Disappointing Women

It’s a specialty of mine. (See what I did there?)

Been doing it all my life: Moms, sisters, girlfriends, wives, daughters, nieces, etc.

So it’s only fair that they get me back occasionally. And the difference is that at least when I’m the disappoint-ee, it’s because I've got something to learn.

So here are three learning experiences for me.



Speedy Ortiz: Foil Deer (2015)

They’re a foursome led by singer-songwriter Sadie Dupuis.

Vocally, you could easily mistake DuPuis for Liz Phair. But Sadie’s got better production values.

She’s smart and kind of intimidating like Liz, too. Where Liz was overtly sexual, you’d never know where you stood with Sadie.

She’s also got a better guitar player. Her music and lyrics are dense, and the melodies are pretty complicated. And like a boa constrictor, she’s persistent, slowly asphyxiating me with all that detail.

So it’s all a bit too gnarly for me. Which is why I prefer Liz.

And I just wish more songs were as good as “My Dead Girl”.

Soooo glad I’m not single.

B+

"My Dead Girl”



The Sleigh Bells: Treats (2010)

Loud, awkward, annoying. But never quite obnoxious. This twosome is like the awful couple you mistakenly invite over for dinner, and end up talking about for the next six months.

She sings like a five-year-old, reciting nursery rhymes. Except of course she’s twenty. He plays guitar like he’s throwing out the garbage - with the can - from a fifth-floor walk up.

But they wear you down, too. They just want to have a good time, and what’s wrong with you that you don’t?

What I’d completely missed until now is that they were signed by M.I.A.'s label. The Sleigh Bells are a rock and roll version of M.I.A. Not sure that would be considered a recommendation for older folk but there it is

The bottom line is they’re more like the neighbors on Modern Family - much smarter and daring than you ever gave them credit for.

But you still only invite them over once in a while.

B+

“Rill Rill”



St. Vincent: St. Vincent (2014)

This lady is way too arty/slick for me. Not production-wise. Just “I’ll do whatever I like and expect you to like it-wise. (And look at her sitting on her throne like that. Who she thinks she is!)

And yet Mrs. Jaybee and even son Michael like it. Me? I’m not sold on it just yet but there are a couple of fine moments.

There is a Talking Heads-ish vibe here, which is nice, but if I want that I'll put on Talking Heads.

Things don’t really take off until the sixth song. And the big ending helps, so I thought I’d get into the first half of the record, too, and that this would end up an A-.  But it just isn’t happening.

Good, just not very compelling.

B+


Now that I've pissed off at least half the population, let me remind you how much I liked Beach House, Waxahatchee and Lori McKenna.

But in the meantime, is Salman Rushdie's old rental available?

In the City, Without a Voice

I found myself listening to several records with little to no vocals, and I asked myself, “Well, how did I get here?”.

And the short answer is luck, because sometimes words are superfluous. With the right folks, it’s enough to just hang out.

But where?


First, Brooklyn:



Oneohtrix Point Never: Replica (2016)

Electronica usually has a pulse, but not always a heart. And while this one’s a bit colder than, say, Jon Hopkins, he's got his own kind of warmth. He’s like the friend who, while not very gregarious, is always there for you.

And just when I thought it might have been a little too forbidding, Mrs. Jaybee said, “put on the one with that great horn melody and the woman’s voice”.  Okay, she was conflating two songs but I didn’t even know that until I put it on again.

There’s a definite city vibe to this. Maybe a city of the future, like in Blade Runner but more optimistic.

You might occasionally feel you’re being pushed away, but you’re really just being asked to stop and listen.

A-

“Explain”


Manhattan:



Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris
Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic, Columbia Symphony Orchestra

A re-buy after the Jaybee-Roommate Mike record collection was breached. We were young and smart and just came off the (then) high of seeing Manhattan.

There’s really nothing to say about this unless you’re familiar with more than one recording and have a preference.

This is essential music from the first half of the 20th century and if you don’t like it, I feel very, very sorry for you.

A

“Rhapsody in Blue”


London:


Max Richter: Infra (2010)

Max hit our radar after Mrs. Jaybee picked up the soundtrack to Shutter Island. Compiled by Robbie Robertson it is a tour de force of atmospherics that is mostly drowned out by the movie itself.

One of the two cuts supplied by Richter is used for the closing credits and it is stunning.

For unrelated reasons, I recently decided to watch The Leftovers, a show that Mrs. Jaybee sometimes hated. She loved the music though. And it was done by guess who?

So I ran across an ad for a concert by Max Richter, performing music from The Leftovers, so Mrs. Jaybee and I were all in.

And not leaving well enough alone (thank god) he also included this piece, commemorating the bombing of the London subway in 2005.

As Mrs. Jaybee stated, we’ve never been at a concert with such a well-behaved audience. Everyone was rapt, taking in every note.

Like the show, on this record, Max is accompanied by a small group of musicians. Three violins, two cellos, and himself on keyboards. It’s also sometimes overlaid with the sound of transmissions from the subway.

Max’s music (what we’ve heard at least) is pretty simple and it appeals - without shame - to your emotions. My recommendation is that you go with it.

A

“Infra 5”



The Big Country:

While a lot of friends of ours have gone to the suburbs, a long time ago, Mrs. Jaybee and I realized we were city people.

And while the city has its obvious bad points, it's who we are.