Sunday, December 27, 2015

The Very Good Will Just Have To Do

Unless you yourself are perfect, I suspect you’ve heard the phrase the perfect is the enemy of the good.

My variation on that would be searching for a masterpiece will distract you from a lot of excellent music.

Sometimes I just don’t appreciate the situation I’m in.  Here I am searching for great music, and end up disappointed if it’s only really good.

I’m getting older (that means “closer to death” kiddies) so I want every record to “count”, whatever that means.

Maybe that I’m humming it all day at work, that it jumps into my head and takes over randomly (not good while driving, by the way). That it makes me feel good about being alive. That it changes my life.  Don’t laugh. It’s happened.

So I aim high, get overly ambitious because I don’t stay in my comfort zone, and get disappointed, at least at first.

I end up putting too many really good records aside, only to have to them creep back up on me to convince me how good they really are.

And it happened again.

And I feel bad about it because I’m sure the Neville Brothers have been worried about how I’d react to this album. Which came out about thirty years ago.  You can rest easy now guys!




The Neville Brothers: Yellow Moon

The last time I’d gotten a record by the Neville Brothers, they were hiding amongst The Wild Thcoupitoulas, playing quintessential - earthy, tuneful rhythmic - New Orleans music.

Flash forward a decade or so, and they’re being produced by Daniel Lanois (U2 before to this, and the Dylan resurgence afterwards) I was fearing that this might go a little too atmospheric, which would not be a good fit at all.

No need to worry, though. They manage to keep things down to earth for most of the way through,

One way was to do some heavy duty cover songs,

I typically don’t like artists doing covers. It can distract you from what is unique about the artist, and it can be a cheap shortcut to actually writing your own material.

And it can be a bad idea in the very practical sense . I mean, how often do you hear a cover and say, “Hey, That’s Even better than the original!”.  And it doesn’t happen here, either. But they come close enough.

While “With God on Our Side” goes on a bit too long, they do stirring versions of “A Change is Gonna Come” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” (but really how do you f*ck those up?). And there’s a pretty haunting version of “The Ballad of Hollis Brown”.

It helps when the singing and playing are spot on.

And how about their originals?  Just fine! Not too generic. Topical. And well produced. "My Blood" being my favorite.

So there’s an excellent balance of elements here. Nothing brilliant, mind you, but overall the songs, playing, singing and production come together enough to let this one rise above mere genre.

When you put this one on you know you’re going to enjoy the next hour.

B+

“My Blood“

Saturday, December 26, 2015

I Shall Be Relieved!

“I like this one better”, says Mrs. Jaybee.  Sacrilegious! But I’ve already gotten ahead of myself.


It was the low point of the year. When I was huddled up inside the house because the weather was so oppressive and I was suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder.

The Summer.

I was grudgingly enjoying the music I was listening to but nothing was hitting me over the head immediately. And by this point I was now sort of desperate to get to something that would hit me in my bones. All I wanted was something that would grab me from the very first listen. Was that so much to ask? Why can’t I ever just put a new record on and get blown away from the get go?

So I went with a band that had done exactly that back in oh, 2006, with their last decade's almost best debut album Funeral Dress.

Alas, this one is barely in the top ten of this year.



Wussy: Attica! (2014)

This is a very good record, but a disappointment in the way that a band that’s made a great album in the past can disappoint you when they only make a very good one.

Funeral Dress was an obviously great album from the very first listen. This one isn’t and as such I was very disappointed. But over time it’s showing it’s strengths, which are many. And there are even a couple of new classics. It just took time to believe they were genuine. They are.

So back to Mrs. Jaybee.

It had been a couple of months since I got Attica!. I was liking it by now and giving it another perfunctory try so that it might move from like to love.

That’s when she told me she preferred it to Funeral Dress. I mean, what the f*ck? I know we’re in this “for better or worse”, but I wasn’t counting on a musical difference of opinion of this magnitude!


So, who are these guys, anyway? Allmusic.com is no help, with barely a bio or an album write up.

But what I do know is that Chuck Cleaver came from a 90s rock band called the Ass Ponys, and Lisa Walker sprung from the head of Zeus for all I know. But she sings and writes like vintage Neil Young.

And herein may lie my problem. Funeral Dress managed to be simultaneously rough and beautiful a la the aforementioned NY. But Attica! ups the ante with the rough - the guitars are even louder than before - and it takes time for the songs to catch up.

But I have no doubt that someone who gets this record without having heard anything else by Wussy will be quite happy with it.

And with Neil Young no longer in his prime, we could do a lot worse than Wussy.

Lisa would do him proud. I hope he gets to hear her.

A-

"Home"

Sunday, December 13, 2015

You're Welcome, World!

Having done the world a favor in my last post, my noble (and Nobel) thoughts moved on to another musical genre - this time the blues.

And to my great embarrassment I realized that, until about ten years ago, most of my blues records - or rather most of the individual blues songs I owned were performed by that well known oppressed minority - white guys.

Cream, the Allman Brothers, the Grateful Dead, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin (whose confusion would occasionally make them forget to credit actual songwriters, but I’m sure that was all an innocent mistake).  Christ, even Steppenwolf!

So my first foray into blues - really a half-step - was Duane Allman’s An Anthology, where actual African Americans played the blues (and soul) but - in a blow against that major problem we all face: Reverse Racism - with the white guy (admittedly that GREAT white guy) on guitar.

Eventually I’d get Robert Cray’s Strong Persuader - a record that some purists don't consider the blues anyway - in 1986,

But it wasn’t until the late nineties when I got the box-set Chess Blues that I got to delve deeper.

I went little deeper still, getting best-ofs by Allman Brothers fave Elmore James and Eric Clapton fave Buddy Guy, having more and more fun as I went.

Then, during my amazon.com boycott I noticed that Barnes and Noble had a decent $5 CD section, where I came across this two-fer:



Howlin’ Wolf: Howlin’ Wolf/Moanin’ in the Moonlight

It would be perfectly understandable to mistake this two-album single-CD set as a Best-of, but it’s not. It’s just the Wolf’s first two records for Chess recorded in 1962.

And they are just incredible.

So incredible I didn’t get kicked out the house for playing it on a beautiful Sunday morning, which is a tribute to Mrs. Jaybee’s tolerance. But then again once you hear Wolf’s voice (and harp and guitar) it might be a good idea to go to church.

How can I convey how important these records are? How about if I list some of the songs here that have been covered by others?

“Shake for Me” - John Hammond, with Duane Allman
“Red Rooster” - The Stones
“Wang Dang Doodle” - KoKo Taylor
“Spoonful” - Cream
“Goin’ Down Slow” - Duane Allman
“Back Door Man” - oh, I don’t know, but somebody
“How Many More Years” - LIttle Feat/Led Zeppelin
“Smokestack Lightnin’” - The Dead
“I Asked for Water (She Gave Me Gasoline)” - Lucinda Williams
“Forty Four” - Little Feat

And that’s just off the top of my head! These are all very good covers but rarely better than the Wolf versions. Which were all from just these two albums. You’d have to go to the Beatles to find an artist who attracted so many cover versions so fast.

Which makes these two records, in my limited and humble opinion, the two best blues albums I own, and are probably  among the greatest ever made.

One caveat: I’m annoyed that they dropped a song to fit these two albums onto a single CD. What was it with those old CDs? Did they only fit 65 minutes? What the hell!?  White people problems.

Another caveat: Dilettante that I am, I’ll move onto another genre by the time I finish typing this.

Otherwise these would be my top two albums of the year.

Howlin Wolf:  A
Moanin’ in the Moonlight: A-

“Moanin’ in the Moonlight”

Well it’s time for me to move on to redress yet more of society’s ills. What to do? What to do? Maybe I’ll try to bring more attention to overlooked artists like Miley Cyrus or Beyonce...

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Doing My Part for the Underprivileged

One day, while pondering the many iniquities of our society, it occurred to me that I didn’t have a single jazz album by a white person.

I guess I should thank the amazon.com’s $5 mp3s for helping me address this historic injustice but I’m still mad at them for being so horrible to their workforce, so f*ck them.

Anyway, while waiting for the phone call from the Nobel committee I decided I should actually play the record.


The Dave Brubeck Quartet: Time Out

I find this very precisely played music - West Coast Jazz , they called it - less than thrilling. Less than passionate. And yet, quite durable.  I’ve played it many times and haven’t tired of it yet. Weird, huh?

In theory I should hate music that’s meant to be spontaneous but is in fact very precisely composed and played, But you know there are worse things that a fusion of classical and jazz. I’m sure they’d hate me saying that but it’s the best analogy I can come up with.

So while it doesn’t have the weird brilliance of the best Monk, or the furious spiritual searching of Coltrane, I can’t find any fault with it. Plus, my version has several live cuts added, where the band lets loose a bit.

So, I’ve concluded that, with the guidance of their superiors, white people might actually have some potential in this area. Not that I’m advocating giving them a helping hand, mind you. That’ll just make them dependent upon the (musical) (welfare) state.

If they hope to overcome the many disadvantages they face, they’re just going to have to pick themselves up by their bootstraps and apply themselves.

Now pardon me while I write my acceptance speech.

B+

"Blue Rondo Ala Turk"


Sunday, November 29, 2015

Music To Do the Bills To

So far that street fair used record bin was turning out to be a big disappointment.  So I turned to my third choice, expecting the least.


Massive Attack: Blue Lines

Ah, the sound of 1990s Brits getting high and playing slow. Quiet storm, kind of, only on drugs with hip hop added in. (I can totally relate to all this!) Well, good luck to them.

Every heard of trip hop? It more or less starts here.

It’s not the best trip hop I’ve ever heard. That’s Tricky. So I was all set to dismiss this one based on my first listen, but these (no longer) young men won me over. They’re more fun, more funky and less arty than Portishead. And when they’re not fun, their misery is well earned. They’re also more tuneful than Burial. And not as scary as Tricky. Tricky can be very scary.

It’s ironic that music that’s most likely meant to be heard at night while in a trance in a dance club sounds better to me in the morning. Especially on a crappy day when I’m not in a good mood, like when I’m doing the bills. I’m sure they’d be appalled.

At first I thought there was no song here as good as “Protection” from their second record. But I take that back now. “Hymn of the Big Wheel” here is just as good. And despite it’s downer lyrics, the music is quite hopeful.

So these (no longer) young Brits with whom I have almost nothing in common made that time spent in the used-CD bin worthwhile.

B+

“Hymn of the Big Wheel”

Saturday, November 28, 2015

X: You Are Here

There’s no telling what you’ll find in a used-CD rack at a street fair. It’s a great time to pick up those records that you’ve always been meaning to get but didn’t want to spend the bucks.

Sometimes you get disappointed with an overrated British band. And sometimes you get disappointed by a good American one.

So is the lesson to skip those street fairs? If so, I haven’t learned it yet.




X: Los Angeles

X reminded me of a punk version of Jefferson Airplane. At least the singing made them seem so. The John Doe/Exene Cervenka harmonies sound a hell of a lot like the Paul Kantner/Grace Slick ones. Except it’s John Doe singing the melodies and Exene adding the punk edge.

And that, of course, is where the similarities end.

They also have a tight, tight, tight guitar player Billy Zoom. (Jorma’s great, but Billy punches things home in a very powerful and concise manner. How about that? The punk guitar player is the sharper one, and the older guy a bit sloppier) And the well named drummer DJ Bonebreak keeping things moving real fast.

This debut album came out to great acclaim in 1980. I missed it at the time, but then did catch up with X with their next record, Wild Gift (also included on this single CD! So by definition it's a bargain.) which might be the greatest punk album ever.

But album one does suffer in comparison.  It’s not a bad record. It’s just that everything here sounds like a run up to Wild Gift.

And what the hell is the organ doing there, anyway? Ah, but I already know why. X hails from Los Angeles, which is also where the Doors were from. And guess who’s playing organ here? Yep, Ray Manzarek.

Now, I think it’s great that Ray appreciated X enough to want to produce them, and that X respected him right back enough to have him play on the record. (They also do a punk version of “Soul Kitchen”.) But it’s a nice gesture that adds nothing to the music. It takes the edge off, and turns what would have been a fine punk album into pretty good hard rock one.

Wild Gift, again, does it better. They keep Ray in the control booth this time, only referring to the Doors, rather obliquely, at the end of the last song: “...waiting for the son, for any son to come”, bringing the whole record to a perfect ending.

But there are good songs here. And who knows how I’d feel about it if I heard it first? Those that did prefer it to Wild Gift.

It just goes to show it all depends where you start. And where is that?  Right where you are.  And where is that?

X - You Are Here

B+

By the way, Wild Gift is an A, verging on an A+.

“The World’s a Mess, It’s in My Kiss”




Friday, November 13, 2015

So Normal, It's Weird

The musical year hadn’t been going so well. Oh, I’d been getting plenty of good, weird music but not so much good fun music. Good music that is both weird and fun at the same time seemed out of the question.

But I wasn’t even shooting for that. After Carrie and Lowell (good but definitely not fun) and Shutter Island (pretty much anti-fun) I just wanted a to have a good time. And I started to get a bit desperate about it.

I’m not exactly sure what drove me to go back to a couple of weirdos who got together to make some definitely-not-weird pop music.

While I’ve loved the Velvet Underground for a long time, I only checked out John Cale solo set a couple of years ago and found him to be a very talented if not brilliant.

I’ve been a fan of Eno’s for quite a while, too, but doubted that I’d find a lot of differences among his many, many, (many) ambient albums. And while often brilliant, you won’t play him during a party.

But together, who knows what they’d come up with?



John Cale and Brian Eno: Wrong Away Up

No ambient here. And after producing a few U2 records, Eno probably decided it was time to try his hand at pop music again. Hey, he thought, if they can do it, why can’t I?

So the rock and roll band isn’t that much of a surprise, but the singing sure is. The best you could usually hope for from Eno was a soft murmur, and Cale - a loud scream. But right off the bat, Eno projects on “Lay My Love” and several others, too.

And while Cale does hide behind a couple of quiet tunes here, he more than makes up for it by belting out “Been There, Done That”.  And he’s clearly having a good time. As anyone would be after having worked on a project with Lou Reed, which he had done shortly before this.

Another surprise is how tuneful the songs are. You usually get a lot of atmosphere from Eno and psychosis from Cale, but here it’s all about hummable tunes.

And after a whole bunch of fast bouncy songs, they have the wisdom to end on a quiet note.

So I finally get my fun. But it took a bit of time to sink in because I found the utter normality of it all to be kind of, well, weird.

So I ended up stumbling upon my holy grail of music - weird and fun together!

A-

“Lay My Love”



Sunday, November 8, 2015

Smithstory Lesson

Back in May, Mrs. Jaybee and I caught a Smiths/Morrissey cover band at the Bell House and had such a nice time I decided it was time to finally break down and get a Smiths record.

Oh, we already had a couple of compilations that I later found out were not considered representative of the band’s best music.  

So which record would I get? How about the one that topped the 2013 NME 500 Greatest Albums of All Time poll? Seriously. They beat out the Beatles! (fill in your own favorite artist there if you like, but you’d be wrong. It's the Beatles.) Hilarious.

Those Brits are really weird sometimes, and it’s for such differences that we fought for our independence. Well, that’s how I remember it. Yes, I was there.


The Smiths: The Queen is Dead

And it’s okay. Kind of uneven, actually.

The Smiths were a tight - if a bit fussy - little band. With the bass and drums more than adequate, and  Johnny Marr’s guitar sterling all the way through, they stand or fall on how well Morrissey fits his words/voice/melodies into this scheme.

And, well, some tunes are better than others. Once I get past the songs I already know from the compilations, there’s only one or two others that even remotely compare to them. And Morrissey is more annoying than interesting.

So my supposedly lame compilations seemed to have pulled all the good songs from this supposed masterpiece. Maybe I should just stick with them.

So in the wars with the Brits, we kicked ass in 1776, happily surrendered in 1964, and somehow beat them in the 1980s when they managed to produce even worse music that we did.

Now that’s saying something.

B

“The Boy With the Thorn in His Side”

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Having an Awful Time, Wish You Were Here

Just when I think I’ve driven Mrs. Jaybee to distraction with all the weird sounds I drag in from outside, she goes and out-weirds me.


Shutter Island: Music from the Motion Picture

Turns out Shutter Island is one of her favorite movies (that’s an entire post by itself, but never mind) and she particularly loved the closing theme.

Almost a sister record to Ocean of Sound in its ability to unnerve with unexpected sounds, it’s ultimately sadder (what a surprise!) and prettier (ditto, but without the sarcasm).

It even shares a cut with that record, which I’ve now listened to at least 30 times and still don’t quite hear, but that’s Eno for you). But whereas that record left you feeling weirded out but vaguely thrilled about the sounds our world can create, here the general tone is of dread about the worst this world can do to you.

So this record is Not Fun. Not at all.

It’s a put-it-on-and-go-read-or-something record. Otherwise, don’t blame me that you end up digging out the razor blades.

It starts with an ten minute piece called “Fog Tropes”, which makes sense if you’ve seen the movie. It’s the sound of a ship entering a harbor through the fog, somehow created through the use of several wind and brass instruments playing at a very low register. It’s perfect for the film, providing the right amount of foreboding, and manages to be an interesting piece of music, too.

There are several other modern classical pieces whose selection for this soundtrack seems based on their ability to unnerve you and provoke anxiety. They subtly vary the overall mood from fearful, resigned, desolate, and occasionally sublime.

Also mixed in are period hits from Johnny Ray, Kay Starr and Lonnie Johnson that keeps things from getting too cerebral. But don’t be fooled. They only intensify the mood.

The peak may be the beautiful “On the Nature of Daylight”, which is sad enough by itself, but when, at the end, it's combined with Dinah Washington’s “This Bitter Earth” with all the hope removed from it - the effect is devastating.

So if you’re the kind of person, like me, who is willing to dedicate a couple of precious hours on something that will ultimately make you feel awful (what? doesn’t everyone do that?), skip the TV for one night and listen up.

You’ll be sorry, but glad, you did.

A-

“This Bitter Earth/On the Nature of Daylight”




Saturday, October 24, 2015

Geezer Goes to Rock Show, Gets Money’s Worth

When we last left off, Old Geezer Jaybee (a doubly redundant appellation if ever there was one) had a less than great time at a rock show. Less than great is still very good but Old Geezer Jaybee (heretofore labeled OGJ) spent good money on those seats and, dammit, he’s going to get his money’s worth. Every. Single. Dollar.

And woe be it to him or her that gets in his way, like that couple who were sort of necking (is that what the young folk call it these days?) and thus theoretically blocking Mrs. Jaybee’s view. Mrs. Jaybee was fine with it but that’s not the point! “Money’s worth” encompasses any and all members of the attending party. Luckily Mrs. Jaybee persuaded OGJ that she had an unobstructed view, thus preventing a scene.

The main problem, of course, was that OGJ hadn’t (notice how I’m talking about me like it’s some other loser?) familiarized himself sufficiently with the artist’s latest release. Plus, he had a beer, which, at his age means he’s going to fall asleep shortly. or get very cranky.

Even though he’d already spilt half of it on the brand new carpet at the beautifully restored Kings Theatre (even without going there you can tell it’s nice by the fancy way they spell theater) trying to navigate those elongated steps that no one can walk down gracefully to begin with,

This time around, he got water, and navigated those steps by avoiding them altogether. And most importantly, getting sufficiently familiar with Yo La Tengo’s latest album, as well as the earlier record it commemorates, and another one from 2000 for good measure.

And Yo La Tengo didn’t let him down.

But first, let’s talk about opener Nick Lowe.

It’s been about thirty five years since Nick first burst upon the scene. Oh, he’d been around far longer than that as part of Brinsley Schwarz. That’s when he wrote “What’s So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding”.  He made some classic solo records, like Pure Pop for Now People
and Labour of Lust, play with Rockpile and produce several Elvis Costello albums.

But since that time, he’s moved away from the fast, witty pop music he’s known for, opting for a slower, more acoustic sound.

And although his new music is less compelling than the old, Nick was always a charmer and could have gotten by on that alone. Luckily he mixed in new versions of some old songs, and was more than good enough. He was the perfect opener, actually.

And how about Yo La Tengo?

They were wonderful.

I was afraid that going acoustic might mean that everyone would be sitting down in a circle. It sounds nice and intimate, but it gets boring real fast.

But there they all were, standing right at the front of the stage. Even drummer Georgia Hubley, with the simplest drum kit possible - a la Maureen Tucker of the Velvet Underground. But unlike Tucker, tonight Georgia would be using brushes more than sticks, and singing.

I’m beginning to think Ira Kaplan only owns one T-shirt, since he seemed to be wearing the same one from the release party and the bio picture on allmusic.com. His noise guitar was totally absent this night. He was content to stick to acoustic and let Dave Schramm do the electric heavy lifting

And Dave Schramm - the prodigal son returning - was brilliant, providing the touch that would give these acoustic songs reach depth and punch.

Bassist James McNew - like he told me at the release party - played stand up bass and managed to sing fantastically while doing so. He was worried about doing both. You did great, James!

You don’t expect such great music from such down to earth people, but the band was totally committed to both the sound and spirit of the new record, About 75% of the show came from either Fakebook  or Stuff Like That There. I wasn’t familiar with the other 25% but it all sounded really good.

The highlight was “Deeper into Movies” - a rouser from I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One - done with quiet intensity. I could tell they were loving what they were doing. The crowd was loving it too.

I spent the whole time grinning like an idiot. I even knew it, but didn’t care.

The show ended with Nick Lowe joining YLT for a two-song encore. Nick picked one, and YLT the other. Ira dared the crowd to guess which was which but that was easy.

First came a slow mournful “Walk Away Renee”, which had to be Nick’s pick. Modest to a fault, of course he’d do someone else’s song. One that fit his current style well.

And the closer, picked by YLT?  Why, a Nick Lowe song, of course. “The Rollers Show”. Not done in the ebullient style of the original. It was slower, but joyful nonetheless. It was like a great big thank you to Nick for all the inspiration he’s given over his career.

The crowd walked away very satisfied.

And Old Geezer Jaybee, for once, was one with the crowd.



“The Roller Show”

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Tengo!

Tengo!

Okay, so And Then Nothing..  is excellent and Fakebook is very good.

How’s the new one?


This is Yo La Tengo’s Harvest Moon. And in the same way that record commemorated Harvest, this one commemorates Fakebook, which brought together covers, remakes of Yo La Tengo songs and new originals.

It’s more muted and consistent in tone though. There’s nothing very fast or loud. The production is better because even though they sing and play quietly, the sound is sharp and clear.

It lacks the highest highs of the former. The difference between these two records is youthful exuberance vs. older contentment.  

The covers range from Hank Williams, Sun Ra, the Cure, the Lovin’ Spoonful and the Parliaments. Is that enough for you? And they manage to bring all of the disparate styles of the originals together into this very unified sounding record.

One of the weaknesses of Fakebook was Ira’s vocals, which sometimes weren’t up to the beauty of the songs. Here, Georgia is front and center and it works great! She sings just as softly, but it’s still singing, not whispering. She’s smooth as silk. Sort of like Astrud Gilberto.

I’m just now noticing now that the originals sprinkled throughout Fakebook are pretty great. The originals here are more of a piece with the overall tone and can fade into the background.  

And the highs of Fakebook were a little higher that the best stuff here, but that’s okay. There are no clunkers here.

And "Deeper into Movies" - a remake of one of their pounders from Heart is brilliant.  

Here are both of them:

Then vs. Now
Is this the same band? Is this the same song??  Yes and yes!

So you can choose which record to listen to based on your mood. I’ll probably choose Fakebook a little more often, especially in the morning. But that’s okay. I’m still glad this one’s around. And it’s better at night time.

If you picked up any of these records you could get a skewed idea of who YLT is and what they can do. I’m not sure myself anymore since I’ve only got five out of the sixteen or so albums I counted on allmusic. And aside from this one I’ve got nothing by them from the last fifteen years. But you can be damn sure I’ll be looking into it.

So aside from getting all those records (a very worthwhile idea in itself, I think) I’m as ready for the show as can be.

B+

Sunday, October 11, 2015

La!

I was keeping my ears open for when the new Yo La Tengo record would be coming out when I got word that they’d be having an album release party at my favorite record store!

I dragged Son Michael with me because that’s what kids are for.

And there they were standing in the middle of the crowd. If you didn’t know what they looked like, you could have walked right past them.  But a line was formed so they could autograph albums. By then even the most obtuse could figure out who was who.

So I bought a couple of records and got in line.

Guitarist and singer Ira Kaplan bore the brunt of my obnoxious questions with grace and kindness. Drummer and singer Georgia Hubley somehow balanced DJing, chatting and signing, Bassist James McNew was your pal who was happy to hang with you.

It turns out that their new album is a tribute to and re-visitation of an album they made twenty five years ago. So let’s start there.




Fakebook (1990)

"A fake book is a collection of musical lead sheets intended to help a performer quickly learn new songs. Each song in a fake book contains the melody line, basic chords and sometimes lyrics - the minimal information needed by a musician to make an impromptu arrangement of a song, or "fake it." The fake book is a central part of the culture of playing music in public, especially in jazz, where improvisation is particularly valued. Fake books are not intended for novices: the reader must follow and interpret the scant notation, and generally needs to have thorough familiarity with chords and sheet music. Fake books are often bound."
Wikipedia


Yo La Tengo have an encyclopedic knowledge of pop music. They often show up on WFMU marathons to play Stump the Band. I saw them in Prospect Park a few years ago where they did (I believe) an impromptu version of the Monkee's "Sweet Young Thing".

So it's no surprise that after only four years of recording original material, Yo La Tengo decided it was time to put together some obscure covers with some redone originals mixed in.

As as one would expect it can be hit or miss.

The advantage of picking obscure covers is that most of the time people haven’t heard the originals and so can’t compare them to the new versions.

Of the many I’m not familiar with that sound wonderful to me, the best are The Scene Is Now's “Yellow Sarong”, the Flaming Groovies "You Tore Me Down” and Daniel Johnston's “Speeding Motorcycle” and , “The Summer”. And they do quite a creditable job on Gene Clark’s “Tried So Hard”.

Other good ones are Cat Stevens’ “Here Comes My Baby”, John Cale’s “Adalucia” and Rex Garvin’s  (I told you they’re obscure!) “Emulsified”.

And the originals they sprinkle throughout are very, very good. Especially "The Summertime"!

The only ones that come up short are the Kinks “Oklahoma, USA” - one of Ray Davies’ greatest songs - which requires more than Ira’s fragile voice can accomplish.  Don’t believe me? Here’s the original - a masterpiece hidden on side two of a fairly unknown record. (By the way, Yo La Tengo was Ray’s backup band during his solo tour in 2000.  Ira loves the Kinks, so he must have been in heaven, since Ray is such a barrel of laughs..)

And “Griselda”, about a young man trying to persuade his girlfriend to have sex with him by the moonlight, is hampered by Ira’s earnest attempt to make it pretty. The original had a horny pervy vocal that suited the subject perfectly.

But otherwise they do a fine job.

The lineup includes guitarist Dave Schramm, who knows how to add just what the given song calls for.  He prettifies what Ira might otherwise bulldoze.

So it’s a bit scattershot, a little frustrating, but very often brilliant. I’m probably grading a bit harshly on principle. In practice it glides by quite gracefully.

B+

“You Tore Me Down”

Next: The New One

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Yo!

Mrs. Jaybee liked the Kings Theatre so much back in May at the Sufjan show that she took note of the fact that Yo La Tengo would be playing there in October, and got me tickets for Father’s Day.

Yo La Tengo comprises three rather unassuming people - husband and wife team Ira Kaplan (on guitar and vocals) and Georgia Hubley (drums and vocals) and friend James McNew (bass). I think they live in New Jersey and keep to themselves. Such modesty doesn’t typically bespeak great music, but YLT have been at this for quite a while now.

By the way, the band name comes from a Met outfielder yelling “I got it.” in Spanish. Works for me.

And although I’m a big fan of the two YLT records I already owned - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
- one of my very favorite records of the nineties - and Electro-Pura - a loud/quiet juggernaut that I would play more often except that I got it right before 9/11 and it still brings back memories - both records are now about twenty years old. I’m sure at the show they’d get around to playing slightly newer material, so I’d better get up to speed.

Having been around for nearly thirty years, they’ve amassed quite the discography so I wasn’t sure where to continue. I noted that it would be an acoustic show and thought that getting one of their quieter albums would be a good place to go.

And Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out (2000)

And quiet it is!  Quite a surprise after it’s predecessor, Heart from three years prior, which covered a wide spectrum of sounds from loud and fuzzy to samba to country to folk, with stops at electro-drone along the way,

It was relatively successful, for indie rock, anyway, so you’d think this time around they’d be poised for their next career step by polishing up their sound.

Instead, YLT doubles down on a rumbling, somewhat ominous, but definitely lower decibel sound, only ripping it up in the middle with “Cherry Chapstick”.  But in case you think they’re hedging their bets, they finish it all off with the 17 minute quietest-of-all “Hoboken at Night”, that says that they really mean it, man.

No one’s a great singer here, so the vocals tend to be low to the point of mumbling. You’d think this - combined with the overall approach they’re taking here - would wear thin after a while. And it does if you’re not willing to hang in there. But it makes perfect artistic, if not commercial, sense.

I’ll admit that my first listen left me underwhelmed. There didn’t seem to be any “there” there. (Oh wait, that’s Oakland.) One could reasonably conclude it’s a dud, throw it against the wall and move on with one’s life.

Especially in the middle of summer when the windows are open and the music is competing with the sounds of the city (which all too often resembles the sound of assholes).

But once the windows are shut and you get to really hear it, you find that there’s a real song behind each carefully crafted soundscape. Please excuse the critic-speak there. I just have to point out that they’re not coasting here. Each track is powered either by a great drum pattern, soulful harmony or subtle organ part.   

My favorite song is “Tears Are In Your Eyes” - a gentle but emotional lending hand held out to a depressed friend. And now that I can really hear it, I find that every song is at the very least worthwhile or way better.
Mostly the latter. And that commitment to tone seems less and less crazy and more and more brave.  

Lovely night music, and it would sound great out in the middle of nowhere

In fact, it’s a low-key, but definitely not mellow, tour-de-force.  Come on, this unassuming married couple and easy going bass player friend are saying. We dare you to listen.

A-


Oh, but hold the phone! It turns out that YLT has a new record coming out!  I better not repeat the mistake I made at the Sufjan show.

I’ll have to check that record out, too!

Next: La!

Friday, October 2, 2015

Sitting, Thinking, Rocking, Rolling

In my endless quest to appear cool I have been doing my damnedest to stay current and Actually Buy An Album That Came Out This Year.

Son Michael helped out with Sufjan but it was time I did my part. So I grabbed this $5 download from that awful company that exploits its workers. (But I won’t anymore.) Thank God I got this before I found out.


Courtney Barnett: Sometimes I Just Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit

This young woman got me from the first song. The first second, really. Right out of the gate, she sings the tale of the young man who may or may not be depressed, but who gets help from that older lady you thought was just a nasty bitch.  Heartwarming, uplifting, and you can dance to it.

She’s not afraid to dump a lot of words on you, and you don’t mind it because they’re all so funny or perceptive or both.

With her small, but very committed combo, she varies the pace and tone, going fast then slow, loud then soft. And she plays a mean guitar! She can go soft and smooth, loud and crunchy, or slow and bluesy as the moment requires.

These changes of pace and tone are crucial in holding your interest from song to song. Oh yeah, the songs. They’re kind of good, too.

She can be mean, as in:
I think you’re a joke 
but I don’t think you’re very funny

She stretches out the last word to fu-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-ny. You gotta keep the beat, after all.

She can also be matter-of-factly self-revealing, like:
I used to hate myself
but now I think I’m all right

So she earns the benefit of the doubt that in the former couplet, the intended target deserves it, and in the latter, she means it as advice for us, too.

And by the time we get to the bouncy, funny, angry “Debbie Downer” I’m ready to jump up and down. And that’s quite the sight to see!

That sense of humor, that irresistible Australian drawl, those songwriting chops, that guitar, that band. They almost almost single-handedly rehabilitate the electric piano!

And all this rock and roll is more fun than sad, sad Sufjan. (Not better, mind you, but more fun.)

And even though she ends it with two slow ones, by then you need the rest.

She’s funny, smart, tuneful and a damn good guitar player, and her band follows her wherever she goes.

I don’t blame them a bit.

A

“Debbie Downer”


Sunday, September 27, 2015

They Were Better When They Weren’t So Good

I held off a long time in getting this, afraid that at the end of the day, I’d consider it overrated.  But then
I’d keep hearing how Radiohead’s first great album was not their third OK Computer, but rather their
second.  And I’ve always been a sucker for the old they were better before they got real famous line.


Alas, I was listening to it around the same time I was playing a lot of Aretha Franklin, and well, it’s a matter of (Radio’s) head vs (Aretha’s) heart.  The Brits didn’t fare well in the comparison.  Plus, I'm not convinced they outdo Aretha in the head department, either.

It may have been my mid-year anti-music funk, but even though the three(!) guitars sounded good - clear, chiming, echoey and very sharp when necessary - and Thom Yorke's voice is pretty - I find it to be that kind of near-great album that I'd normally rush to put on, but that is actually kind of boring.

Being the pre-Ok Computer - and slightly less pretentious - Radiohead, the tunes keep coming and it’s certainly less cluttered, But I’ve concluded I like them better pretentious and cluttered.

So why am I not loving it? Why am I not rushing to put it on? And when I put it on, why does my mind wander so easily?  

Well, the two pretty songs are good but utterly predictable. And the loud ones are kind of there. I can’t make out any of the words and haven’t had the slightest interest in looking them up.

In other words I have no good explanation why an album loved by many is doing (next to) nothing for me.

But finally, after about six months there are a couple of songs that are getting stuck in my head. It turns out to be pretty good painting the house music. Not enough to make me want to paint more, though.

So, it’s the end of the day, while I’m not in love with it, I still hold out hope, and can understand why some people are.

B+

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Aretha Five: The Thrill is Back

In the early seventies everyone got to make a live album, so why not Aretha?  



Luckily for us, it’s not your usual run through of inferior versions of hits.

If I’m hearing it right, she seems to be playing for a largely white crowd and is not sure they’re going to like what they hear. So she hedges her bets by using most of “side one” (you know what a “side one” is, don’t you?) for covers of popular songs of the day before getting to her own songs.

And, for me now, it works. It might not have then, though. I was a stickler for faithful versions of cover songs. Especially the melodies. And that’s not how Aretha rolls. For her, feelings come first.

And now after hearing “Love the One You’re With”, “Make it With You”, “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” and “Eleanor Rigby” thousands of times, I can stand a change. And change them, she does, in the best possible way. I wanted to hate these versions, but now after her “Bridge” I’ll live if I never hear Art Garfunkel’s voice again.

Having a great band - courtesy of King Curtis - helps.

The vocals on this record are amazing. Duh. But coming from a rock and roll fan all too often  disappointed by live performances, I can say that she sounds even better here.

And while I typically discount the crowd noises on a live album, here they’re so into it, it adds to the fun.

“Respect” is speeded up just to get the show off on the right foot, “Dr Feelgood” is slowed down to, um, get everyone in the mood, and “Spirit in the Dark” has Ray Charles.

She and Ray spend too much time on “Spirit”. It’s a single record and space is precious. Another couple of songs could have fit. Ah, but what’s a live album without one song dragged out?  

And in this way, all live albums suffer from the “you’re not really there” syndrome and one tends to enjoy them slightly less because of it. And since they almost always have songs you already know, you’re less likely to go back to them.

So, as entertaining as this record is, it's not quite essential. 

But it's very entertaining, and by the end Aretha herself seems surprised at the reception she gets.

B+

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Aretha Four: After the Thrill is Gone

It’s the turn of the decade (1970) and Aretha, while doing fine on the soul charts, has her string of of pop smashes are a year or two behind her.


So what does a singing phenomenon (an overused word, but no more apt than here) do next? Get down to work on some new music. Pure and simple.





Instead of the bright colors of prior album covers, this one’s grainy black and white. And instead of Aretha all done up or dressed to the nines, here I can’t even see any makeup.


As for the music, the first thing I notice is the sorrow of the opening track - “Don’t Play That Song”, which I’m ashamed to say I was unfamiliar with. (Not Mrs. Jaybee, though. She seems to know everything. She just doesn’t blog about it. Don’t tell her I said that.)


It isn’t overwhelming, like “Respect” or “Natural Woman”, Just emotional in the best sense. That wonderful  gospel piano (which Aretha plays herself) is the key to it all. As sad as this tale of heartbreak is, you’re uplifted and singing along by the end.


“The Thrill is Gone” is even bluesier than B.B. King’s version.  Aretha’s batting average on covers remains high! (Ah, but is it a cover? She actually recorded it around the same time as BB.) All she’s missing is his guitar.


“Pullin’” is mid-tempo, piano-based gospel-soul, with great backup vocals. It’s very representative of the album overall.


And it’s here that the strategy of this album becomes clear. Aretha’s no longer interested in blowing the roof off your house, She prefers to just fill it with joy. Which means she’s dropped the volume a bit, leaning more on gospel than soul this time. 

Aretha is now "making an album" as opposed to recording a bunch of songs that may or may not end up together on the same record. She’s aiming to making every cut count and almost succeeds.


“You and Me” is slow, lovely pop-soul (no, she’s not done with soul). “Honestly I Do” is slow and bluesy but a bit forgettable.


The title song is anything but. But again, the goal isn’t to overpower you, but to sweep you along. And it works brilliantly.


“When the Battle is Over” is rock and roll, pure and simple.


The remainder of the record gets back to mid-tempo piano-driven gospel-ish soul. These cuts are not quite on the level of the first half of the record, but I feel like I’m just getting to know them.


She finishes up with her cover of “Why I Sing the Blues” and again she rivals the original.


So how does this record stand up against the classics?


Not knowing any of the songs on a record ahead of time can actually be an advantage for me, because I’m hearing the whole thing fresh, from start to finish. In that respect this is my favorite Aretha album because all the pleasures are brand new.

And Aretha proves (not that she needed to) that she’s in it for the long haul.


A-