MOSE ALLISON- WAY OF THE WORLD
After a 12 year absence, the great Mose Allison is back with Joe Henry in the producer's chair. Mose sounds great...for 82, and Joe Henry as always, ups the ante.
Hey Joe, if you're reading, how about pulling Bill Withers out of retirement, or maybe a philly soul record with Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren?
THE BIRD & THE BEE- INTERPRETING THE MASTERS VOL.1 (Hall & Oates)
Cute, trendy, and oh so ironic, the duo spends the entire record sucking the life out of the Hall & Oates catalogue. This type of crap is really the type of crap that pisses the crap out of me. H&O aren't cool enough for the hipsters to like on their own, but I assure you NOW they will be humming "Rich Girl" on their way to Tokidoki. F**k off! Buy "Abandoned Luncheonette" or "Change Of Season" instead.
GOLDFRAPP- HEAD FIRST
One of the better electronica bands (duo, actually) out there, Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory are back with their fifth. Haven't heard it, so it's safe for now.
PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS- COMPLETE COLUMBIA SINGLES (3 CD SET)
All 62 commercially released A & B sides are here, remastered and painstakingly annotated by Ed Osborne. (Was "Crisco Party" a single?)
SHE & HIM- VOLUME TWO
M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel are back with another collection of sunshine pop. Deschanel's voice is irresistible and M. Ward's ok, too. Plus, they cover NRBQ's "Riding In My Car." That's good enough for me.
Here's a little audio treat from Zooey Deschanel.
THE UNTHANKS- HERE'S THE TENDER COMING
Thanks to Mojo Magazine throwing out 5 star reviews like rice at a wedding, I jumped right on The Unthanks last record. $22 from Amazon UK. Me, sucker. It seems these guys have some heavy duty fans--Radiohead, Portishead, Robert Wyatthead, Ben Foldshead, and Ewan McGregorhead. Ol' fathead here finds them grating and unpleasant.
14 comments:
Ah Zooey Deschanel.
That's all I've got to say...
:-)
I would recommend "Along the Red Ledge" for my Hall & Oates fix. It's aLaugh is one of my all time favorites.
Hey, Sal, i don't think the She and Him clip is working.
Anthony Lazzari
What's happening on your end, Anthony? Looks good over here.
It's working fine now Sal, thanks!
Anthony Lazzari
I was just thinking about Mose the other day. Really happy to see he's still with us (and still making music!).
Longtime reader, first time caller here.........
Why so hard on the Bird & the Bee? I haven't heard the new album but their other ones have their moments. If they expose the young hipsters to Hall and Oates music, who cares how they're presenting it? Obviously they like H&O, otherwise they wouldn't have bothered to cover a whole record's worth of their songs.
And you've got to admit, Oates' mustache, Hall's pompadour, and all their videos are pretty ridiculous, looking back.
I remember back in the day, a lot of people were annoyed with H&O for doing a record with David Ruffin & Eddie Kendricks. The world didn't end back then (even though that record was kind of annoying) and it won't end now. Have a beer. Relax. Don't let the bastards get you down.
Roy Bivins
Roy,
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Didn't mean to scare you. I am relaxed, I just get fired up, especially when I feel strongly about something, one way or the other.
The Bird & The Bee may have had some moments on past records, but I stand by what I said. Every song on this H&O "tribute" has the same, lazy arrangement. It's dull. It's hip for the sake of hip. I don't hear a sincere note anywhere.
And I admit to having a bit of a sore spot when it comes to the hipsters. Just like I don't buy it that The White Stripes turned the "kids" onto Son House and Muddy Waters, I don't see a rush on H&O records coming on the heels of this release, either. I see irony.
The fact you point out a funny moustache and bad videos says a lot. They also made some great records.
Again, thanks for your input.
Also,
you do make a good point. I have no idea if The Bird & The Bee's interpretations were meant to be ironic. You're right. They may love H&O. I just don't like hipsters.
Re: The Bird & The Bee
Agree with you totally on the H&O covers. Just sounds lazy and tired and not the treatment these songs deserve. That being said, I did like the originals (I assume) on the album. Nice pop fluff. Now about this hipster thing. Are we going to have a repeat of out indie discussion?
We don't have to Carl. We could let it be, though I admit I think the hipster scene and this completely bogus folkie-hippie scene is one big in-joke. And no one likes an in-joke.
It all boils down to one thing, I just don't think the music is any good. Throw enormous hype into the mix, and you have one cranky blogger.
I'd like credit for listening to everything and giving everything a chance. It's not as if I am holding on tight to my Motown Box.
Steve, over at the always entertaining Power Pop, said it best here:
http://powerpop.blogspot.com/2010/02/weekend-listomania-special-young-and.html
"Pet Peeves -- The Trend, Person, Thing, Group, Song or Whatever in Post-Elvis Pop/Rock That You Find or Have Found Thoroughly Irksome!"
OK SAl,
Pursuant to your request, here are my highlights for our 2010 Not SXSW
festival :
Jon Dee Graham @ Joe's Bar & Grill
Gary P. Nunn @ The Saxon Pub
Chip Taylor @ Opal Divine's
Ray Wylie Hubbard @ Jovita's
John Hiatt @ Waterloo Record's Parking Lot
Jim Stringer @ Opal Divines
Due to economic circumstances, my group was reduced to 10 this year...Austin welcomed us with open arms....Honestly, Austinites are the most friendly people I have ever met...
Meanstreets " out " ....
Sal: I'd never heard a note by The Unthanks until I saw them live at SXSW (3/19, St. David's Church). They were superb -- "The Testimony of Patience Crenshaw" nearly brought tears to my eyes. The music felt rooted in a deeper and richer tradition than almost anything in contemporary American pop or rock. BTW, the Unthank sisters Becky and Rachel hail from Tyneside, Newcastle -- the birthplace of Eric Burdon.
ANON--
I never doubted the power of a live performance. Glad you were moved. There's something truly special about being part of that live moment. Unfortunately, I didn't get it from the record.
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