Odds & Ends
The Integrity List
[Apr 29]Twenty-five Artists Who Matter to Me
Maybe it's all the lists I've been reading on Facebook or my recession-era spending down-turn, but lately I've been going back to the the artists who matter most to me. After an album or two some artists are cemented into the architecture of my personal pop culture while others will forever hang on the walls like cherished but interchangeable decorations. Some have earned my unyielding devotion without an album I'd put in the top ten and some will get a second listen no matter how much I disliked their last performance. Absent are the acclaimed luminaries who simply don't resonate the way they probably should, the artists whose importance I understand and respect intellectually but who never really took hold.
Ranging from blindly reverent to heavily qualified, these are the artists whose personae, politics, mythology and - most importantly - music have established an artistic integrity that will keep me coming back in good times and bad.
21 Best Albums of 2008
[Jan 1]Busy times and the premature death of my P2P new-music lifeline thinned the herd for me a bit this year, but good music is good music and here are my favorites...
Fifth Annual Totally Shameless Twelve Days of Music Wish List
[Dec 20]I know it's getting late... it's actually well past Christmas by the time any of you are seeing this, but the year wouldn't seem complete without a request for a few things I missed hearing this year but still want to check out... Happy New Year everybody!
The Breakdown: 2007 Sorted and Stacked
[Jan 1]When compiling this year's Best Of... list I felt that I could do more. There was a lot of great stuff out this year and the best of it came from multiple genres, so I'm taking a little extra time to shuffle through the year, compiling small lists of my favorites in hopes of giving some exceptional albums their due.
25 Best Albums of 2007
[Nov 28]Every year as I compile my Best Of... list a theme emerges. Last year it was percussion (Liars, TV on the Radio, Glenn Kotche). This year seemed to mark a return to good old rock'n'roll peppered with outstanding electronic artists who seem to be at their best when applying their craft to - you guessed it - rock'n'roll. The top two spots were cemented early. The real battle was for the heart of the line up, #2 - 10, and #11-25 weren't much easier. Hope you had a good year of listening, all the best in 2008!
Fourth Annual Totally Shameless Twelve Days of Music Wish List
[Nov 19]Black Friday is just days away, it must be time for the 2007 edition of my Totally Shameless Twelve Days of Music Wish List!
Track Four
[May 1]75 Favorite Fourth Tracks
A friend shared with me some advice a record store clerk gave him: when demo-ing a new album skip the first three tracks and listen to track #4. The logic is obvious - labels/bands front load discs to grab your attention, kind of like putting your best foot forward. If there is going to be a break in continuity or weakness in their game the earliest it is likely to show up is track four. So cut to the chase, see what the album is really made of, start with track four.
Compiled below are the best track fours money can buy, the track fours that make rather than break their albums. A note: with two exceptions* greatest hits and live albums were not considered due to their padded track lists.
Awards Season Predictions Follow Up Pt. 2: The Oscars
[Feb 21]As Hollywood's elite seem to rediscover around this time every year, you win some and you lose some. Let's see how well I did this year with my picks...
The Beard
[Feb 16]In recognition of my own indefinite hiatus from shaving (effective February 1, 2007) The List takes a look at my favorite bearded artists of the day and the rise of Beardcore.
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Awards Season Predictions Follow Up Pt. 1: The Grammys
[Feb 12]Okay, so of the 21 specific catagories I predicted I scored just below average, correctly naming winners in ten catagories:
Awards Season Predictions
[Jan 24]I care about stuff. I don't care about everything and I don't always care enough, but I care. As much as it shames me to admit it, I care just a little about big media awards shows. Maybe care is too strong a word. Maybe I'm curious. Anyway, here are my predictions for the two big ones coming up... Oh, and the Colts by 17.
31 Best Albums of 2006
[Dec 12]I am compelled by tiny voices in my head that must be obeyed lest they force me to eat anchovies and watch non-celebrity poker tournaments on cable tv. Must. Make. List...
Third Annual Totally Shameless Twelve Days of Music Wish List
[Dec 1]Another year, another plea to Santa...
Merry Christmas everyone!
What if...
[Apr 20]So I've been invited to participate in what must have been a very serious conversation between two friends, Marc who I know best as a brother in law but with whom I share several experiences not directly related to my sister / his wife, and Ryno who I know as Marc's friend and an enthusiastic fan of things. I don't know how it started but at some point the question was asked, If you locked Ryan Adams, the Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse in a room together who do you think would write the strangest song and/or live through the experience? It's a scenario I can imagine playing out over and over with different players - what about Sufjan Stevens, Stephen Malkmus and Beck? Billy Corgan, Jack White and Willie Nelson? It's enough to deserve this, the new What If... segment of The Eighth Nerve. Special guests and I will create and answer musical "what if..." scenarios and post the results here for your entertainment. Sounds like fun, let's begin...
So, if you locked Ryan Adams, the Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse in a room together who do you think would write the strangest song and/or live through the experience?
Kyle
I am writing this in response to the question as originally posed, but under the assumption that by The Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse you meant Wayne Coyne and Isaac Brock, each band’s respective leader / songwriter / chief lunatic. Further, I move that the scenario be altered, striking Adams in favor of the White Stripes’ Jack White. * I know he and Wayne have some history together, what with the fiber optic Jesus thing and all, but ultimately this would not change the end result of Isaac Brock attempting to murder and, in one possible permutation, partially eat the other artists while Wayne Coyne would consistently turn in the strangest songs in spite of or perhaps because of the bloody ordeal of becoming almost dead. Still, I’ll stick to the original format of Adams, Coyne and Brock in a room.
Here’s how I see it going down.
After introductions and a brief exchange of pleasantries it becomes apparent that Adams is drunk and or high and or asleep. He falls onto the room’s only couch and begins strumming a guitar and absently mumbling the words to Duran Duran’s “Rio.” Brock is visibly upset because he believed he was attending to a cookbook signing with free finger food and, so thinking, didn’t take his meds - they dull the appetite. Disappointed, chemically unstable and hungry he quickly downs the Hostess Donettes and an Amstel lite found in the room’s mini fridge. He paces and issues stage-whispered expletives at someone named Nicky.
Coyne sits on a wooden chair near the table, relaxed.
Adams never writes a note. He sleeps for a solid eight hours, in the course of which he has dreams about (1) unsuccessfully wooing Mrs. Brady from the Brady Bunch as portrayed by George Wendt who sits behind the stove drinking a mug of beer with a fish in it while wearing a bathing cap, making no attempt to disguise his voice, (2) being trapped in the body of a cartoon mole with a hard hat, thick glasses and a pick who has been hired by the MTA to widen Boston’s Ted Williams tunnel by two inches on either side, only then he changes into a woman with an umbrella but no shoes, and (3) Doritos. He wakes up, pisses in the corner and has his arms summarily removed by Isaac Brock, who uses them to beat Wayne Coyne to within inches of his life.
A lot happened during the eight hours Adams slept. Let me back up.
Once the donuts and beer have had a chance to take the edge off, Brock takes a guitar from beside the couch, detunes it, retunes it, shuffles into a corner and stands there facing the wall picking the same two notes on the fifth and sixth strings over and over again. He pauses from time to time - mumbles, shouts, paces – always returning to the corner. This goes on for about three hours. He takes a break and drinks two more Amstels, offers one to Wayne and tries to engage him in a conversation about hockey. Wayne smiles but remains silent save polite one word answers. He looks like a young, bearded Tom Wolfe in a white suit, neatly pressed shirt and spats. Brock shrugs it off, trades up to a blonde 1968 telecaster and heads back to the corner. He gets a little louder, looser, jamming at length and eventually hammering out a solid chorus. After an hour of work on the bridge Coyne interjects that he likes that part right there, yeah that. Maybe it could use full choral accompaniment or a descending cascade of chimes at the end, but I’m just spit-ballin’ here, sorry. I’ll leave you alone. Brock pretends not to have heard, switching now to air-drumming and air-bass, filling in the rhythm parts and banging his head until drenched in sweat. Words come quickly, sketched hard into a yellow legal pad, crossed out, moved with jabbing arrows and arced lines. He finishes the six-pack in between pages and ends sitting on the floor, shoulders pressed into the corner, exhausted and droopy eyed. He stares at Wayne. “Chimes” is all he says, then he just sits.
When Adams wakes up and moves to relieve himself it is to the absolute core-shaking terror of Brock who honestly had no idea there was another person in the room besides Wayne and him. His terrified state quickly turns to rage when Adams chooses to piss in the corner where Isaac is still sitting. Unfortunately for him, Wayne cannot hide his amusement at the absurdity of the situation and an irrepressible laugh cancels out his plea of “oh no, no, that’s so horrible.” Brock looses it, blacks out and when he comes to he is in jail. As the fog lifts he wonders anew when the cookbook signing will be.
As for who would write the strangest song, The Flaming Lips “Nearly Killed By The Hand Of Ryan Adams, Not By Ryan Himself But By His Severed Arm” nearly wrote itself. It is memorable for its understated use of avian imagery, choral swells, sixty-three minute run time and, of course, chimes. Modest Mouse was able to turn in “Mexican Air Travel” which sounds pretty much like anything else they’ve made over the past five years, ending in a two-minute wall of keening feedback followed by the plaintive refrain “I can not read… you can not read… I can not read… anything… anymore.”
Ryan Adams will be missed, but plans to release several albums of new material, B-sides, covers and rarities over the next few months, most of which could qualify as a little sad but hardly strange.
* Jack White would also have taken over the couch but stayed awake, composed the first act of his opera “Safe” about the 1937-38 governor of Ohio, split the Amstel with Brock and shared in a lively conversation with both artists about hockey. He would, however, stumble over Brock on his way to the mini fridge, insult the significantly shorter man for somehow managing to get his stubby little legs in the way even though they’re barely long enough to qualify him as an adult. Brock would initiate hand-to-hand violence and, after taking a few solid shots, overwhelm White with insane ferocity and rabbit punches. No charges would be pressed but the White Stripes would have to cancel appearances at several summer festivals to avoid Brock. Musically, The White Stripes “Safe” is a flop and its marquee aria “We Will Build a Park for Lovers Here” follows pretty established lines. “Mexican Air Travel” would again finish second to The Flaming Lips “Remembering A Conversation About Hockey Before The Ugliness Between Jack And Isaac Began.”
Through the Cracks Vol. 1
[Apr 5]The Best Albums I Managed to Miss in 2005
The shape of my 40 Best Albums of 2005 would look dramatically different from top to bottom if I had heard these albums before December. So much better than the best-of-the-rest, the top three on this list can sit easily in my yearly top ten, and the bottom three are worth at very least an honorable mention. May the revisionism begin!
1. My Morning Jacket Z Skynnard for the post-Kid A era? Whatever it is, it comes fully loaded with sweeping dynamic shifts, real emotion, wit and plenty of freedom to rock out.
2. The National The Alligator Like Interpol and Spoon, The National work smart, darkly tinged indie rock up to a point just shy of anthemic but surely greater than the sum of its parts. Lyrics and textures linger and deserve the attention the band has been getting of late.
3. LCD Soundsystem s/t In truth this album could be a 63 minute extended mix of the first track "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" and not have suffered. Not that the other tracks are bad - it's a very good album start to finish - but the lead off single is just that good, easily my choice for song of the year. Indie dance punk with the right blend of scuffed chic, attitude, nuance and chops.
4. Danger Doom The Mouse & The Mask Another dream pairing from the MC behind the mask, DJ Danger Mouse scores MF Doom's bedrock deep and up to the minute rants.
5. Animal Collective Feels Still atmospheric, woodsy, and weird - this is their most melodic and accessible album to date. This sounds like the sleepy, cool other side an Elephant 6 pillow.
6. Bell Orchestre Recording a Tape the Colour of the Light Sonically sensitive (instrumental) post-rock from a few of the people who brought you the Arcade Fire. Less bombast and glory, but no less art and emotion and, as the name implies, a greater breadth of symphonic experimentation.
7. Sons & Daughters The Replusion Box Strutting and slightly tweaked guy / gal indie noise pop from the UK with a good jangle to screech ratio. Reminiscent of X in a really good way.
8. Jens Lekman Oh You're So Silent Jens Scandanavian dream pop auteur collects his various best efforts from EPs and others. Think Morrisey with a piano, lap top, velvet arm chair, a sense of restraint and a long winter.
9. Mommy & Daddy Duel at Dawn High octane Brooklyn guy / girl punk duo rocks it straight amid deeply smudged bass lines, a few digitally assisted beats and plenty of fuzzed guitar. Great hooks and sweaty delivery on every bar.
10. The Kills No Wow Not as strong as their debut LP Keep on Your Mean Side but still an infectious gutter draining blend of PJ Harvey and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion from yet another mixed gender duo.
11. The Russian Futurists Our Thickness The opening track "Paul Simon" drags the sun out of bed early, grafting Simon's own Graceland era horns onto big boom bash pop percusion and makes the whole show worth the price of admission. The rest is Apples in Stereo by way of chamber music with a bell choir and drum machine.
12. Get Him Eat Him Geography Cones Barely on the map indie noise pop outfit blends Built to Spill guitar swells with Grandaddy synths and nonchallance. Certainly worth keeping an ear open for down the line.
Best Boy/Girl Duos
[Feb 13]In honor of Valentine's Day, that grandest and most chocolated of all the Hallmark Holidays - and because there seems to be a trend ala the rise of The White Stripes and The Kills - I've compiled a list of my favorite musical boy/girl duos. Criteria for inclussion on this love-silly list are as follows:
a) couples must be primarily a duo or the core writing / recording part of a band...
b) said duo / band must be the artists' bread and butter gig - no duet albums or cameos please...
c) duos must be boy/girl - while my personal politics emphatically support same sex unions, it's a whole different dynamic musically speaking, plus there are too many to consider here - so Hall & Oates and the Heart sisters will have to wait for their own lists. Maybe Memorial Day.
Happy Valentine's Day!
40 Best Albums of 2005
[Dec 25]With a new year looming fast it's time again to sort out the noise of the past twelve months. Let's dive right in...
Kyle's 2nd Annual Totally Shameless Twelve Days of Music Wish List
[Dec 1]Ah, it's that greedy time of year again. The best gifts are the ones the recipient will like but would never buy for himself. So with that in mind please sing along! "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me..."
You Know, for Kids!
[Nov 1]Music for the Children of Adults who Hate Music for Children
I don't think there is any reason to dumb things down for our kids unless we want our kids to be dumb. My wife and I have never been fans of "baby talk" so why should we play them "baby music?" Sure, our kids like and need different things than we like and need as adults, but what we offer them can determine what they want - ask my Mom why I hate mustard. So if we provide the overly simple (and often annoying) option then that is what they will seek. Plus, shouldn't we be finding things to do with our children rather than creating an environment that, while possibly captivating to a child, makes mom and dad run screaming for the hills?
I am not advocating the introduction of profane lyrics or the assault of young ears with double kick drums and screaming guitars. What I am asking for is intelligent participation and balance... and not The Wiggles.
Play an active role in deciding what you and your kids are listening to, and mix it up. What's good for a long, peaceful car ride may not work for play time at home. Have fun and choose things to let your kids express themselves physically when it is appropriate. Kids love to dance and jump around and shout... hey, that sounds like rock-n-roll to me! Music can also help set moods around bed time so be careful about what's playing as things settle down for the night. And always listen ahead to make sure you know what's next. That way you can skip over language you may not be ready to hear your little mimic repeating, or be prepared to answer questions like "can we go outside and see Lucy in the sky with diamonds?"
So if you are concerned that you might be making your children stupid with bad music or that you may voluntarily orphan your offspring if you have to spend another minute listening to Raffi, this is the place for you!
O Canada!
[Oct 1]Sure, it's easy to dismiss a beer-drunk moose hunter with a mullet and a hockey jersey, ay, but let's remember that an increasing percentage of what indiephiles are buying these days comes with a maple leaf on it. Chalk it up to NAFTA, universal healthcare, proximity to magnetic north or a purging response to the Calgary Stampede, our northern neighbors are exporting top notch artists for both major and mid-market consumption. Many of these would-be curlers seem to easily balance the all too often mutually exclusive phenomena of artistic integrity and states-side success to boot. Maybe a rejiggered US Supreme court isn't the only reason to seek refuge up north. Here's a list devoted to All Things Canadian, musically speaking that is. First the stuff you came here for...
Jesus, Mary & Johnny B. Goode
[May 6]I once heard a little rubric that ranked a person’s intelligence based on what he or she likes to talk about at parties. People who like to talk about things meaning material objects make up the bottom. People who prefer to talk about other people fill the middle, and people who discuss ideas reign supreme. Elitist bastards.
I suppose it would be easy enough to apply the same system to music. Being a middle of the pile kind of guy myself I did a little looking into my stacks to see who The Music is talking about. A survey of songs in my collection wherein a person’s name is mentioned in the title turned up a few very interesting - and telling - facts:
1. Specific men from history, legend or an artist’s peer group are more likely to be mentioned by name than are specific women, while songs about women tend to be addressed to a generic "Suzy Q" type character;
2. Mary and her variations (Marie, Maria...) edged out Jane for the most revered female name in song with plenty of predictable Mary Jane (dude) references keeping the race close;
3. John and his wildly popular diminutive Johnny won the same honor among male names by a landslide, followed by (palm fronds, please) Jesus who came in a respectable second.
So here is my not quite definitive list of songs about these A-List names in popular music...
Songs Of The Mullet
[Apr 1]
MULLET (MUHL-it): noun (1) any of a variety of bottom dwelling marine warm-water fishes; (2) hairstyle; hair is cut short in front, sides and top of the head while allowed to grow long in back synonyms: Kentucky waterfall; Tennessee top hat; Missouri compromise; Canadian passport; Guido; shlong (short-long); neck blanket; mud flap; ape drape; bridge & tunnel; Camaro cut; hockey hair; 10/90 (ratio of hair front to back); two-haircuts-in-one; business up front, party in the back
First some history on the word "mullet" as used to describe the haircut: takeourword.com, whoever they are, pins its origin to the "term of derision, mullethead, which comes from the name of a fish that has a large, flat head. It was thought to look stupid, and so the name mullethead came to be used to describe anyone considered dull or stupid. It dates in the written record with this meaning from 1857. This use of mullethead was shortened in the 20th century to mullet, retaining the same meaning, and that is thought to be the source of the haircut name."
The explanation itself seems stupid enough to be right. Multiple sources also credit Mike D of the Beastie Boys with first using "mullet" to describe the haircut in print via the band's Grand Royal magazine, roundly dissing the do and injecting the term into pop culture lingo forever. When and where the haircut itself originated is a mystery best left unsolved.
Your next question might be "why honor the bastard son of all haircuts on a classy music blog like The Eighth Nerve?" That's easy, if a little embarrassing. I was born and raised in Kentucky with an adolescence that spanned the mid-eighties. As if that's not enough to guarantee me a mullet before puberty, and it is, I also played soccer and listened to lots of Def Leppard. My two best friends in high school played hockey and drove an I-Roc Z respectively. We all had mullets, though we didn't know what to call them at the time - our barbers were simply instructed to "make the front look nice, but leave the back."
It's easy to forget that the mullet wasn't always associated with trailer parks, white trash and dykes on Harleys - the stigma didn't really kick in until the early 90s which means it didn't reach Kentucky until - well, ever. In its heyday the mullet represented common ground for jocks and rockers, city-folk and trailer trash alike. Whatever their non-haircut differences, people wore mullets to say they wanted to have a good time and they liked their rock-n-roll. That's right, like all cultural phenomena the mullet has a soundtrack. So here it is - of its time, a little nostalgiac, and wholey reflective of our current sentiments on the subject (and in no particular order) - 25 Songs Of The Mullet!
Desert(ed) Island Listening
[Mar 1]First things first: Is it Deserted Island or Desert Island? Am I to imagine being stranded on a tropical oasis with swaying palm trees, water falls and white-sand beaches or am I stuck on a barren strip of sand hovering just above sea level?
Either way you know the place and its significance. This is where we go to make life's really important decisions. For instance, if you were stranded on a desert(ed) island and could bring along one historical figure, ANY historical figure, who would it be? If you could only bring one book? Eat one food?* You get the idea, right?
So here's the situation: You're stranded on this hypothetical island with or without coconut trees and your only companions are are portable CD player and a giant box of batteries. As you etch tiny lines into the player's plastic case to keep track of the passing days which albums will you be longing for? A deserted island wishlist may not always include the best and brightest moments in popular music but your favorites, those indispensable standbys and perennial personal greats, are sure to be represented. Here is a realistic look at 100 albums I would rather not do without...
Mid-Decade Review: The 50 Best Albums of 2000-2004
[Feb 10]I fully intended to present a mid-decade review nearer the end of this year at what I imagined to be the end of the beginning of the decade. Then I did the math and realized we're there! Plus I saw that Sylus and Pitchfork already had their halfway to 2010 spots up and thought gee, might as well. So I hemmed and hawed and thought good-n-hard on it and I came up with this here list: a Mid-Decade Review of The Best Albums released between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2004. (The sticklers among you may notice some revisions of rankings from earlier lists - Best Albums of 2003, 2004. These have occured in full knowledge of the numeric discrepancies and with the full benefit of time and new entries...)
Rock'n'Roll Baby Names
[Feb 1]As many of my loyal readers / friends already know Amy and I are having a baby. With a new little one on the way the pressure is on to find a great name. (see how YOU can participate)
Record bins and radio waves are littered with the same run-of-the-mill names you get in temp pools and day cares, but there are always a few stand outs. I’ve assembled an abbreviated list of candidates for your consideration...
20 Best Albums of 2004
[Jan 1]You had to guess it was coming - an end-of-the-year ranking of the year's best albums! It was a good year for music with a tough race for the #1 slot and a relatively late entry taking the prize by a clear margin. So, in the spirit of eating your dessert first...
Kyle's Totally Shameless Twelve Days of Music Wish List, 2004 Edition
[Dec 1]In keeping with the Christmas tradition of asking for things you don't need and the equally important American tradition of crass and offensive behavior around the holidays (or any day) I offer you this - my Twelve Days of Music Wish List, 2004. Because Christmas comes just once a year and greed knows no age.
1. Whiskeytown “Strangers Almanac”
2. Physics “1”
3. Rachels “Systems/Layers”
4. Pine Valley Cosmonauts “The Executioner’s Last Song Vol. 2-3”
5. The Books “Thought For Food”
6. Billy Schuh and the Foundry “Fathers As Robots”
7. Greg Davis “Arbor”
8. Charlemagne "Charlemagne"
9. Wilco “The Wilco Book” (book and cd)
10. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band “Will The Circle Be Unbroken – The Trilogy” box set
11. various artists “Kentucky Mountain Music” box set
12. Sufjan Stevens “Seven Swans”
Should the spirit strike you, and may it do so gently, you can find most of these titles at amazon.com, and if they don't have it you should be able to find it at tonevendor. Happy Holidays, and thank you for letting me do your shopping for me for you. For me.
22 Guilty Pleasures
[Nov 1]So here they are, my Top 22 Guilty Pleasures. For a reminder of what makes these selections oh so guilty go to Guilty as Charged. And remember, be careful with your pointing and laughing Mr. & Ms. Secretly-listens-to-Chaka Khan. Enjoy...
Buyer Beware! 30 Albums to Avoid
[Oct 1]I am assuming at this point that you feel remorse for having bought that Vanilla Ice tape when it first came out and that your interest in Britney, Ricky, Justin or Shakira is purely sexual. Still, there are some popular music pot-holes out there and a powerful media machine driving people like you and me into them every day.
I wouldn’t be a very good friend or arbiter of taste if I didn’t warn you about a few things - and I do so with only the slightest hint of snobbery since this, like my other lists, is compiled from music in my own collection. That's right, these are things I actually bought at some point only to regret today.
For a refresher on the rules please refer to Buying Music: The Rules.
40 Best Albums of 2003
[Sep 1]Sure, to those in the know I wasn't publishing this site way back in ought three, but that doesn't mean I wasn't keeping track. So here's a little revisionist list-posting for ya...
1. The Shins “Chutes Too Narrow” (see review)
2. A Frames “2”
3. The Books “The Lemon Of Pink”
4. Sujfan Stevens “Greetings From Michigan: The Great Lake State”
5. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy “Master And Everyone”
6. My Morning Jacket “It Still Moves”
7. The Microphones “Mount Eerie”
8. New Pornographers “Electric Version”
9. Jay-Z “The Black Album”
10. Jayhawks “Rainy Day Music”
11. Pretty Girls Make Graves “The New Romance”
12. various artists “Down in the Basement: Joe Bussard's Treasure Trove...”
13. The Fiery Furnaces “Gallowbird’s Bark”
14. Holopaw s/t
15. The White Stripes “Elephant”
16. Black Keys “thickfreakness”
17. Grandaddy “Sumday”
18. Wilco “Australian EP”
19. Super Furry Animals “Phantom Power”
20. Outkast “Speakerboxxx / The Love Below”
21. Jay Farrar / various artists “The Slaughter Rule Soundtrack”
22. Rufus Wainwright “Want One”
23. Manitoba “Up In Flames”
24. Death Cab For Cutie “Transatlanticism”
25. The Postal Service “Give Up”
26. Gillian Welch “Soul Journey”
27. Kills “Keep On Your Mean Side”
28. Radiohead “Hail To The Thief”
29. Steve Burns “Songs For Dustmites”
30. Jay Farrar “Terroir Blues”
31. The Strokes “Room On Fire”
32. Mouse on Mars “Rost Pocks: The EP Collection”
33. Iron & Wine “The Sea & The Rhythm EP”
34. Clearlake “Cedars”
35. Blur “Think Tank”
36. Earlimart “Everyone Down Here”
37. Ryan Adams “Love Is Hell Pt. 1 / Pt. 2”
38. Flaming Lips “Fight Test EP”
39. The Swords Project “Entertainment Is Over If You Want It”
40. The Autumn Defense “Circles”
Lists are culled from my personal library and reflect what I listen to, so there are likely to be a few key omissions. If you feel I have overlooked something of great importance or have given your favorite artist short shrift I'd love to hear about it. Better yet, send me the album.
Six Degrees of Emmylou Harris
[Aug 1]If you’re a fan of country music, and even if you’re not, you probably know who Emmylou Harris is. Most importantly there is her unique voice, beautiful, weightless, mournful and wholly her own. Then there is her remarkable long white hair. What I find myself drawn to is her tendency to pop up on so many albums by other people. She seems willing to lend her talent in duet or support of any artist who asks, spreading her long-standing country cred to a new generation in the process. From Gram Parsons and Willie Nelson to Ryan Adams and Beth Orton, Emmylou is out there doing what she does best, making other people sound good by sounding great with them. So, in lieu of a traditional list I present to you a new twist on a familiar game you can play at home or at parties. Look how easy it can be!
Emmylou Harris to Heavy Metal in 4 moves:
Emmylou made two albums with the “Trio” of Linda Ronstadt and…
…Dolly Parton, who put her assets to good use in “The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas” with the man, the myth, the mustache…
…Burt Reynolds, who pimped his way back into celebrity favor in “Boogie Nights” starring…
…Mark Wahlberg’s giant fake penis. Mark also plays a fan-turned-rockstar in “Rockstar,” based on the story of Rob Halford’s fall from grace with metal mainstay…
…Judas Priest!
Emmylou Harris to Eminem in 3 moves:
She sang on the six zillion selling soundtrack to “O, Brother Where Art Thou?” starring…
…George Clooney, who you might remember from “ER,” now featuring…
…Mikai Pfeiffer, who co-stars in “8 Mile” with your least favorite favorite hip-hop entrepreneur…
…Eminem…
Or, for musical purists…
Emmylou Harris to Eminem, in 6 moves - no movies:
She sings backup on “Oh My Sweet Carolina” on “Heartbreaker,” the essential solo debut by…
…Ryan Adams, who, in true spoiled drunken prematurely famous and ill-adjusted rock-star style, yells nasty words on stage at fellow hip young alt-whatever-music trend setter…
…Jack White of the White Stripes, who receives kind mention from the strangest place any of us can hope to find ourselves one day, the title of a song by…
…The Flaming Lips, whose oddly sweet “Thank You Jack White (For The Fiber-Optic Jesus That You Gave Me)” appears among other aberrant numbers on their “Fight Test” ep. But wait, it gets weirder. During a January 2003 performance on “Top of Pops” The Lips were joined on stage by guest bass “player”…
…Justin Timberlake! JT’s mega smash Britney bash “Cry Me a River” features…
…Timbaland, and it's just too easy from here since rappers drop lines on other MC’s tracks like you or I drop chewed gum. Timbaland appears with Dr. Dre on “Say What You Say” by…
…Eminem
Emmylou Harris to New York Punk, in 5 moves:
Her landmark album “Wrecking Ball” was given signature production by…
…Daniel Lanois, who also produced that modest little Irish band…
…U2, who are featured on the soundtrack to “Far Away, So Close” by...
...Wim Wenders, a film which features an on-screen performance by…
…Lou Reed, who helped lay New York’s pre-punk bedrock with…
…The Velvet Underground. (For Pop-Culture Bonus Points: Andy Warhol did their album cover AND paintings of Marilyn Monroe who in turn did JFK! That's some good company Emmylou!)
Emmylou Harris to The Matrix, in 6 moves:
The title track on “Wrecking Ball” is a cover of the classic by…
…Neil Young, who later recorded the album "Mirror Ball" with…
…Pearl Jam, who played in Temple of the Dog with, among others…
…Soundgarden, whose singer now fronts…
…Audioslave, which is really…
…Rage Against the Machine minus Zach la Rocha (so it's mostly just the machine), but while Rage was still raging they contributed to the soundtrack of…
…The Matrix. I, too, know Kung Fu.
Emmylou Harris to Disco, in 6 moves:
Back to “Wrecking Ball,” where she covers “Waterfall” by…
…Jimi Hendrix who ruined a perfectly good fire with all that guitar playing at Woodstock, where everyone stood up and went to the bathroom when…
…Sha Na Na took the stage. Yes, they were really there. They were also in "Grease," starring…
…Olivia Newton John and that guy, what’s his name… and technically speaking I could stop there, but it gets waaay more disco when you discover that miss Newton John sang a duet with…
…Andy Gibb on his “After Dark” album - no, I don’t own that one - and he was a Brother Gibb, which brings us to…
…The Bee Gees… but wait, there’s more! In 1978 The Bee Gees lost Billboard's International Disco Forum “Disco Group of the Year” award to…
…The Village People, and it doesn’t get more disco than that.
(I swear I didn’t make any of that up.)
Wasn’t that fun!? Now who wants to help alphabetize the contents of my refrigerator?
If Musicians Played Cars... Vol. 3
[Jul 1]Finally, a list of songs about cars with some cars in it!
Vol. 3: Mean Machines
1. "409" Beach Boys
2. "Pontiac" Lyle Lovett
3. "Piece of Crap" Neil Young
4. "Big Black Car" Big Star
5. "GTO" Ronny & The Daytonas
6. "Ford Mustang" Serge Gainsbourg
7. "Jeepster" T.Rex
8. "18 Wheels & a Crowbar" BR549
9. “Voodoo Cadillac” Southern Culture on the Skids
10. “El Caminos in the West” Grandaddy
11. "Red Chevrolet" Jimmie Dale Gilmore
12. "Five-0 Ford" Reverend Horton Heat
13. "Heaven is a Truck" Pavement
14. "$1000 Car" Bottlerockets
15. "18 Wheels & a Dozen Roses" Kathy Mattea
16. "Model T Ford" Rhythm Pigs
17. "My General Lee" The Untamed Youth
18. "My Impala '65" Red Aunts
19. "Delorean" Rocket From the Crypt
20. "67 Valient" The Brodys
Lists are culled from my personal library and reflect what I listen to, so there are likely to be a few key omissions. If you feel I have overlooked something of great importance or have given your favorite artist short shrift I'd love to hear about it. Better yet, send me the album.
If Musicians Played Cars... Vols. 4 - 5
[Jul 1]...and wrapping things up, a look at how we got where we are and what we lost along the way. I hope you enjoyed the trip.
Vol. 4: En Route
1. “Drive” REM
2. "Snake Drive" RL Burnside
3. “Radar Love” Golden Earring
4. "Pass You By" Gillian Welch
5. "Free to Go" Folk Implosion
6. "Drive All Over Town" Elliott Smith
7. "Let Me Drive" Sue Foley
8. "Behind the Wheel" Depeche Mode
9. "The Last Ride" Richard Buckner
10. "Motor Away" Guided By Voices
Vol. 5: Spare Parts
1. "Satan is My Motor" Cake
2. "If I Only Had a Car" Golden Smog
3. "Car" Built to Spill
4. "Arthur's Car" Ides of Space
5. "Ride" Liz Phair
6. “Car Song” Elastica
7. "Out of Gas" Modest Mouse
8. "Passenger Side" Wilco
9. "Stolen Car" Beth Orton
10. "Take Me To the Backseat" The Donnas
Lists are culled from my personal library and reflect what I listen to, so there are likely to be a few key omissions. If you feel I have overlooked something of great importance or have given your favorite artist short shrift I'd love to hear about it. Better yet, send me the album.
If Musicians Played Cars Would They Sing About Guitars? Vol. 1
[Jun 1]Is there anything more American than rock and roll? Okay, more American than apple pie, baseball, corporate greed and rock and roll? Yes, the automobile, as evidenced by the insane culture we’ve built around it (says the very sane man who would sooner undergo elective surgery than sell his ‘88 Landcruiser). We love our cars so much that sometimes we just have to sing songs about them and the world of back-roads and cup-holders we’ve built to keep them happy.
There is so much material on the subject, in fact, that I’ve had to break the list into sub-categories and omit numerous excellent songs by bands who have made the Car Song their bread and butter. Thanks to Cake, Modest Mouse, Gearhead Records and the entire country music industry for devoting a disproportionate amount of time and energy to Cars and Driving. This one's for you!
Vol. 1: Classic Models
1. "Panama" Van Halen
2. "Drive My Car" Beatles
3. "King of the Road" Roger Miller
4. "On the Road Again" Willie Nelson
5. "Low Rider" War
6. "Highway to Hell" AC-DC
7. "Cars" Gary Numan
8. "Little Deuce Coup" Beach Boys
9. "Get Your Kicks on Route 66" Bobby Troupe
10. "Red Barchetta" Rush
11. "Old '55" Tom Waits
12. "Highway Kind" Townes Van Zandt
13. “Thunder Road” Bruce Springsteen
14. "Drive" The Cars
15. "Truckin" Grateful Dead
16. "Down the Highway" Bob Dylan
17. "I Can't Drive 55" Sammy Hagar
18. "Take Me Home, Country Roads" John Denver
19. "Rockin' Down the Highway" Doobie Brothers
20. “Brand New Cadillac” The Clash
Lists are culled from my personal library and reflect what I listen to, so there are likely to be a few key omissions. If you feel I have overlooked something of great importance or have given your favorite artist short shrift I'd love to hear about it. Better yet, send me the album.
If Musicians Played Cars... Vol. 2
[Jun 1]Our continuing saga into songs about car culture takes to the highway...
Vol. 2: Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?
1. "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" Lucinda Williams
2. "Amarillo Highway" Robert Earle Keen
3. "Interstate Love Song" Stone Temple Pilots
4. "Road Leads Where It's Led" Secret Machines
5. "Main Road" Victoria Williams
6. "Highway 61" X
7. "Hillbilly Highway" Steve Earle
8. "Dirt Track Date" Southern Culture on the Skids
9. "Route" Son Volt
10. "Motorway to Roswell" Pixies
11. "Red Barn Road" Greg Davis
12. "The Long Winding Road" Beatles
13. “Indie 500” The Wrens
14. "Rocking Horse Road" Elvis Costello
15. "Lonesome Road" Junior Kimbrough
16. "The Hard Road" Smog
17. "Out on the Road" Jay Farrar
18. "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road" Afghan Whigs
19. "Cross the Road, Molina" Songs: Ohia
20. "Big Road" Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Lists are culled from my personal library and reflect what I listen to, so there are likely to be a few key omissions. If you feel I have overlooked something of great importance or have given your favorite artist short shrift I'd love to hear about it. Better yet, send me the album.
40 Songs on the Subject of Getting Drunk
[May 1]As an artist I must apologize for this list's lack of integrity. True commitment on my part would have required me to write this while drunk, and I am not. It has been suggested, though only by me, that this list - the whole site, really - would be best appreciated by you the friendly reader while you are drunk or on your way to becoming so. Perhaps together we could really make this into something. Bottoms up...
"Alcohol" Barenaked Ladies
“Why Don’t We Get Drunk” Jimmy Buffett
"Drinking On Your Dime" Jay Bennett & Edward Burch
"The Days of Wine and Booze" The Minus 5
“The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism” New Pornographers
"We Drink on the Job" Earlimart
"Drank Like a River" Whiskeytown
"Liquored Up and Lacquered Down" Southern Culture on the Skids
"Beercan" Beck
"Bubble in my Beer" Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys
“Margaritaville” Jimmy Buffett
“Bathtub Gin” Phish
“Pass the Courvoisier” Busta Rhymes
"Lilac Wine" Jeff Buckley
“Kiwi Maddog 20/20” Elliott Smith
"Rub Alcohol Blues" The Fiery Furnaces
"Trickle of Whiskey" Caitlin Cary
"Whiskey Bottle" Uncle Tupelo
“Whiskey River” Willie Nelson
"Whiskey Girl" Gillian Welch
“Wild Whiskey” Comets on Fire
"Cigarettes, Whiskey and Wild Wild Women" Jim Croce
"Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)" The Doors
"Take Your Whiskey Home" Van Halen
“Whiskey for Supper” Original Sinners
“Coalmine Moonshine” Metropolitan Blues Allstars
“Tear My Stillhouse Down” Gillian Welch
"Ted's So Wasted" Oh Susanna
"Drunk" Vic Chesnutt
"Drunk In Carthage" ee
“Long Distance Drunk” Modest Mouse
“Mom’s Drunk” The Amps
“Sloppy Drunk” B.B. King
"Our First Drunk Dream" Pinetop Seven
"Too Drunk to Dream" Whiskeytown
“Too Drunk to Fuck” Dead Kennedys
"The Piano Has Been Drinking" Tom Waits
"Drinking Artist" Fuck
"Drunk And Lonesome (Again)" Southern Culture on the Skids
"Hangover Nine" Chocolate Genius
Lists are culled from my personal library and reflect what I listen to, so there are likely to be a few key omissions. If you feel I have overlooked something of great importance or have given your favorite artist short shrift I'd love to hear about it. Better yet, send me the album.
20 Best Song Titles Ever!
[Apr 1]I know it's hard to imagine that these really are the BEST Song Titles Ever beacuse there are simply too many to consider. However, since calling them my "favorites" seemed like a cop out and a list of 20 Really Cool Song Titles hardly says "read me" we're left with superlatives and the understanding that my pool is relatively small and these things are subject to change. Entries run from the ridiculous to the pointed, poetic to profain - a little to my surprise I found myself leaning heavily on the vulgar, so enjoy!
1. “Fucking with Beautiful Posture” Rye Coalition
2. “Grown Men Don’t Fall In The River, Just Like That” Liars
3. “Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)” Otis Redding
4. “Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down” Interpol
5. “John, I’m Only Dancing” David Bowie
6. “Say Yes! To M!ch!gan” Sufjan Stevens
7. “Mr. You’re on Fire Mr.” Liars
8. “Hello, I Love You” The Doors
9. "Why Don’t We Do It in the Road” Beatles
10.“The Cup is Fierce” Paul Newman
11.“You Enjoy Myself” Phish
12.“If We Can Land a Man on the Moon, Surely I Can Win Your Heart” Beulah
13.“Good Luck in Jail” Drive Like Jehu
14.“You Have Cum in Your Hair and Your Dick Is Hanging Out” Palace
15.“Dress Sexy at My Funeral” Smog
16.“Fuck and Run” Liz Phair
17.“Come Back To Us Barbara Lewis Hare Krishna Beauregard” John Prine
18.“Naughty Fatalist” Vic Chestnut
19.“(No More) Salted Beef” Replicator
20.“Know Your Onion!” The Shins
Lists are culled from my personal library and reflect what I listen to, so there are likely to be a few key omissions. If you feel I have overlooked something of great importance or have given your favorite artist short shrift I'd love to hear about it. Better yet, send me the album.