have it.

Also, I want some more CCR albums, and also to get the White Stripes albums that I don't have. God, I'm such a 30 year old boy.

Wincing The Night Away

Today's Music That Jason Pretty Much Saw Coming is The Shins' Wincing The Night Away. Let me start by saying that I think the Shins are okay. Not awful, but not great, either. I probably wouldn't go see them in concert, but I couldn't also see myself scolding anyone for liking them, I guess.

So here's the deal. Their previous album, Chutes Too Narrow, had some softer, more introspective songs, and some upbeat jangly rock songs. The overall balance of the album worked, even if it was a little too safe for my taste. Now, Wincing The Night Away seems to be all that with less ambition. It's like Chutes Too Narrow was a housecat that had been declawed in the front, and that wasn't enough, so someone got its back claws taken out and had its fangs filed a little too, and then the cat had to have its name changed to Wincing The Night Away. Also, Wincing The Night Away is a pretty awful name for an album. Is it supposed to be clever? Irony is only dangerous in reference to something other than itself.

No, this album isn't bad, but it's just too safe. I can't say that it rocks, even if some of the songs are clever and well put-together. I guess I've just heard too much other good indie music that really affected me to accept something like this as revolutionary or even insightful any more. I listened to this album three times in the past week but I still can't remember any of the songs, save for "Phantom Limb", which has been everywhere for months now. Contrast that to "Crane Wife Pt 3" from The Decemberists' The Crane Wife, which I loved immediately, and I hope you can see why Wincing The Night Away will go back to the library from whence it came.

In other news:
It's Banquet Weekend! And I still fit into my leather pants. Awesome.

Tepid Peppermint Wonderland

Today's Music That Is Kind Of A Cop-Out is by the Brian Jonestown Massacre. It's a greatest-hits compilation, sort of, called Tepid Peppermint Wonderland. I am not quite sure what to say about this music. It sort of sounds like very late 1960's rock, like the Byrds or even the Velvet Underground, if that music was self-aware enough to be smarmy and also not as shy about its drug use. The stuff is pretty interesting, in a dark pre-irony sort of way. Some of the songs are just kind of there, but where the band really manages to create a driving, almost sinister atmosphere, it really works. Man I just don't know if I have the words today for this album, and the fact that it's kind of a greatest hits compilation really takes away from what the individual albums are like. But also, if you've never tried to find BJM stuff on CD, it's difficult, mostly because Anton Newcombe (the band's leader and principal songwriter) basically can't keep his temper under control.

In other news:
The Crane Wife, the album I reviewed on Friday, has really grown on me. It's just amazing, probably the best Decemberists album (which is high praise).

My weekend was messy but fun. Would do it again, A++.

Die winter die.

The Crane Wife

Well I wanted to blog about the Brian Jonestown Massacre today, but I'm listening to something else that's pretty great, so I'm going to talk about that instead. You don't like it? Well, go rent Dig!. You should do that anyway. Or just wait until Monday.

No, today's Music of the Day is The Crane Wife, by The Decemberists. Now I've blogged about the Decemberists before, so let's just discuss this album. It certainly sounds like a Decemberists album, but it seems to be more intricate than some of their other albums, particularly the layering of the instruments and the vocal interplay/harmonies. I really like this album so far! It seems to be really driving, without as much of the sweet laid-back songs as some of their previous albums (Her Majesty, Picaresque). Much of the time, when bands mess with their sound and over produce the music, it seems to get bloated and overdone, but here it really seems to work. In particular, I really like the first track ("The Crane Wife 3"). But don't worry, this album is still full of lyrics about wars and ships and old-timey family things, with a side of guitars and nasal voices.

In other news:
I'm so glad for Friday that it's not even funny.

Graduation

Today's Music That Is Pretty Cool is Kanye West's Graduation. Let me preface this by saying that I'm not a fan of rap or hip-hop in general. Much of it seems to be about sex and partying and thug life, which doesn't appeal to me all that much. But the well-thought out rap and hip-hop I generally appreciate. So, in other words, just like any other type of music.

Graduation has a lot of things going for it. West is a pretty good rapper, and his rhymes are well thought out. The mix of his tunes is generally interesting without becoming too much of a sideshow, and he doesn't lower himself to petty disses with other rappers (well, not most of the time). I really like the storytelling aspect of some of his songs, particularly "Homecoming" and "Barry Bonds" (which is a damn good name for a song). If this album does have a flaw, it's probably that West is content to let his flow run the show a little too much. Not so much that he needs guest rappers (which he doesn't), but some diversity of elements would add to the album: maybe some horns or the occasional female voice. Hard to say, though; I think nitpicking would be just as likely to take away from the album as it would be to add to it. I hope I can find West's other album(s) at the library; if they're near the quality of Graduation they'll certainly be worth my time.

In other news:
I wish it were Sunday part II instead of Monday. Damn nation.

Bringing It All Back Home

Now, I know what you're thinking. Jason, you seem to favor traditional bands over electronic acts, and like clever lyrics and songs that veer towards poetry. Why don't you listen to more Bob Dylan? I think I probably will. So, today's Music That Kicks Ass is Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home.

This is a simple album, recorded years before I was born, featuring Bob on guitar, vocals, and harmonica. The songs are great, a mix of folk and old-school storytelling country, with lyrics to make any teenage poet get a haircut and apply for business school. Dylan's voice, while not 'good' in the traditional sense, is something that I believe adds to the rustic and honest quality of his music. So in short, this album may not be for you, if you aren't into poetry set to guitar. But if you like singer-songwriters, and Dylan's voice doesn't completely put you off, then this is album is something to be kept close to your heart. I wish there was more to say about the music, or that I could pick a favorite song, but I don't know if I can, really. "Subterranean Homesick Blues" is wonderful, "Maggie's Farm" is great, everyone likes "Love Minus Zero / No Limit". I am particularly fond of "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue". See, that's five of ten or eleven songs that are excellent, and I just named them off the top of my head.

In other news:
I guess there is some kind of foot-ball contest this weekend. I plan to support whoever opposes your favorite team, naturally.