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| notes from underground - societal whispers all the news that print will fit. |
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Sunday, July 07, 2002 np: the silence only dis-comfort can bring. to sum up what i've been concentrating on lately: the jayhawks - sound of lies : a record i had skipped over a lot in my collection until one night, having my fervor for the jayhawks re-ignited through various live shows of them i've seen recently, i tossed it in and fell in love all over again. it's a positively brilliant record and thoroughly proved gary louris could go on without mark olson by his side. it's more complex than smile would be and is leagues darker. the song, "sound of lies," opens with the haunting image: "it's a matter of time/before i fall in the middle/uptown.." it's breathtaking. the whole album is mesmerizing. bob dylan - bringing it all back home : probably not an album that needs any more praise than it already has. but i'm sure it's impossible to overemphasize how important most of dylan's records are, especially this one. it was the first to use an electric backing band and the focus of dylan's work began its shift from very general social commentary to very focused and personal narratives and emotions, while still talking up similar subject matter. the first side features his great band and slams through classics like "subterranean homesick blues," "maggie's farm," and "she belongs to me," while the second side falls back to his solo acoustic sound. but even the 'traditional' sound has new feelings as the songs plumb new depths. "mr. tambourine man," "gates of eden," "it's alright, ma (i'm only bleeding)" and "it's all over now, baby blue" are unbelieveable. and so is this record. the norton anthology of modern poetry : who knew, right? so many brilliant poets. i've been teaching my kids bits and pieces of poetry (frost, cummings, etc.) and was looking through this book one day and read some really amazing poets that i hadn't heard of before. words are so beautiful. ryan adams - "to be young (is to be sad, to be high)" : goddamn him for writing good music. he's such an arse. at least i can take solace in, as good as gold is, not a single song on it holds a candle to "damn, sam, i love a woman that rains" or this song, both from his heartbreaker album. josh ritter - the golden age of radio : if you haven't heard of this guy yet, go listen to him and then tell me how brilliant he is. america is chock full of amazing songwriters from all corners and they just keep popping up. corporate music-monopoly cannot stamp them out. and now, on august fifteenth, six days before i turn twenty-one, paul westerberg is going to be playing in chapel hill. i'm too excited for words. good shows abound around my birthday. on the day before my birthday, in 1996, the day before i turned fifteen, i saw toad the wet sprocket for the first and only time i would see them together. it's hard to say exactly why paul westerberg's music means what it means to me. we're talking about a man whose cannon extends through 12+ albums now, counting his work with the replacements. i don't listen to all of his work obsessively as some people do with their favourite artists. there are just times where nothing will satiate like he does. nothing catches those whistful thoughts of unrequited lust/love like "skyway," or when you ache to reach for the right words to eulogize a friend, sometimes only "here comes a regular" can do it. when i want to feel that hopeless sense of hope and fervor, "left of the dial" reaches me in ways i can't explain. and you know that "alex chilton"'s sing-along chorus, and the romance of "within your reach" are without peer in their honesty and style. in the midsts of all this, a serious note: go read michael moore's stupid white men...and other sorry excuses for the station of the nation. prepare to be angry. prepare to take action. cos the revolution will come down. hopefully within our lifetimes. it's time to end the charade and start caring about people again. god bless and keep you all. posted by J. Neas | 7/07/2002 02:29:00 AM
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