Sunday, May 26, 2013

Jaybee Finds Sarcasm Just Where You’d Expect It: Blonde On Blonde




Okay, I already had it on vinyl, but the $2.99 price got me. Hey, I can’t complain. The blues numbers still rock hard. And although his growing contempt for his audience is evidenced in his exaggerated singing and annoying harmonica playing, the songwriting is almost as good as on Highway 61. Probably the first rock-era double album, and like most to follow, it could have been an incredible single. But, as I’m now told, size does matter, so despite these flaws, still one of the all time best. A



Sunday, May 5, 2013

Jaybee Finds Love (Handles): Japandroid's Celebration Rock


Voice of Narrator: When last we left off, Jaybee was looking for love in all the wrong mp3 files. Will he ever find what he is looking for?


Without giving too much away, it just goes to show you have to keep at it. No matter how tough it seems, sitting there at your computer, with your pizza and beer. You just have to download yourself yet another mp3 file! It beats getting up off your ass. Hey honey, could ya pass me a another slice with pepperoni?


You: Oh my god, Jaybee! How long was your struggle?


Oh yeah. About five minutes actually. The very next record I tried, as a matter of fact. Sorry. I forgot to mention it. It slipped my mind like that beer slipped from my olive oil soaked fingers.


Well named. Literally explosive, beginning and ending with the sound of fireworks. In between there are only eight songs, but each one is filled with loud guitars and frantic drumming. But no bass that I can see or hear.
.  
And two chords. The same two chords, it seems, for every song. And yet they get away with it, and more. There is s joy here that I’d not heard in any of the prior records from this year.

And there’s really not much more to say about it, because they bring the passion. A


2013 So Far:
1. Japandroids
2. Tame Impala
3. Sugar
4. Iron & Wine
5. Phil Ochs