Happy Fifth of July

That's right, I'm not forgetting about America just because its Saturday.

Anyways.....what are we listening to nowadays?

I'm looking for some new shiz and I can't say i've been 100% completely happy with my recent emusic purchases.....but that's just the way that goes. Lend me a helping hand and guide me towards something new down yonder in the comments. I'm growing desperate.

On to other important matters....

Kendall gave a less than glowing review of the new MMJ album down below (i believe the word turd was even used). I'm not going to be so harsh. Yes, parts (read: HIGHHHH-LEEEE SUH-SPISH-OUS!!) are a little difficult to handle.

There are some parts that are very worthwhile to listen to, and the more I've done so, the more I've liked it. I kinda think MMJ is one of those bands (a la Wilco) whose albums need to be taken with a small grain of salt (and that salt is typically served in the form of their live performances). I'm guessing that after we get the opportunity to hear some live cuts of these songs we'll find they grow a bit.

Example #1: Saturday Night Live. I heard both "Evil Urges" and "I'm Amazed" first on SNL. And I'll concede that SNL isn't exactly the place where masterful performances are produced, it was the first chance I had to hear these songs and I really liked them then.

Particularly the breakdown in the middle of Urges and the entire version of Amazed. They both come across a bit more.....hard hitting, i guess. Anyways, here's the mp3 of their performances from SNL which was hosted by everyone's favorite former Disney star turned Indiana Jones sidekick, Shia Lebouf.

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges (live at SNL)
My Morning Jacket - I'm Amazed (live at SNL)


As for new things.....I haven't found much recently. I kinda like this Liam Finn fellow (liken him to Elliott Smith-type on anti-depressants). The "new" Stephen Malkmus is pretty good....but I still don't find myself listening to it that often. So, like i said if there's anything out there......send it my way.

Liam Finn - Second Chance
Stephen Malkmus - Baltimore

RR

The Hold Steady, Centro-matic, My Morning Jacket holy shit!

I am good at generalizing. See, based on looking at this guy, I generalize that he is a hit with the ladies.

Generalizing. Despite the bad rap that moral or nice people want to give it, generalizing people and things based on an initial impression is the best way to proceed through life. Analyzing something or getting to know people is just a waste of time. With that in mind, I am going to generalize three new albums, two of which are some of the summer's most anticipated.

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

As, Rutledge mentioned yesterday, this bad boy is now available for download at Itunes. I've listened to it sporadically over the last month and gave it the full treatment on Tuesday. This album is ok, not even close to Separation Sunday or Boys & Girls...in my mind. Nothing jumps out to me. Some pretty kick ass guitar rifts throughout, but alot of them don't really go anywhere in my mind. It just kind of stalls with less hooks, making much of the album less accessible than the aforementioned albums. When it's great, it's great (see Sequestered in Memphis, Lord I'm Discouraged, Slapped Actress - the best song on the disc) but the rest hasn't done much for me yet. Hence, it's meh rating (Navy Sheets by itself almost warrants a meh rating). I will say that it has much potential for getting better, unlike our next album...........

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

Look, I get it Jim James. I understand that you like to "evolve" and keep pushing musical boundaries. I understand that many of the greats have done this. That's fantastic, I'm just disappointed with where you took it or how it came out in this instance. There are some good ones: Evil Urges, where James' voice heads to areas his studio albums have rarely gone but works surprisingly well, I'm Amazed with the more classic James sound but with lesser lyrics (an unfortunate theme throughout), and Aluminum Park.

Much of the album falls flat for me unfortunately. Even songs with a killer pedal steel whining in the back ground, such as Sec Walkin, just don't work for me. It lacks punch and seems fluffy - something I would find on my local adult contemporary, soft rock station. I haven't even mentioned Highly Suspicious, there is plenty of discussion about it. I come down on the side that says it's a turd.

Despite the disappointment in the album, I'm not giving up on MMJ. I don't love this direction, but it's not really surprising considering some of the territory covered on Z. Jim James has proven to be a badass in my book and every great artist makes a bad record every now and again, right?

Centro-matic / South San Gabriel - Dual Hawks

While I had fully embraced the other two bands, Centro-matic has always been a mixed bag for me. I've always recognized Will Johnson's prolific talent and I've enjoyed many of his past offerings (hell, I rated Fort Recovery in my Top 10 of 2006) but for some reason it had failed to click, until now. See, some guys write so much music, they need multiple outlets, and that's how Johnson operates. He does solo stuff, but works mainly for Centro-matic with a little South San Gabriel on the side. This time, he released albums from both bands, at the same time. The result: a freaking 90 minute set of incredible songs. The first disc is Centro and brings their trademark rock that Centro-matic is known for. Caution: it isn't for the faint of heart and might take some listens (yeah, I know this goes against what I railed on in the beginning) but do not fear, you will be rewarded in the end. Crunch and hook - I like it!

Here's one of my favorites (among many) from the album:

Centro-matic :: All Your Farewells

The South San Gabriel disc is something different. It's still Johnson writing great songs and much of it is still catchy. But, the songs are much more mellow and composed much differently. It works as a perfect contrast to the grit and forwardness of Disc 1; Disc 2 is a little more haunting and ambient. Take a listen to my favorite on this side, Kept On The Sly. I was looking forward to this entire album less than the two above, but I clearly enjoy it more than the other two.

So yeah, I lied about the generalizing.

Later chumps.

BK

Move On Up

We are back! As Gerdon said, Europe welcomed us with open arms and it was great. Sadly, as Gerdon also mentioned, music did not play a big part in our trip. I listened to lots of music on the train rides across the boot, but I didn't really delve into anything new, just old classics. Luckily, America has also welcomed us back with open arms as the new Josh Ritter has hit the airs and is fantastic (more on this later). Before we left, My Morning Jacket played Lollapolooza and covered Curtis Mayfield's great Move On Up. MMJ is a great band, as you should know, and they pick some great covers. So, without further adeiu, check out MMJ's version of Move On Up, with a little help from the Chicago Youth Orchestra.

My Morning Jacket -- Move On Up

Note: The quality is not exceptional, as this is an MP3 converted from FLAC. If you want better quality, I would suggest downloading the FLAC file from the Live Archive. You can get that here.

BK

Saturday Six Pack IV

These guys got me drunk.

It's Sunday, I apologize.

This week's Six Pack is a tribute to the Live Music Archive. This site is the tits and it includes many great bands. This is my first drunk post and it rules! Enjoy!

Drive-By Truckers -- Women Without Whiskey from 4.27.07
This is from the first night of the Dirt Underneath Tour that DBT is currently rocking. These shows are great. Another Cooley gem!
[Buy DBT here]

Ryan Adams -- Nobody Girl from 12.5.06
Great clip fuckers. Nobody Girl from Gold is sick. Live is almost always better, especially when a pedal steel is involved!
[Buy Ryan Adams here]

My Morning Jacket -- Oh What A Night from 3.7.2007
Something about MMJ covering this song makes it cool!
[Buy MMJ here]

Elliot Smith -- A Fond Farewell from 1.31.2003
A great fucking song. Much props to RR for his continued recs for this guy. Is he not the greatest singer-songwriter of the 1990s? I think you could make a compelling argument that he is.
[Buy Elliott Smith from here]

Toad The Wet Sprocket -- Something's Always Wrong from 8.30.1997
I didn't realize Toad was on the LMA. Good stuff from Santa Barbara of all places.
[Buy Toad the Wet Sprocket here]

Cast Iron Filter -- Americana Hotel from 7.23.2004
Thanks to Gerdon for these guys. As he mentioned in another post, this is a great roadtripping song.
[Buy Cast Iron Filter here]


BK

Saturday Six Pack III

This week's Six Pack is really a Mint Julip in honor of the 133rd running of The Kentucky Derby. The first weekend in May has always been a sort of unofficial holiday for me, many times with heavy doses of Maker's Mark thrown in for good measure. However, today I had to break with tradition and not drink at all because I idiotically signed up to run a marathon tomorrow. Songs about Kentucky, soul/motivation/drive, and thoughts of home make up this week's selections.

Lucero -- Poor Heartache from The Coldwater Sessions
I find lots of great music via the many great blogs out there. This one comes from Captain's Dead and features a large collection of demos/unreleased tunes from Lucero's self titled album. I love the old timey music feel to this one.
[Buy Lucero here]

Guided By Voices -- It's Like Soul Man from Under The Bushes Under The Stars
The second track from this album for a second consecutive week. I bet you can guess which album has been getting a lot of play around here.
[Buy GBV here and here]

Loretta Lynn -- Family Tree from Van Lear Rose
Loretta is a Kentucky gem. With all of my reflection for home in the last week, it was natural to listen to her. She got lots of help from Jack White on this album, a dude discussed here lately.
[Buy Loretta Lynn here]

My Morning Jacket -- Evelyn Is Not Real from Tennessee Fire
Kentucky's finest as they like to call themselves. The nick name is appropriate and I can certainly say they're the most redeeming thing about Louisville.
[Buy MMJ here and here]

Yo La Tengo -- The Race Is On Again from I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
Duh, racing music. This song's been on the running playlist for months.
[Buy Yo La Tengo here and here]

Gram Parsons -- Sing Me Back Home from Sleepless Nights
Gram's the man!
[Buy GP here]

BK