Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Wilco emerged from the splintered remains of a great alt-country band, Uncle Tupelo.  For five years leading up to their demise in 1994 Uncle Tupelo was heralded for bringing a new sound to rock and country music, but the two primary songwriters, Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar, grew increasingly apart and ultimately broke up due to numerous issues, primarily issues over songwriting.  Tweedy took the remnants and formed Wilco in 1994.  Only Tweedy and John Stirratt (bassist) remain from the original lineup, but the revolving cast door has not hindered Tweedy’s songwriting or the band’s critical success.

I have always been sort of aware of Uncle Tupelo and Wilco but didn’t really give either a listen until a few years ago.  I thought Wilco was overhyped, to tell you the truth, which clouded my initial listening experience.  Trade magazines and what not would go on and on about the band’s music and Tweedy’s songwriting, and I grew tired of it.  I also first took to Son Volt, Farrar’s band following Uncle Tupelo, feeling their sound was more in tune with my interests.  Then I heard “Black Eye” by Uncle Tupelo, which was written by Tweedy, and suddenly I realized I had been missing something.  Wilco’s sound has evolved from the more country-leaning sounds of Uncle Tupelo to a hybrid of modern rock, pop music, and country music.

I’m still new to Wilco for the most part, but I do enjoy listening to them every now and then (I didn’t totally convert).  One of their more critically heralded albums came out in 2002, entitled Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.  This album has an interesting history and is the topic of my next entry.

#93 – Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Metascore = 87)

First, I’ll mention some of the history behind the record.  Due to economic troubles within the music industry, Time Warner decided to terminate a number of jobs, including that of Reprise Records’ president Howie Klein.  With the loss of Reprise president Howie Klein, Wilco didn’t have someone within the company supporting them.  Time Warner assigned a representative to follow the band to make sure they were working to finish the album.  When the band wouldn’t take any of the representative’s suggestions, the rep told the label to not release the record.  Wilco’s lawyer negotiated for the band to buy out its contract with Reprise, effectively making them independent.  Reprise’s reputation as an artist-friendly label suffered because of this, and Wilco ended up with Nonesuch Records (a great, great record company in my opinion which also happens to be owned by Time Warner).

Now, let’s talk about the music itself.  “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” is an unusual tune in that its musical arrangement includes random instrument sounds and blips.  At times it reminds me of how musically disjointed the music was for parts of “A Day in the Life” by the Beatles or “Have You Seen Your Sister” by the Rolling Stones.  Tweedy sings with his nasally voice of being an unsure, untrustworthy lover.  The songs tend on the experimental side and don’t really reflect one particular style consistently.  “Jesus, Etc.” has a 1970’s soft rock sound to it, while “War on War” has a more straight-ahead acoustic rock sound to it.  This definitely keeps the listener tuned in to what will happen next.

Lyrically Tweedy seems to focus on the ins and outs of relationships.  Some work out well, others not so much.  “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” emphasizes the trappings he creates in this on-again, off-again relationship.  In “Jesus, Etc.” he tells her “don’t cry/you can rely on my honey/you can come by any time you want”.  Tweedy’s writing style is poetic yet conversational; the way he puts together words makes each song an interesting listen.

I don’t know how many times I have listened to this (thinking maybe fourth), but this time around I find the music to be much more interesting.  Overcoming the overhype thing for me is tough, but I have a better appreciation for their music having taken on this project.  I fully agree with the score the record received.  It’s not the best record I have heard since starting this project, but it’s certainly a strong record worth at least one listen.

A Pleasant Pairing

When I think of Robert Plant, I think of his vocal power as part of Led Zeppelin.  I hear the softness of “Stairway to Heaven”.  I hear sleazy blues of “The Lemon Song”.  I hear peacefulness from “Going to California”.  He has written some of the most famous rock and roll songs ever recorded, and his place in music history has been well established.

When I think of Alison Krauss, I hear her angelic voice.  Her most famous recordings have been with the bluegrass outfit Union Station, with whom she has recorded five well received albums.  She has helped propel bluegrass music into the 21^st century through her recordings with Union Station and on soundtracks such as for O Brother, Where Art Thou?  Her part of country and bluegrass music, like Plant’s in rock and roll, has been well established.

Their two worlds collided recently in the album Raising Sand (2007).  As far as the motivation for even pairing the two, that question would have to be posed to famous producer T-Bone Burnett.  According to what I have read online, he was the brains behind the project; whether or not he knew it would be as successful as it was, I doubt he did, but you have to give him credit for forward thinking.

#88 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Raising Sand (Metascore = 87)

The genius of this record is in the drawing powers of Plant and Krauss.  Both are coming from two different genres of music with their own strong supporting fans.  Plant has indicated in the past a strong interest in traditional folk and blues music, and some of his Led Zeppelin and solo material has reflected this interest.  While Krauss has never really been associated with rock and roll music in general, she has covered rock and roll compositions during her career, including a version of Bad Company’s “Oh Atlanta” and the Beatles “I Will”.  Burnett’s interest in pairing the two must have partially been driven by the reputation each singer’s voice has had over the years; both are considered to have “voices from the heavens,” or something to that effect.

From the opening track “Rich Woman” to its finale, “Your Long Journey”, Burnett conducts this mostly country music outfit through an eclectic blend of folk, country, blues, and world music tracks to compliment the beautiful harmonies of Plant and Krauss.  The singers trade off singing the lead while the other provides harmonies.  The attractive blend of music with vocals is what makes this a particularly strong record.

At times the songs can drag along.  I’m not particularly fond of “Killing the Blues” or “Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us”, yet I cannot deny the beauty of the vocals.  This is not a fast-paced record, though, so when you are listening to the record, give the songs a chance to grow in you.  Songs like “Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)” jive like the records from the 1950’s (e.g. the Everly Brothers), so there are some bouncy songs on here.  Best songs (to me) on this record are “Rich Woman”, “Gone Gone Gone”, “Please Read the Letter”, “Stick with Me Baby”, and “Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson”.

My overall impressions of this album are positive.  I will admit being attracted to this project by the players involved, and both Plant and Krauss deliver.  Burnett’s band also does a tremendous job at supporting the two vocalists.  I believe the record is deserving of being on the list but maybe a notch lower.  There are some records that were scored lower that I think are better (Bitte Orca immediately comes to mind).  Overall, though, I would recommend this record.

Supafly

Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott is a female music artist who is widely known for her innovative beats and raps.  She’s also known for her close working relationship with producer/rapper Timbaland.  I remember the first song I heard from Missy Elliott was “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” back in the last ‘90’s.  I wasn’t all that into her stuff, so I poo-poo’d it.  I thought MTV was playing the video too often or that the video itself was weird.

Not until a few years later did I really listen to her music.  Her record Miss E…So Addictive was a smash and had a couple of songs that I really dug:  “One Minute Man” (both versions), “Get Ur Freak On”, and “Whatcha Gon’ Do”.  Her following album, Under Construction, was also pretty cool (“Gossip Folks” is probably my favorite all-time track from her).  After that, it’s almost as if she vanished.  I see that she released a couple of albums after Under Construction, but by then I had unplugged and was on to Queens of the Stone Age and other bands (to be discussed another time).  Miss E…So Addictive was a commercial and critical success and is the subject of this entry.

#32 – Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott, Miss E…So Addictive (Metascore = 89)

I don’t think this is the first time I heard the word “crunk” used, but Missy uses it in the opening track to set up the album, saying you don’t need weed or alcohol to get addicted to this.  Redman and Method Man, both of who were red hot at the time, appear on “Dog in Heat”, a dance song that does not hide its intentions.  I have always been a fan of the styles of Redman (check out Muddy Waters) and Method Man (Tical is a classic), but Missy surprises with her flow here, which locks right into the beat.  “One Minute Man”, which is perhaps the most popular from this album and one of the best, is self-descriptive; if you need help with this, I suggest Googling it.  Ludacris’ raps here are my favorite part.

“Get Ur Freak On” was the first single released from the album.  This track is unique in that Elliott effectively raps around start-stop beats crafted by Timbaland (a style he has used on other artists’ songs).  According to online sources, the beats are based off of bhangra, a popular music and dance from from the Punjab state of India.  “Take Away” with Ginuwine is another killer track from this record; it has that classic 1990’s R&B beat to it combined with Elliott’s rap balancing Ginuwine’s singing.  “Whatcha Gon’ Do” features Elliott’s PIC Timbaland in a Fast and Furious vibe song (why I call it that, I don’t know…just seems like it would fit that movie).

The reason I think this album works so well is the uniqueness of the beats used.  I don’t find the raps necessarily great, but they don’t define the record for me.  Elliott’s flow is definitely better than I expected, but it’s not as good as Kanye’s or Jay-Z’s.  Speaking of Jay-Z, the second version of “One Minute Man” feature Jay rapping in the spot where Ludacris raps in the original; obviously the other two have different styles but both are just as effective.

Destroyer’s Rubies

The band Destroyer was started by Dan Bejar, a regular contributor to the band the New Pornographers, back in 1995.  Destroyer serves as Bejar’s primary songwriting venture while in the New Pornographers he’s more apt to be a part of the music.  He has been more prolific writing for Destroyer, having released thirteen records (nine LPs, three EPs and a tape), but he has made contributions to other bands besides the New Pornographers, including Vancouver Nights, Swan Lake, Heartbreak Scene, and Hello, Blue Roses.

Destroyer has had a rotating cast of members since its inception (with the exception of Bejar), but no one has officially left.  Bejar has said in interviews he values all of their contributions and that he’s just bad at keeping a band together.  Destroyer’s record, Destroyer’s Rubies, features some of Bejar’s best writing.  It is the topic of my entry today.

# 62 – Destroyer, Destroyer’s Rubies (Metascore = 88)

The song “Rubies” opens the album, a nine-plus minute abstract account Bejar put together with interesting music.  I’ve read through the lyrics but have no idea whatsoever what he’s trying to say.  Perhaps he’s describing a dream (“golden slumber”), I don’t know.  “Your Blood” rollicks on in a folksy way, again with odd lyrics but something more focused, this time on Tabitha.  From the beginning, the music has a richness to it, with a mix of acoustic guitars, pianos, and carefully played electric guitar.  “European Oils” in particular has a cascading effect with Bejar’s “la la las”, making the song one of my favorites from this album.

Not all of the lyrics are oblique.  Bejar’s writing can be challenging at times, but there’s always something there just needing a little manipulation to understand.  “Painter in Your Pocket” achieves this with a mellow yet beautiful background to accompany.  If you ask me, the album’s strongest points are made from “European Oils” to “Looters’ Follies”, where the lyrics are majestic and the music is perfect for the images evoked.

“3000 Flowers” is the most rock-sounding song of all the songs on the record.  Most everything here is electric with a tight drumbeat.  Many of the songs, though, are along the same beaten path as “Your Blood”, which is good and bad.  At times I feel like it’s too routine, even if I understand the song better.  Sometimes when you get into a groove, though, I guess you don’t leave it unless the going is bad.  The album closer, “Sick Priest Learns to Last Forever”, sounds like a Neil Young song well executed, and honestly I am happy with the ending—a very nice tribute to a fellow Canadian.

Overall, I was more impressed with this album than I was the first time I heard it.  Initially I was a little put off by the rote musical stylings used, but this time I was a little more open to it.  This is an interesting album that may not meet up to what other people expect, but I would recommend a second listen just to be sure.

Workout Regiment

A few weeks ago I wrote about LCD Soundsystem, referring specifically to their album Sound of Silver.  Recently James Murphy retired LCD Soundsystem, having worked as a group since 2001.  I read in December that he wants to pursue ownership of a hotel in New York City, which is odd but not out of the ordinary for Murphy.  Of course, there are other members of the band, but Murphy was the brains of the operation.

So, how much impact did LCD Soundsystem have on the music community?  What contributions did LCD Soundsystem make to music that will last?  These questions are both easy and challenging.  Frankly we don’t know the legacy they will have left behind to the music community, but Murphy’s quirkiness and abilities will not go away in the minds of many artists and bands out there.  He created music that would appeal to those that loved to dance, those that love to exercise, and those that just like to have fun at a party or concert.  He knew how to combine sounds and create these soundscapes that would wrap around listeners’ minds and get them going.

45:33 fulfilled this very idea.  The album has an interesting story behind it and came in a period when Murphy seemed to be at a creative peak.  The album is a part of my listening list and is the next entry.

#127 – LCD Soundsystem, 45:33 (Metascore = 86)

Now, as for the story of the song, Nike® commissioned Murphy to compose a song designed to accompany jogging workouts, the idea being “to reward and push at good intervals of a run.”  Murphy or someone connected to Murphy even had stated that the composition had been refined after several runs on a treadmill.  Murphy admitted after some time that this was a lie; his original intent was to make a long-form record like artist Manuel Göttsching did with E2-E4.  Regardless, the album actually does work well in a running format.  I’ve tried it (or at least for part of it).

The flow of the record is the biggest asset to the overall experience.  Each track segues into the other effortlessly.  Part 1 sounds like something from Tron but eventually becomes a piano riff that leads into the longer Part 2.  The reason I mentioned earlier that Murphy seemed to be at a creative peak begins with Part 3 of 45:33.  Part 3, which really starts with about 2 minutes left in Part 2, eventually would be used by Murphy to craft “Someone Great”, which would appear on Sound of Silver.  But the other reason for saying he was at a creative peak is the cohesiveness of the overall set.  The songs just fit together so well and are not bogged down by bizarre lyrics or other things.

Thinking about the overall score for this record, I am comfortable with the 86.  While this is not the best album I have heard, it’s certainly a very good record.  Many elements I have already mentioned point to this: cohesiveness, effortlessness, interesting.  In listening to it again I realize how complex yet simple the music sounds.

In Your Honor

This post is dedicated in memory of my brother-in-law Brian Bluhm, who died tragically in the Virginia Tech massacre that led to 32 innocent lives lost and many questions about how it happened and how the event could have been prevented.  I am not here to go on about these questions, however.  Brian was a wonderful guy with a big heart and a big love for many things, including baseball and music.  I’ll always remember him for his kind heart and for being a good friend and for his support when I needed it.

One of the bands that we shared a common interest in was Led Zeppelin.  A couple of years after I met his sister I was living with his parents while I was moving up to the D.C.-Metro area.  At the time there was a resurgence of interest in Zeppelin’s music because the band (or the remaining members of the band) had released a new DVD featuring concert footage from early in the band’s life and a three-disc CD set of a series of concerts in California around the time Houses of the Holy came out (1973).  Brian and I both were anxious to hear the material because it was new live material that hadn’t seen the light of day (at least not officially) and because of the mystique surrounding their first four albums.

Led Zeppelins I, II, III, & IV are all classic rock albums, and when I say “classic”, I mean monumental moments of epic achievement in recorded rock and roll.  Led Zeppelin II in particular for me is an album that will always make an impression on me as a listener and guitarist.  Rock music in general was undergoing a glacial shift at the time I was released in 1969.  While the rock music of the previous three years was already loud and irreverent, in 1969 new equipment and recording techniques pushed the volume to eleven, to pay homage to the classic This is Spinal Tap.  There was also the dawn of what would become heavy metal with bands like Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and many others releasing records that featured heavy distortion, dark lyrics, and heavy sounds.  I never really considered Zeppelin heavy metal, but it was obvious their sound was quite different from that of Derek & the Dominos or Traffic or The Who.

What you get from Led Zeppelin first and foremost is superior musicianship.  Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham created such a formidable sound with their guitars, bass guitars, drums and countless other instruments when they recorded and when they performed live.  Both Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones had been session musicians in addition to members of bands; session musicians generally must know a lot of different styles of music and playing and must be beyond proficient in their playing.  John Bonham, quite honestly, was the best rock n’ roll drummer of all time.  There was nor has there been another drummer that has quite measured up to his strength and inventiveness behind the kit.  Throw into the mix Robert Plant, a singer with an extraordinary vocal range and excellent lyrical abilities, and you had a band that would influence generations of musicians, singers and bands for a long, long time.

Today’s entry is regarding the #3 record on my list, How the West Was Won, a three-disc live set that was released in 2003.  The Metascore for this record was a near-perfect 97, which tied it with SMiLE by Brian Wilson and Van Lear Rose by Loretta Lynn.  This record is fantastic!

I feel I should provide a little background on these discs.  Prior to their official release, these concerts existed in bootleg form, and even then to a limited degree.  Neither audience members nor crew members had full concerts.  A lot of the bootlegs from that period were limited in what they had.  Some concerts recorded on soundboards were stolen from Jimmy Page’s personal archive, but most of those were in the band’s later years when they were less of band and more individual parts playing together.  These concerts were direct from a soundboard and were the first from that period to be released, raising the intrigue around them.

The first disc features most of their biggest studio hits performed live.  There is not a single song on this disc save for maybe “LA Drone” (which is really just a noisy introduction) that is bad.  Not one.  Of the following songs, which one is bad:  “Immigrant Song”, “Heartbreaker”, “Black Dog”, “Over the Hills and Far Away”, “Since I’ve Been Loving You”, “Stairway to Heaven”, “Going to California”, “That’s the Way”, or “Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp”?  The answer is none.  I have a hard time narrowing down to one favorite song here; perhaps “Since I’ve Been Loving You” since everything about that song—from the opening notes by Jimmy Page to the perfectly-timed drumming of John Bonham—is amazing to me.

Disc two opens with an epic version of “Dazed and Confused”.  “Epic” meaning 25 minutes long.  Generally during this time period “Dazed and Confused” was played out over a greater-than-ten-minutes period.  This disc best captures the musical jamming the band would partake in, particularly with “Dazed and Confused”.  Around the 7 minute mark the vocals stop and Jimmy begins his violin bow strumming that he became famous for.  Plant reenters the fray around the 9:30 mark to add in his howls and random words.  Then the rhythm kicks into high gear at the 12-minute mark, and the song evolves into two other tunes (“Walters’ Walk” and “The Crunge”) before winding down.  “What Is and What Should Never Be” is one of my favorite studio songs they have ever done, but here it feels a little rushed.  I guess that would be a flaw for me in this case, but that’s a personal preference over the band’s.  “Dancing Days”, in contrast, sounds strong and relaxed.  This disc ends with the equally epic “Moby Dick”, John Bonham’s drumming showcase.  There is no better song to hear his inventiveness than this one.

Disc three is equally as long as disc two.  Disc three opens with the classic “Whole Lotta Love” off of II.  The version here is twenty-three minutes long and contains snippets of four other songs: “Boogie Chillun”, “Let’s Have a Party”, “Hello Marylou”, and “Going Down Slow”.  Following “Whole Lotta Love” are two awesome-sounding live tracks: “Rock and Roll” and “The Ocean”.  Like the album version, “Rock and Roll” thrives on the energy created by Bonham’s furious drum beat, Jones’ nimble bass playing, and Page’s chugging guitar riff.  “The Ocean” is another crowd pleaser with a lot of energy pumped into the performance.  The disc and album are rounded off by the nine-plus finale “Bring It on Home/Bring It on Back”, which roars until the quiet final notes “bringing it on home.”

This is a nearly flawless record in my opinion, well-deserving of the 97 score it received.  It’s also probably the best live record I have ever heard, and it will be a constant reminder of the shared love for this band my brother-in-law and I had.

The New in Dance Rock Music

After taking a little over a week off on reviewing (start of baseball season means many afternoon games), I’m back to listening again.  Today’s group hails from Scotland and immediately jumped on my playlists when I heard their first release.  Franz Ferdinand the band formed in Glasgow, Scotland back in 2002.  When I first heard “Take Me Out” back in 2004 (their first single released), I wasn’t sure at first what I thought of their sound, but then I saw the video and had a greater appreciation for the band and the sound.  If I remember correctly, the band was portrayed like paper cutouts and the video was just intriguing.  When I heard “This Fire”, that’s when I really started to like them.

They emerged around the same time that bands like Jet and the Darkness and the Killers emerged, and all of their sounds were similar yet twisted a little differently.  Ok, so maybe the Darkness were out in left field, but you could see the similarities between Jet, the Killers and Franz Ferdinand.  They emanated the rock sound yet embraced unique elements of pop, dance and techno music into their sounds.  Jet was more like AC/DC.  The Killers were a new Duran Duran.  Franz Ferdinand were the Talking Heads.  To me this was a renewal period for rock compared to the stuff that had been popular and had come out the years before.

Franz Ferdinand’s self-titled debut for me was a tour de force and excited me about music.  This record was well received critically and commercially.

#90 – Franz Ferdinand, Franz Ferdinand (Metascore = 87)

The album opens with the quiet-to-loud dance of “Jacqueline”, the girl that can twist the thoughts of any man she sets her gaze upon (ask Ivor and Gregor).  The drive of the song—the thumping dance beat and chugging guitars—really make this song.  “Tell Her Tonight” continues this dance about women that allure and confuse the men they’re around.  This same tale continues throughout the record at different paces and different scenes, this search for love and then running away from it.

The strongest songs are “Jacqueline”, “Take Me Out”, “Dark of the Matinée”, “This Fire”, and “Michael” because lyrically they are the deepest and musically they are the most interesting.  For instance, “Take Me Out” starts out fast but then slows down to this churning drum beat and guitar riff on the perils of unrequited love.  “Michael” lyrically is the most interesting and most dirty of all the other songs, with Alex Kapranos detailing a night of debauchery he experienced with several friends when they went out to a disco club in Glasgow.  “This Fire”, like “Take Me Out” had a very cool video; I recommend checking it out if you haven’t seen it.

Some songs fall short here (“Auf Asche”, “Cheating on You”, “Come on Home”), but overall the record is a really solid, danceable record.  Unfortunately, you could not necessarily say the same for the other records they have released.  You Could Have It So Much Better (2005) and Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009) were decent records with a couple of good singles amongst them but were not the cohesive effort that their debut was.  I would definitely recommend Franz Ferdinand to hear because it is one of those records that will get you moving right away.