In preparation for tomorrow night's concert, I thought I'd "Youtube" Bright Eyes and have their clips stream continuously on my oversized TV. Little was I prepared for the numerous clips I had to sift through: Art Garfunkel's song for 1978's Watership Down movie and non-official fan clips replete with wobbly audio, boring stills or worse still, irrelevant montages which make no sense whatsoever. What gives??
So, back to the computer!
Click here for the official Bright Eyes youtube channel.
Never underestimate the song order of an album.
Never is this more appropriate than on Wilco's 8th studio offering.
Deluxe Edition
Standard Edition
The first track "Art of Almost" is by far the strongest in the set. It is also the most experimental, most Radiohead-baiting; and it casts a long shadow over the rest of the album - much the same way Yankee Hotel Foxtrot has over the albums since 2002.
That's not to say that the album's a dud, not by a long shot.
I have been following Wilco since their Uncle Tupelo days.
Many tracks here have close cousins - they sound like old songs re-jigged with new lyrics slapped on top.
What the band has done here is picked their fans' favourites, examined the elements which worked and built "new" songs around them, thereby playing to the band's strengths.
In a word, it's also wilco-by-numbers.
This is a shame considering what I know the band is capable of.
Even the (often) slap-happy lyrics seem to have taken a back seat -
Am I sadistic to think the best artists are the tortured ones???
In the upcoming weeks I shall try to catch up on some of the more important releases prior to starting this blog in May.
Better late than never.
This is only the sixth studio outing for the band from Louisville, Kentucky. They have released many live LPs, rarities EPs and compilations along the way.
But my, has My Morning Jacket come a long way since their humble beginnings.
They remain one of two heavier bands I like who don't sacrifice melody; the other being Queens of the Stone Age.
Circuital is abehemoth.
Victory Dance begins with a gong and vocal "clarion calls", as if some wakening call to action.
The lyrics sees a man at crossroads pondering over his lot.
The song is a slow-burner, but culminates in a maddening wig-out towards the end and is perhaps best experienced live at one of their gigs.
(There is a constant theme of reflection and self examination; of weighing things up and moving on - biblical imagery abound throughout the album- My good work, someday come, meek inheriting the earth, the day is coming; without once coming over as preaching).
The title track, Circuital, has a cyclical guitar refrain which bobs and tiptoes until it takes off around the 2:15 mark. Some guitar solos, tinkling piano arpeggios making it the perfect driving song as it bops along.
Third track starts off distant and spacey, 'Ba-ba-ba-da-ba"s drawing closer. The Day Is Coming is further rumination for one to take stock.
Yim Yames lends the track a soulful croon.
There is a real country heart in Yim's endearing vocals on Wonderful (The Way I Feel).
While mainly acoustic, it is embellished with synth strings.
An arrow straight to the heart.
The lyrics paint an escape to some magical nirvana.
Many a teenage boy's excuse can be summed up on Outta My System.
An indirect paean to testosterone.
On the other hand, the subject's also wiser now and is glad he got it all out of his system.
Holdin' on to Black Metal isn't metal at all; instead it is a soulful rock jam, resplendant horn stabs, with a gospellish shimmy-shake female backing choir.
First Light is a rollicking heavy-ish number. Here, "First Light" is loosely used as metaphors for birth, death, truth, strength, spiritual awakening and perhaps even in a re-incarnation cycle.
You Wanna Freak Out sways to a waltz-like rythm and sees the subject being calculative and "careful" and being invited to let loose and overcome her fears.
Slow Slow Tune appropriately continues on a plaintive tempo in this lovely story with the sentimental father recording this tune for his yet-to-be-born daughter and sadly having her outgrow it further down the line.
Moving Away is as much about moving on as it is about moving away. Looking back, thankful with equal parts remorse and hope...
If my last post about R.E.M.'s disbanding sounded flippant, it was purely reactionary.
Unlike most people, my "love affair" with R.E.M. began just after the height of their popularity in around 1996-7, the time when Bill Berry left the group due to health reasons.
Much had been documented about this and thought I'd better find out what I'd missed apropos their music, as most of my 80's and early 90's was swept up in Prince's funky Purple dance-pop.
In late 96, new management in the office I was working in had this "brilliant" (not) idea of shuffling people around and as a result, many staff found themselves in roles they had no skill-set or aptitude for. Morale was at an all-time low.
Then I came across this song from R.E.M.'s back catalog.
"World Leader Pretend" struck a chord deep within me and empowered me to take a gigantic leap of faith.
This one song means more to me than words could convey.
My favourite "era" is when they were a four-piece (1980-97).
Although Stipe had famously said that a 3-legged dog is still a dog, the band's chemistry had irrevocably changed when Bill bode adieu.
The combination of Stipe's enigmatic yet emotive vocals, indecipherable and at times decidedly cryptic lyrics; Peter Buck's inventive use of Rickenbacker guitars (He also made mandolins cool again); Mike Mills' memorable bass lines and vocal backing; Bill Berry's never-excessive drumming and counter-vocals. Together, the sum was definitely greater than the parts.
I'd never purport to do justice by this band's legacy/impact/import with this short article.
It'd never be possible - nor would it be fair.
What's with The White Stripes, LCD Soundsystem and now R.E.M. calling it quits in 2011?
At this rate, we'll be left with 2-bit talentless bands and little left to look forward to in music...
OK! Enough monologue - It's time to open up a forum!
To quote Yello's 3rd album, You Gotta Say Yes to Another Excess!Or, do you?
In these times of economic strife, it seems especially rich that record companies are flooding the market with mega box sets of your favourite albums lavishly packaged, flushed with gimmicky extras and all exorbitantly priced.
So much so, there's a site dedicated to just this.
Priceless treasuresornon-degradable landfill?
You be the judge. (Click on 0 comments to start...)
U2's Achtung Baby (20th Anniversary Über Deluxe Box Set)
Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon (Immersion Edition)
Björk's Biophilia (The Ultimate Edition Boxset)
The Smiths' Complete (Super Deluxe Collectors Box)
