What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World

     I can tell you the exact moment my opinion of Colin Meloy began to change...his cameo in Bob Mould's "I Don't Know You Anymore" video. Up to that point , I just considered him an insufferably pretentious singer who tried way too hard and took himself way too seriously. In 2006, my place of employment chose The Decemberists' album, The Crane Wife, as an in-store play and I couldn't stand it. Ordinarily, music that's literate and pretentious and arcane is right in my wheelhouse. However, there was something about Colin Meloy's voice and delivery that I just couldn't get past. The first time I watched the "I Don't Know You Anymore" video and Meloy entered the scene, I believe I audibly groaned and almost turned it off. I decided to tough it out because I wanted to hear the new Bob Mould song. Meloy's performance was a hilarious send-up of himself. He makes fun of Bob's flip phone and gives him advice as a indie rock "veteran".

     Now, fast forward to 2015. My employer chose The Decemberists' album, What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World for an in-store play. I still wasn't a Decemberists fan, but Colin Meloy had earned some good will with me. After a few listens, I had to admit that I was enjoying it. Sure, it still sounded pastoral at times and Meloy still employed words from the 18th Century SAT test, but it also had some great songwriting and guitar work. I decided to take a flyer and buy the LP and it's breathtaking on vinyl.
     Ironically for me, the fantastic opening track, "The Singer Addresses His Audience", is aimed at old fans of The Decemberists. He's explaining to them that he knows they don't want the band to change, but they have to change...some. The lyrics on the second verse are great: "We're aware that you cut your hair in the style that our drummer wore in the video/ but with fame came a mounting claim for evermore. You know. So when your bridal processional is a televised confessional to the benefits of Axe Shampoo, you know we did it for you. We did it all for you".
     The formatting of the LP is interesting. It's a 2 LP package, but there are only three sides. The fourth side has some stars and comets and an all seeing eye etched on it. My favorite song is "Mistral". The first line is "So we already wrecked the rental car and I've already lost my way". I was trying to imagine what Colin Meloy would consider as wrecking a rental car. Maybe he spilled some of his Caramel Machiato on the passenger seat. Anyhow, it features a catchy chorus, some great background vocals and exceptional band play. My one gripe with The Decemberists is that drummer John Moen is woefully underutilized. I know for a fact from his work in side projects like Boston Spaceships and Eyelids that he's a really good rock drummer. He does manage to get loud on the album's closing track, "A Beginning Song". It's probably my second favorite song and closes out with a bombastic flourish reminiscent of Neutral Milk Hotel. I highly recommend What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World, especially on LP. I might even go back and give some of their old albums a listen, except The Crane Wife. Peace.

Rock Hall Class of 2015

     I think my New Year's resolution for 2015 will be to stop posting about The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's a laudable goal. I should have the serenity to accept the things I can not change. The Rock Hall Foundation will continue to nominate and induct whomever they see fit and no amount of complaining by anyone will change that fact. They thrive on the publicity and controversy. Sadly, like all my previous resolutions, it probably won't be kept.
     First, congratulations to the Class of 2015: Green Day, Lou Reed, SRV and Double Trouble, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Bill Withers and Paul Butterfield Blues Band. They are all talented musicians with loyal fanbases. In essence, the Rock Hall is about the fans. I'm sure the artists are honored by the recognition, but the fans receive validation for their taste in music. That's also why there is so much outrage and vitriol every year when individuals favorite bands aren't nominated or inducted. For my friend, John, it's Motley Crue. For millions of people it's Deep Purple. Sound Mind readers know I was one of those people until Rush were finally inducted a couple years ago. Hell, if I were the Gatekeeper bands like Dinosaur Jr., The Pixies, Guided by Voices, The Flaming Lips and Teenage Fanclub would all be in the Rock Hall. However, that would make about 100,000 people ecstatic and everybody else in the world would be spewing venom about it on the interwebs. That's the nature of music fandom. It's subjective and arbitrary and the Rock Hall Foundation voters are certainly not immune. But, as The Stones said, "It's only rock and roll, but I like it". I like the concept of a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and I'm blessed to live in the city where it's located. So, despite all my past complaints and wishing that just one year they wouldn't induct anyone, I'm glad there's a Rock Hall. Having said that, here's my take on the Class of 2015.
     I didn't feel any of the nominees this year were crucial additions to the Hall of Fame, although I did vote for Green Day in the fan balloting. They have a strong resume through American Idiot and I don't have a problem with their induction. I will defer to the committee on Bill Withers and Paul Butterfield, because I know virtually nothing about either of them. I've stated several times in past Sound Mind posts that I don't get the whole Lou Reed thing. He's already in with The Velvet Underground and I think that's more than adequate. SRV was a tough call. I was a big fan thirty years ago, but his music hasn't aged very well in my opinion. I thought Joan Jett had a better case with The Runaways. With the Blackhearts she was more of a middle of the road, one hit wonder. Bottom line; not a great class.
     I guess my main complaint is if they've decided old bands like The Zombies, Deep Purple, Cheap Trick, Yes, The Smiths and Duran Duran aren't worthy of induction then, going forward, they should only consider newly eligible artists. If that means there are a few years where no one is inducted, so be it. I'd prefer that to forced quotas every year with marginal nominees. Other than Pearl Jam, Radiohead, The White Stripes and Foo Fighters, there aren't really anymore locks for induction.
     Finally, I want to give some love to Ringo Starr, who is receiving some kind of lifetime achievement induction. Ringo should have gone in as a nominated solo artist like John, Paul and George before him. He certainly has a better catalog than anyone who was inducted in this class. He has been unfairly written off as a bad drummer ("he's not even the best drummer in The Beatles"). He has never been taken seriously due to his goofy, happy go lucky personality. If I had been his manager over the past 25 years, I would have surrounded him with a talented group of musicians, like McCartney did, and perform that catalog all over the world. The All Star band thing just contributes to the idea that he's not a legitimate solo performer. I'm tempted to attend the induction just for Ringo. If I do, I'll definitely be breaking my resolution. Peace.
   

Third Annual Things I'm Thankful For Post

     In a moment of clarity during my haze of tryptophan and Lions' victory, I realized I hadn't written my annual Thanksgiving post. The past year has been pretty good, so here's what I'm thankful for...Go Lions!

* My family
* My friends
* Sweet Moses ice cream shop
* The Roderick on the Line podcast
* Judge John Hodgman
* Seeing John Hodgman perform
* John Hodgman signing my copy of "Areas of My Expertise"
* The Trews by Russell Brand
* Record Den
* Lucky Records
* Square Records
* Centro-matic reissuing Redo The Stack on LP
* Arrow- the TV show
* Franz Kafka
* Bacon
* Not being killed by a cop
* those stupid quizzes on facebook
* Miguel Cabrerra
* Megatron
* Andre Drummond
* Pavel Datsyuk
* Guided by Voices
* Centro-matic
* Courtney Barnett
* MST3K Turkey Day Marathon
* Tanqueray No. 10
* My wife who loves me despite all my non-sense and record buying. And she makes a mean Tom Collins.

     Seriously, meeting John Hodgman was both the most exciting and most mortifying thing that happened to me this year. I've posted before about my anxiety regarding asking someone for their autograph and how I've only done it once in my life. When it was my turn to have him sign my book, I froze up and mumbled incoherently about liking his podcast and thanked him for introducing me to the Roderick on the Line podcast. He couldn't have been nicer, but it was awkward. At least I didn't ask him what he thought of the hobo name I came up with; Tom Collins the Setlist Spoiler. Peace.

Led Zeppelin: Houses of the Holy

     When it was announced that the Led Zeppelin catalog was being remastered and reissued on 180 gram vinyl I was annoyed, but not surprised. It was inevitable during the great vinyl revival of the 2010's that record labels would cash in on this opportunity to resell albums by classic artists. Hell, The Beatles have already done it twice with the releases of the 2009 stereo remasters on vinyl and then the recent mono versions. Now don't get me wrong, I love that there is a resurgence in vinyl sales and I'm glad this stuff is available. I'm mainly annoyed with myself. I knew I could be strong and resist buying the Led Zeppelin reissues...until they reached my Zeppelin wheelhouse of Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffiti and Presence. Here's the thing. When I was a kid, I bought all the Zeppelin albums on cassette through the Columbia House record club. This format lasted me until last year when our basement flooded and my cassettes were destroyed. My friend Mike came to my rescue and sold me his old Zeppelin CD box sets, so it was all good. The cool thing about the box sets is they aren't in album order. So it's like having the Zeppelin catalog on shuffle. The drawback is sometimes you want to listen to Houses of the Holy. So, when this announcement was made, I knew Houses of the Holy would be Tom's Last Stand and I'd be buying buying their catalog again.
     My other minor annoyance is with the marketing. Why can't they just reissue the albums as they were originally intended? But no, let's have Jimmy Page dig through the vault for any never before heard demos and alternate versions so we can sell deluxe editions. Well, I don't play that. I was at the record store shortly after the first batch of reissues came out and they were playing the deluxe edition of Led Zeppelin I. What I heard was Zeppelin songs where Jimmy Page hadn't worked out the solo yet and the lyrics hadn't been finalized. Jimmy crack corn and I don't care. But if you're the guy who's into that sort of thing then free market capitalism wins again.
     So, after a few moments of hesitation over buying an LP with bare-assed Aryan children climbing around on rocks on the cover, I picked up the Houses of the Holy reissue. When I dropped the needle on "The Song Remains The Same" and Jimmy, Bonzo and John Paul Jones kick in it sounded exquisite. I seriously can't stress enough how good Zeppelin on 180 gram vinyl sounds. Admittedly, I'm weird, but Houses of the Holy is my favorite Zeppelin album. Physical Graffiti makes a strong case, but suffers a little from double LP syndrome. If it were distilled down to the best ten songs it would possibly be the best album of all time. When I was younger, ZOSO was my favorite, but like most people I developed a severe case of "Stairway" fatigue. Tremendous song, but I can go a long time without hearing it. I won't bore you by rehashing the songs on Houses. They are all classics that anyone reading Sound Mind knows inside out. I love the great moments though, like Page's strumming on "Over the Hills and Far Away", the lyrical imagery of "No Quarter" and the opening riff of "The Ocean". My favorite song in the set is "Dancing Days" which includes the fantastically bizarre line "I saw a lion, he was standing alone with a tadpole in a jar". Great line, but if anyone knows what that means, please let me know.
     I really feel that Houses of the Holy captures Zeppelin at the zenith of their songwriting prowess. Every member of the band delivers the best performance of their career, especially John Paul Jones. Not only is he a monster on bass, but his keyboard and arranging skills are unearthly. I can hardly wait for the releases of Physical Graffiti and Presence. Now, where's that confounded bridge? Peace.
     

With A Little Help From My Fwends

     History tells us when The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, in 1967, it blew everyone away. Jimi Hendrix covered the title track live the next night. The Fab Four had answered Pet Sounds. The critics, who claimed that The Beatles were done, were silenced. However, in the 21st Century, there has been some hipster revisionism asserting that Sgt. Pepper is not only The Beatles worst album, but a horrible album in general. Regardless of where the truth lies on that spectrum, Sgt. Pepper is an iconic album that would seem to defy a wholesale reinterpretation by another band. Luckily, someone forgot to tell The Flaming Lips and their intrepid band of "fwends".
     Obviously, The Beatles have been covered thousands of times. The Smithereens have  recorded whole album covers. Cheap Trick performed Sgt. Pepper, in its' entirety, in Las Vegas for a run of shows. Robin Zander's uniform is even in the Rock Hall as proof. This week, the Flaming Lips had the audacity to re-imagine Sgt. Pepper as an offhand charity project with the help of a variety of guest artists; including Miley Cyrus, Moby, My Morning Jacket, Tegan and Sara, Dr. Dog, J Mascis and Foxygen. It probably comes as a surprise to loyal Sound Mind readers that I'm even writing a post about this album. I've been on the record as not being a fan of Wayne Coyne's antics over the past couple years. I'd had it with gummy vaginas, zip drives in human skulls, Wayne's naked junk in videos, 24 hour long songs and album covers like Dark Side of the Moon. One could cynically argue that it's just another in a string of gimmicks design to garner publicity for the Flaming Lips. Until recently, I would have been one of those cynics. This change of heart is the actual point of my post. but first the music.
     What I like about With A Little Help From My Fwends is the way they respect Sgt. Pepper, but give it the Lips treatment. They preserve the sequencing and basic song structure, while using modern recording technology that was not available in 1967. For the most part, I could have done without the "fwends". I feel this would have been a better album had the Flaming Lips done it themselves. The one exception would be Miley Cyrus. Granted, she was given the best material in "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and "A Day in the Life", but she did a fantastic job. Her performance on LSD was uncanny and she also did the McCartney part on "A Day in the Life". Oddly, my favorite songs from Sgt. Pepper are my least favorite on Fwends and vice versa. For instance I love the title track on Sgt. Pepper, but tolerate the Ringo vehicle "With a Little Help from My Friends". The Lips version of the title track is really weak, but they show their sense of humor by auto-tuning Wayne on "Friends". I was also disappointed with "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite", which was speak-sung by Maynard Keenan of Tool and Puscifer. This track is only saved after the line about Henry the Horse doing the waltz, when they perform a brilliant instrumental section. I'm a bit conflicted about "Fixing a Hole", which is performed by Steven Drozd and Wayne Coyne's project, Electric Wurms. I prefer the energy of The Beatles version, but I like the quiet, floating in space take on Fwends. My least favorite Sgt. Pepper song is the melodramatic "She's Leaving Home", but I love this version which features Phantogram. This track seems to benefit from being sung by a female artist and her delivery is fantastic. Likewise, "Within You, Without You". "When I'm Sixty-Four" is unforgivably boring and ill-conceived. Despite the warts, Fwends is an interesting take on The Beatles' iconic album and is well worth a listen. It also makes you want to go back and listen to Sgt. Pepper again with fresh ears.
     Ok, here's the part where I may lose some of you. I wrote a post over a year ago about Wayne Coyne and how the Flaming Lips album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots changed my life. Toward the end of the post, I lamented the direction Wayne seemed to be heading in artistically. I had reached a breaking point when he began hanging out with Ke$ha and pressing records with their combined blood mixed in them. Then came Miley Cyrus. I'll admit, I never watched Hannah Montana nor have I heard any of her music, but I have a knee jerk reaction to not like her based on nothing, except what I hear from talking heads. I came to this realization from listening to Episode 98 of the Roderick on the Line podcast. John Roderick told the story of getting free tickets for a Miley Cyrus concert and his experience at the show. All he knew about Miley Cyrus was he didn't like her. All of his middle-aged male friends refused to go with him because they had this same knee jerk reaction. John admitted during the podcast that he intended to live chat during the show and make fun of it on social media. He abandoned that plan once he arrived at the show. It was a visual spectacle. The atmosphere was positive and empowering. Miley was in complete control. She fed off the crowd of entirely 20 year old young women and they fed off her. I listened to this podcast about the same time Wayne was getting a lot of blowback from his fans about performing and recording with Miley Cyrus. At this point, it occurred to me, "Who am I to tell Wayne Coyne, or anyone else who to collaborate with or how to live their life". I have my hands full with my own life. Now, that doesn't mean I'm going to start buying gummy vaginas or not have an opinion about him firing Kliph from the band. It does mean that I'm going to try to be more open-minded, which is the point of this post. One more thing though Wayne; please stop using "fwends" instead of friends. It's dumb. Peace.
   

Courtney Barnett: A Sea of Split Peas

     In my brain

     I re-arrange

     The letters on the page to spell your name.

     Those, my friends, are lyrics from the song "History Eraser" by Melbourne, Australia's Courtney Barnett. Earlier in the song, she modestly sings "In my dreams I wrote the best song that I've ever written...can't remember how it goes". She must have remembered long enough to record it, because it is in fact "History Eraser". The song begins by channeling Nirvana's "About A Girl", which is appropriate since she fronts a three-piece band and plays guitar left-handed. The song recounts a night out partying and goofing around. The second verse starts out, "I found an Ezra Pound and made a bet that if I found a cigarette I'd drop it all and marry you. Just then a song comes on: "You can't always get what you want"- The Rolling Stones, oh woe is we, the irony!" The final verse closes out with another great line: "You said, 'I guarantee we'll have more fun, drink till the moon becomes the sun and in the taxi home I'll sing you a Triffids song'". I have no idea who The Triffids are, but that line is fantastic. And she says "home" with that awesome Australian accent.

     I've meant to write a post about this album for a few months, but I dropped the ball with Sound Mind this summer. Technically speaking, this isn't an album. A Sea of Split Peas is actually comprised of two EP's; 2012's I've Got a Friend Called Emily Ferris and 2013's How To Carve a Carrot Into a Rose. Tracks 7-12 are from the former and 1-6 the latter. Back in the Spring, I randomly heard a few of these songs on WRUW and each time I'd think to myself, "That's a cool song". Then I'd forget about Courtney Barnett until the next time they played one of her songs. Then one night, Courtney Barnett was the musical guest on Jimmy Fallon and blew me away with her performance of "Avant Gardener". She was rockin' out on a left-handed Telecaster and I was hooked. The next day, I went out and bought the CD and she has quickly become my favorite new songwriter. Her greatest strength as a lyricist is clever wordplay. For example, the song "Avant Gardener" is about Courtney having an asthma attack and has the following lines: 

* I'm breathing, but I'm wheezing. Feel like I'm emphysem-in

* The paramedic thinks I'm clever cos I play guitar. I think she's clever cos she stops people dying

* I take a hit from an asthma puffer. I do it wrong. I was never good at smoking bongs. I'm not that good at breathing in

     Courtney is a unique songwriter, but she does have some obvious influences. "Don't Apply Compression Gently" has a decided Flying Nun vibe; David Kilgour in particular. "David" is a blues-y rocker that lifts the riff from Bowie's "The Jean Genie". However, the overriding influence is Nirvana. This is especially evident on the track "Lance Jr". It begins with that same "About A Girl" structure and the lyrics could be interpreted as being about Kurt Cobain. 

     The most personal song in the set is "Are You Looking After Yourself?" It's about her family worrying about her trying to make it as a musician. She sings, "I don't want no 9 to 5 telling me that I'm alive". Then she's asked, "Have you got some money saved...just in case you fail?" I think the moral of the story is if you have a passion for something don't have a backup plan...just do it. I hope it works for Courtney and she continues to write amazing songs that connect with people. Peace.

Marketing For Dummies by U2

     Let me preface this post by saying I love U2. I've loved them since "I Will Follow" and "Gloria". I knew my wife completed me when I realized I had all the 80's U2 and she had all the 90's U2. We've since spent the 2000's adding to our U2 collection. A few years ago, we finally saw them live at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. Over the years, I've managed to compartmentalize Bono's activism and religion and ZOOTV and (red) and everything from the music. With the release of their latest album, Songs of Innocence, I may have finally reached my breaking point on a few counts.
     I feel a bit sheepish about discussing Songs of Innocence on Sound Mind, because it's not technically in my collection...yet. However, since U2 released it for free, after getting paid up front by Apple, I'll forge ahead. Unlike many people who go out of their way to be offended, I had no problem with U2 downloading their album to iTunes at no charge to the user. U2 still have enough clout to get a company like Apple to pay them millions for digital content to, in turn, provide free to their customers. Then U2 can turn around and sell physical Cd's and LP's to old-timers like me. It was a clever plan, but no good deed goes unpunished. People in the First World have made a choice to give up countless privacy concerns for connectivity. Somewhere in the back of their minds they know they have no privacy and are being monitored, but they don't want to be reminded. It's like when you eat at a restaurant or buy food that's been canned in a factory. You know there's a certain amount of rodent hair in the can. You know there's a chance someone in the kitchen has a cold or didn't wash their hands after hitting the head. But we still eat out and we still buy processed foods. So, when a new U2 album just shows up in iTunes without their permission, they freak out and feel violated. Well, except my wife who didn't realize until I asked her about it.
     My problems with Songs of Innocence mainly revolve around the musical content. I've finally come to the realization that U2's best music is behind them. It happens to every artist if they hang around long enough; The Stones, The Who, Bowie, Neil Young, Elton John, etc... U2 are a brand now that puts out middle of the road, slickly produced music. Maybe it struck me more with this album, because of the TV commercial that featured the track "The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)". It starts out with a part of the song where The Edge is playing the only guitar riff on the whole album. Then you see images of The Ramones and The Clash. Wow, maybe this new U2 album is going to rock out. Why else would they conjure images of punk bands to promote Songs of Innocence? But no. The first time my wife listened to the album she asked, "Where's that song from the commercial"? I told her it was the first track. See, she has this annoying habit of listening to five seconds of a song and then skipping to the next one. She thought the song started with the guitar riff and, in fairness, it should have.
     Now, I'm not saying this is a horrible album. If you like their last few albums you'll like Songs of Innocence. I will probably buy the LP at some point, because I'm a completist. There are even a few high points. My favorite track is "California (There Is No End To Love)". It starts with a Brian Wilson-y bit where they repeat "Santa Barbara", then it kicks in to a nice groove propelled by Larry Mullen Jr. It's also one of the few tracks where the band doesn't retreat to the background when Bono sings. "Sleep Like A Baby Tonight" is another interesting track. Most of the song is typical U2, but at the end The Edge plays a guitar part that is very similar in style to Steven Drozd circa The Flaming Lips album The Terror. Otherwise, The Edge just sounds like The Edge.
     I know U2 don't need advice from me, but I would love to see them go into a studio for two weeks and just bash out a ragged, raw album. On some level it has to suck to carry the mantel of being "The Biggest Band In The World" for 25 years. You naturally lose your edge (pun kinda intended) and stop taking chances. Maybe they should let Foo Fighters or somebody else carry that weight and get back to the music. Peace.