Tuesday, September 25, 2012

If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Street Date: 9/25/12



JOHN HIATT- MYSTIC PINBALL

It feels like I was just writing about the brilliance of John Hiatt's "Dirty Jeans & Mudslide Hymns." That record was a favorite of last year and is still in moderate rotation over here at Casa de Goofball. Now comes "Mystic Pinball," sooner than I expected.  I had fears of a hastily released collection of leftovers. But fear not. This is rock solid.

John Hiatt has always been very consistent. So consistent, that many of his albums often appear interchangeable on the surface. But he is a much better songwriter than that, and lately, starting with 2008's "Same Old Man," Hiatt's mojo has been working overtime.

"Mystic Pinball" does however follow almost exactly where "Dirty Jeans" left off, but that's quite alright. Hiatt sounds fantastic and songs like the opener "We're Alright Now," "It All Comes Back Someday" and "One Of Them Damn Days" are big and bold and filled with Hiatt's legendary wordplay and hook-filled choruses. And "I Know How To Lose You," at least for me, is worthy of a seat right next to Hiatt's best ballads. This is a great, great record.








GREEN DAY- ¡UNO!


Green Day sure say "fuck" alot on this record. I mean, it's kind of a distraction, like getting HBO for the first time in 1975.  It's not that I'm easily offended. Fuck no. It's just that it happens so often, I'm skeptical about whether these songs were originally written with all the "fucks," or if the band added all the "fucks" later.

That said, "¡Uno!" clocks in at a very fast and very meaty 40 minutes. Green Day have come along way from punks to Broadway stars. They are arguably the biggest rock band in the world these days, and "¡Uno!," the first of a promised trilogy, is a big time start.

With the exception of "Kill The DJ," the weakest track and the song employing the most annoying collection of "fucks," everything on this record is a blast. "Carpe Diem," "Let Yourself Go," and the closing trio of "Sweet 16," "Rusty James," and "Oh Love" will stick to your brain and not let go.





DWIGHT YOAKAM- 3 PEARS

I'll keep this simple. This is Dwight's best record in years and it is currently in contention to finish in my Top 5 of the year.  Please BUY THIS ONE NOW!




OTHER STUFF


Mumford & Sons have a new one out. I haven't gotten to "Babel" yet, but I adored their debut and look forward to ripping it open as soon as the mail gets here.


And last week, one of my very faves, Rickie Lee Jones released a collection of covers called "The Devil You Know." I'm sorry to report, I found it unlistenable. If you were never a fan of Rickie Lee's hippie slur in the first place, this will send you running for safety. Try getting through "Sympathy For The Devil" without thinking oral surgery might be less painful.

5 comments:

Gene Oberto said...

Totally in agreement with you on John Hiatt's "Mystic Pinball." It shames me to know that I wasn't on his bandwagon until "bring the Family."

There is a sameness to Hiatt, but unlike some other artists, Hiatt's sameness is like a smooth double play or a silky jump shot. It just is right and recognizable when you see it, the execution is flawless and the outcome is always delivered.

ASH On The Beat said...

I always think of Hiatt as the American Nick Lowe and vice verca.

You know what you are getting but it doesn't spoil the enjoyment, in fact you'd be a bit disappointed if you got something left field.

Green Day though are just nothingness to these ears. I don't dislike them, they just don't concern me.

Very overrated.

Anonymous said...

Loving the Hiatt as well. I always love his work, but this one seems to be something very special indeed.
The HBO analogy in your Green Day review was genius.

stu said...

agree about Dwight Yoakam's 3 Pears: lotta hiccuppin' goin' on...

pattirules said...

i totally agree with you about the rickie lee . she sounds like and old drunk who cant hold a note. wthell happened to her? was a big fan. this disc sounds like death infused in every terrible rendition.