Time Out

Well, I will away from the computer for a few days, so I'll have to continue where I left off when I return. I thought I could get it done ahead of time, but alas! it did not happen. So when I return, I will share with you one of my favorite bands of the year, which isn't saying much they will probably be a big hit.

Frank Black and the Catholics - Show Me Your Tears

Just because the Pixies have returned to set music right again doesn't mean you should turn your back on Frank Black and the Catholics. While the Pixies were on a decade or so hiatus, Frank was still putting out great music. Show Me Your Tears is a great rock album that is heavily influenced with bluesy riffs, slides, and barroom piano. Yet, throughout he builds on his signature Pixie sound and at times surpasses his past. But, you have to invest yourself into this record, if you just give it a quick one over, you'll probably be disappointed. Listen a couple times and you'll find it hard to let go. 

Songs you should listen for:

Massif Centrale-  Simply the best song on the record. Great riffs layered with Black's Falsetto voice that briefly shocks the listener then leads into an entrancing chorus "That's the sign of your love behavior."

Everything is New

Coastline

Nadine

Kutless- To Know That You're Alive

Kutless is the embodiment of what passes for Contemporary Christian Music these days. If you want to get an idea of what is being played over the "positive alternative" stations then look no further than Kutless; every other band sounds like them, or  they sound like every other band. I haven't decided if this is a compliment or not. I suppose it depends on if mainstream christian music is your thing. I will be frank, and tell you that it's not mine (but I have a feeling you probably know that based on the other bands I've put on the blog). With each passing year I grow more and more despondent to the fads that rise up within the Christian culture. 

As far as what is being played on Christian radio (bands like Kutless), well I am probably too harsh of a critic and am all too aware that there is not much these bands can do that would please me. I complain because they are too "soft-rock" and when they play music that's a little heavier, I complain because they are trying too hard to be like everything else on all the alternative radio stations. It's a no win situation with me. 

This got me thinking though, is it only mainstream christian music or are there any other genres that I dismiss so easily? I would say, I carry the same attitude about most of what is being played on country music stations these days as well. My problem, I guess, is that within christian and country music, there is so much to offer and can bring such a richness to what is being said in the songs that I have a hard time listening to these crappy songs that are more interested in reaching masses than saying something insightful or really have any depth.

As far as  Kutless, let me say first and foremost, it is very apparent that these guys are good musicians. Their talent shines throughout the album. Secondly, it is a big album. You can hear it in the production that these guys have stadiums and mega-churches on their horizion. This is not simply playing for a youth group or coffee shop album, no Kutless is thinking and playing for the Crusades and radio stations. And in the words of Seinfeld, "Not that there is anything wrong with that."

The problem for me, besides the fact that I'm just not into their very well played music, is that their songs are really shallow. It seems at times that they're concerned more with rhyming than actually saying anything meaningful about theology or the Christian life. Consider this, a band that is in-your-face Christian, singing about theology and the spiritual life, and in many of their songs are talking about or to God, only mention Jesus in one stanza. I'm not saying there is some quota for how many times a band should say the name of Jesus in song, but it seems that in lieu of Jesus or the Holy Spirit they tended to use personal pronouns. Here are the Lyrics for the song The Rescue:

I don’t know what’s happening
Everything around me has come crashing to the ground
It’s here I see my need
In all the devastation
I’m praying for a miracle, help me to escape
Again

My life is a mass destruction
You’re pulling me from the mess I’m in
You take me away
There’s glass in the air I’m breathing
Somehow my heart keeps beating till
You take me away

Will you send an angel
A ray of sunlight shining through the darkness of my world
That's falling down on me
You are my salvation
The only one to rescue me from the torment that I’m in
Again

My life is a mass destruction
You’re pulling me from the mess I’m in
You take me away
There’s glass in the air I’m breathing
Somehow my heart keeps beating till
You take me away

Goodbye my hurting
Goodbye my needing
Goodbye my worries
Goodbye to all of my bleeding

My life is a mass destruction
You’re pulling me from the mess I’m in
You take me away
There’s glass in the air I’m breathing
Somehow my heart keeps beating till
You take me away

The song is about a person's life falling apart and they are crying out to God in their time of need, at least I think that is what it is. Is this a song about God and his creation or about any relationship?  Maybe the songwriter has a girl on his mind and how he really needs her in his life. Or maybe, this christian band is trying to be more marketable.

That's my rant. On the other hand, let me say again if this is your style of music, then I don't think you're going to go wrong by getting this album. In fact, I'll say it is a good record for what it was intended for and that's to get on positive alternative or maybe just alternative radio.

Viva Voce- Rose City

I really had high hopes for this band. I enjoy discovering new music (I mean to my ears, they've been around awhile) and I thought for sure this album would be a keeper. It had heard some good reviews and there on a cool label (Barsuk, the same label as David Bazan), so I thought for sure I was really going to dig this husband and wife team. Unfortunately, nothing on the album stood out. The songs seemed to blend into one another and just became sort of a monotonous blur. Honestly, it's hard to think of any songs on the album for me to suggest to you, but if I have to choose one I guess it would be Octavio, only because I actually looked down at my ipod to see the name of the song.

Hole- Pretty On the Inside

Well, Hole is probably more of an LA band, but since Courtney Love grew up in Portland, OR., I will include it here.

This maybe the most underrated and underappreciated grunge albums of the early 90s. This is pre-Cobain teaching Love how to play the guitar and long before the band started preforming pop radio hits like “Doll Parts” and “ Miss World”. In fact, you probably couldn’t tell Hole’s early work from what they morphed into once they had the taste for popularity.  

Pretty on the Inside is a wall of noise taken from Sonic Youth's playbook along with Eric’s Black Sabbath-esque guitar riffs. On top of that is Love furiously shouting, in a singing kind of way, about sex, rape, and drugs. Yet, she does so in such a way that doesn’t come off sounding like she’s trying to say the cool things, but rather is introspective of the pain in her life that has brought about such hatred and bitterness. It’s not sweet or sexy, more often than not it’s vulgar and brutal. While love and guitarist Eric see this album as something of an embarrassment this is probably Hole’s best work to date.  

Song you should listen For:

Garbadge Man

Mrs. Jones

Good Sister / Bad Sister

Loaded

Everclear- So Much For the Afterglow

I don't know what to say about this band, I want to hate them (though I'm not quite sure why), but I don't and in fact, I was really surprised at how much I actually liked this album. When so much for the afterglow hit the radio airwaves, I quickly dismissed this band as jumping on the Green Day / Pop-punk bandwagon and I probably would have never picked this album if they had not been from the Portland area (I like to connect with places by the music it puts out). Anyhow, I put the record on and found that I pretty much like almost everything on it. The music sounds pretty basic and simple with a lot of catchy hooks . The lyrics are sometimes whimsical, clever, and witty. Other times, more often than not cliche and stereotypical.  Yet, when put all together, it works... really well. The first song, the title song,  starts of with beach boy-esque  style that leads into a up tempo, pop-rock song.  Everything to Everyone has a driving bass line throughout the anthem directed towards annoying people. I Will Buy You A New Life, one of the radio hits is the bands love song about a down and out kind of guy trying to win his girl back. The song has a pretty clever line,  "I hate those people who love to tell you money is the root of all that kills, they have never been poor they have never had the joy of a welfare Christmas." Father of Mine, the other Radio hit, is a pop- angst rocker that tells the story of how the singers father abandon him and his family. Amphetamine is a faster paced punk style song. Overall, this album had me nodding my head and tapping my toes along with the music and really isn't that all you really want from a record. 


On a personal note, I vaguely recall seeing this band play once. I was in Fullerton at some club to see Jawbreaker play and a band opened playing a pop-punk style with a bleached blond guy singing. I asked  one of my friends who the band was (the same friend who landed on his face at the MTX show) and he replied, "There called Everclear, there going to get big very soon." This of course, was not a compliment from my punk rock friend, yet still very prophetic.

Elliot Smith- Elliot Smith

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say, like most people, the first time I was exposed to Elliot Smith’s work was during the very intense and dramatic scene in the Royal Tenebaums where Luke Wilson’s character is attempting to commit suicide. The music dramatically coincided with what was happening on the screen. It became a cult phenomenon and helped spur Smith’s into stardom.  

But, why was I hearing about Smith so late in the game? Well, I suppose it was due to the fact that in 1995, when his self-titled album was released. It was the pinnacle of Grunge. Distorted electric guitars with heavy riffs, scratchy guttural screams, and peddling teen angst were all the rage. But in 1995 I was already past my grunge need, maybe I was on a sabbatical at that point from secular music for higher and heavenlier callings. Nonetheless, Elliot Smith was not set up to compete with the Nirvanas, Mudhoneys, and Pearl Jams of the music world. His music was and is quiet the antithesis of the Grunge sound. He was often finger picking or strumming an acoustic guitar while sing dark melodies mostly in a soft monotone voice.  

Everything I’ve read seems to suggest that Elliot Smith was drinking heavily and abusing pain medication, leading the songwriter to delve into issues of drug abuse, death, and God.  Most of the songs on the dark, acoustic and Smith sings in his signature soft voice. It seems like even when he is screaming it's in a muted whisper. 

Songs to Listen For:

Needle in the Hay

Clementine

Southern Belle

Grateful Dead- American Beauty

American Beauty is an American Classic! I love listening to this album while driving, especially driving through San Francisco.  This is my favorite album, by the band, but telling you American Beauty is the Dead’s best work might bring about on onslaught of debate. Since I suppose asking a Deadhead to tell you what the band’s best album is, would be liking asking a Lakers Fan who the best Laker is of all-time. So, I’ll just say for my taste, it’s my favorite record by the Dead, though by all accounts I am not a Dead Head and have not listened to their entire collection. Box of Rain the first song is a subtle, simple song sang by Phil Lesh that lets you know you're in for a real treat. From there American Beauty, never lets up with great material. It's a musical experience throughout the entire CD. 


Songs to Listen For:


Box of Rain
Friend of the Devil
Truckin'
Sugar Magnolia
Ripple
Till the Morning Comes

Samiam- Astray

I have often wondered why Samiam only had nominal success in their career. I mean the band always put out good albums with catchy songs. Despite having cool music and a descent singer,  they never caught on like their bay area counter parts (Green Day, Rancid, Jawbreaker). True they did get some slight coverage on MTV and their website says they once played on the Jon Stewart show, but for as big of a sound as this band had, it leaves you to wonder why they couldn't hit the big time.

Samiam has a hard sound to define. When I first started listening to the band, I would have been quick to box them into the pop-punk genre, but as the years passed and the band developed so did their style. Sure, sometimes they do have the pop-punk influence, but they also embody everything from anthem rock to EMO (if that's still a legitimate term these days). For a short time the band quietly ceased to be after Astray. According to their updated website though, the band is in a musical limbo these days. 

The record itself  is filled with a number of great tracks that showcase the bands worth. The first song on the record, Sunshine, starts out with a soft guitar ditty that roars into a massive rock song encased by the throaty vocals of Jason Beebout. Mexico is another great song about a guy whose girlfriend is leaving for a girl roadtrip, but has a subtle feeling that she is in fact leaving him. My personal favorite is Dull, for the simple fact that it makes me painfully miss all the times I use to get together with close friends. the song is basically, about a guy who hasn't seen his friends since they all got together at a funeral of another friend. Here's a small portion of the lyrics:

I forgot how good it feels to be part of a spinning wheel supported and supported on and on forget the judgement and the games forget the shit talk and the shame you will only be young for so long I wish it could always be like this something I've been missing it's not too late to change what you've become the last time I saw everyone we buried our friend and his gun I think he'd be happy here right now.

don't be jaded I don't want to spend another long and lonely weekend by the phone without anyone to call I've had a lot of time to think and I'm so tired of thinking I know why he put that bullet in his skull because life can be so dull

Janis Joplin - Pearl

Well, if you followed this blog for the short time it was around last year, then you know I already posted this once before. Nevertheless, one should always put on a little Janis on the radio while going through San Francisco and since this is technically a new blog altogether, I will list it her as well.

I love Janis Joplin because my parents loved Janis Joplin; though, I suppose now that I'm older I have found my own reasons to enjoy her music. I remember with fondness my mom and sister turning up Summertime as we drove down the road, or my sister singing in her typical family out-of-tune style Mercedes Benz. With fondness, I recall my step-dad's garage band playing covers of Janis Joplin hits.

Pearl easily fits in with the great classic rock albums of all time. Joplin's sultry, yet raspy voice corresponds well with her backing band Full Tilt Boogie. Every song on the album is worth a listen. It's arguably the best record she put out. If you love good music... nay, if you love you're white girls saturated with the blues that burst forth through jarring wails and epic moans, Pearl is the album you need in your collection.

Rogue Wave- Descended Like Vultures

Zach Rogue first venture was essentially a solo album, but this time around he went into the studio with a band and a bigger production budget,  and the out come is some savory indie music. Zach mixes his high vocals with understatedly darker lyrics, while the band plays what one reviewer called "Delirious, dizzy alt- pop. The album is decidedly different than Out of the Shadow, gone is the nervous DIY effort of a talent musician, and in it's place the work of a proper band. If you enjoy bands like Death Cab For Cutie and Elliot Smith then Rogue Wave should be right up your alley.

Songs to Listen for:

Bird on a Wire- The first song on the album is by far my favorite.

Publish my love- multi-layered guitar track with polished production

California- a stripped down acoustic song