Containing, among other things, my humble effort to bring my fellow sixty(ish) year olds up to date on some current, and frankly, not so current, pop music.
When we last left off, Jaybee was trying to get back what passed for his mojo/groove/rhythm.
He never really had it in the first place - it all of that went to the kids - but you can't blame a guy for trying.
Like I said previously, I had a couple of reasons to sour on music at the beginning of the year. And avoiding music turned out to be not nearly as difficult as it should have been. It made me wonder if I'd lost my taste for it.
So I began to plot my way out. I’d look at the various year end best of lists for inspiration, where I found Wussy, St. Vincent, The War on Drugs piqueing my interest. But I knew I wasn’t in the mood for them at the time.
And the weird electronica and environmental sounds I was listening to led me to consider Aphex Twin, whose Selected Ambient Works, 85-92 might server as a halfway point back to normal, (Volume 2, its evil twin, was such a good companion during a very dark period. Like how you need a fellow drug addict around when you’re trying to quit.) Volume 1 is supposedly poppier, so I thought it would put me in the right direction, and lead me out, towards the records above. But it wasn't time yet.
Well, I finally passed those tests I was studying for, and then wondered if the music urge would come back.
It took about a day.
And what did I decide to listen to? Why, that other great companion during that very dark time:
Back then, this, and Aphex Twin, were the only two records I could listen to for a three month stretch. And I didn’t even love the record. It was just the only one that fit the mood.
But it does open with a number that reminds me of someone breaking out of cocoon (and then falling on his face, but at the time, I would settle for anything). And now, it seemed like a good transition to real life.
This was more like a volcano erupting. A dam breaking. An explosion caught on tape. But, you know, in a good way.
When I first got this record, I found it so anarchic I had trouble finding where the beat was most of the time. Forget about melody.
This song doesn’t have that problem. The “melody” is a drunk slide guitar playing the same figure over and over (and over) again. The beat is basically a t-rex stomping on your head. By 3:23 you have to choose between going mad or just going with the flow. (Of water, not lava. Damn you, mixed metaphors!)
Nutboy tells me I'm full of shit, but he’s about to buy a round, so I don’t argue.
He goes on, telling me I'm not as fully engaged in the zeitgeist as I should be. My words. His exact words were more along the line of “Your top 2011 album list sucks. You've got exactly one album from 2011 on it. What the hell is that? Complete bs.”
Well, that is the title of the blog, I'm thinking. But again, I say nothing.
“You don’t really tell people about current music. You go off on your little educational excursions, or you get stuff that’s decades old. He’s right, of course. After posting a song on Facebook once, a friend said thanks for the oldies.
“And when you do try to be current, you’re still a year behind, what, with your research.” He spits out this last word with such vehemence that he starts to cough. And now, reminded of his own thirst, walks off to buy the round.
I want to object, but all I can muster is “I’ll have a Sam.” First things first. If he’s going to insult me, he may as well pay for it.
But I do take this time to mull over his words, which he has every right to say. After all, his 2011 album list is made up entirely of, get this, albums from 2011.
I see him talking to the bartender, sharing a laugh, and I can’t help thinking it’s at my expense. When he comes back with the beers I half expect to see a napkin with the bartender’s 2011 list on it.
But, hey, I’m not eighteen anymore. I can’t just sit in my room listening to current music all day. Who has the time, or the money? These days I need a buffer. I look to Metacritic, Pazz and Jop, Robert Christgau, etc. to separate the genuine talent from the hype, and distinguish what sounds good at this moment from what will sound great for years to come.
And it’s not to help me choose one record over another. It’s to choose one record out of a thousand others. The Village Voice 2011 Pazz and Jop listed over 1,700 records, and that’s just ones that at least one person liked. When you add in what didn’t get mentioned, there’s got to be many times that number. So there isn’t enough time to listen to everything even once.
I react to that daunting reality by doing my “research”. Nutboy deals with it by just diving in.
And I’m kind of slow taking in records to begin with, often not knowing whether I like something or not until the tenth listen at least. So, by the time I recommend something to you, dear reader, it’s gone through quite the gauntlet of opinion.
But I have to do this not only because I don’t have the time. It’s also because I don’t have the time left. I’m closer to the end than I am to the beginning of…. you know, life. So can you fault me if I want to spend it wisely?
Nutboy’s having none of it. His point is that by the time I’ve done all my research, it’s a year later. Part of pop music’s attraction is that you can enjoy it as part of a community. Now.
Nutboy’s a jump-into-the-pool-headfirst kind of guy, maybe even before he knows there’s water there. I’m the type to check for water. Twice. Even at the beach.
And the other thing is that by focusing on great albums I probably miss a lot of great moments from the not-quite-great albums. So I’m guessing my method is more efficient – you know, more good songs per dollar or hour, depending on what’s more important to you - but Nutboy’s gets more good songs overall.
So who’s to say who’s right? Which one of us has the better batting average? I don’t know.
But here’s his list, along with my reasons for holding out:
Jaybee: And the world would seem to agree. Nutboy called this one way back in the spring when we first got to know each other. I’m mortified that I still haven’t heard a single one of these songs all the way through. It’s not like I haven’t had the chance. I’m surrounded by the damned thing. And that’s why I haven’t gotten it. I assume that I’m going to hear it ad nauseum anyway. But I haven’t yet. Something’s got to give. I should get it, but I’m usually underwhelmed by popular records. Championed by Americana stations, who I’ve found to be pretty tone deaf.
JB: I like Mule Variations, but Waits has got so many records out I don’t know what to get - this well regarded record or something more deserving in the back catalog.
JB: Mrs. Jaybee and Jaybee Jr (Michael, actually) really like this record, but I’m not warming up to it. I don’t hear them listening to it now, either.
Ditto. Another obscure one that’s I’m thinking about.
I’ve no doubt that all these reservations have prevented me from getting some great music. Next time I see Nutboy I’ll be asking him about what he thinks the downside is to his approach. What records didn’t work out for him?
The bottom line, though, is that we’ve both found our “method”. If it wasn’t working for us, we’d be a lot more jaded by now. We’re both still passionate about music. Both having a good time. Both feeling younger than we have a right to feel.
While the country was deciding to go to war again, I was too confused and overwhelmed to know what to think.Maybe everything I thought was wrong.
So I retreated into my first vice.But pop music wasn’t going to cut it, so I tried a different time and place - jazz and world music.
Although I usually need a few listens to get a grip on a new jazz record, I liked “The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume One” right away.Bud played piano during the advent of bebop, but rather than feel challenged by his music, I felt welcomed.So my first reaction was enjoyment, then wonder at how the hell he did it.I prefer this order of events to what usually happens with virtuosos – you appreciate them first and forget to get around to liking them.I’m usually cautious about recommending jazz, but this one if great, even for a non-enthusiast.
----------------Now playing: Bud Powell - Bouncing with Budvia FoxyTunes
On the same trip to the store, I picked up “Specialists in All Styles” by Orchestra Baobab.I know even less about world music than I do about world history, so when I heard the term Afro-Cuban music, I can only imagine an island in the middle of the Atlantic where these guys meet to play.These guys were stars in Senegal, broke up for twenty odd years, and then picked right up where they left off.The sharp guitar playing helps me get past the words I don’t understand.And again, it didn’t require any time to “get”.
----------------Now playing: Orchestra Baobab - Bul Ma Miinvia FoxyTunes
Now deluded into thinking I’d mastered these two genres, I overreached into classical.The Musical Heritage Society - having forgotten what a lousy customer I was in the eighties - wanted me back.The offer was so good I didn’t make them beg.I grabbed the buy-six-for-a-buck-a-piece offer and ran.
The first two discs were Elvis Costello-recommended requiems by Brahms and Mozart.Not party music, they’re both perfect for early mornings when it’s miserable out and your conscience is bothering you.Listening to them is like being locked in a church where the choir has taken over.And not the rollicking African American gospel type choir either.The solemn life sucks type, which was right up my alley.I still can’t tell one from the other, but I kind of like it that way.If they could wait hundreds of years for me to listen, I can give them a few spins.
Two more discs were comprised of Yo Yo Ma doing “Six Suites For Unaccompanied Cello by J.S. Bach” (link), or for you MASH fans, Ahhh Bach.Morning music.Solitude music.Sanctuary music.It’s functionally similar to the requiems, except that you’ve done nothing wrong.I rarely play it all the way through, but for whatever length of time you have it on, it’s like unplugging from this all too plugged-in world.I’m still trying to decide whether to file it under Y, M or B.
And finally, the last two were the Complete Rags of Scott Joplin.There is a – joy is too strong a word - serenity to this music that makes it irresistible.It functions in a similar way to the Bach Cello music.The former can bring you peace and the latter can point you to happiness.
----------------Now playing: Scott Joplin - Maple Leaf ragvia FoxyTunes
Gifts:
One of the downsides of family life is that one of those family members is bound to ask for a CD for Mother’s Day that you’d rather not have to listen to.Such was Coldplay’s “A Rush of Blood to the Head”.In other words, not my idea.But my wife asked for it, and so she’s going to get it, right?Even if I think it’s going to pollute the record collection.(Hey, my records are carefully researched choices.)So I didn’t want to like it.But, you know, it wore me down.It was just different enough to entice me.The chord changes were less than obvious, and the textures varied enough to keep my interest.The vocals, not too wimpy (unlike too many of their later songs), and the words, ignorable.Even I’ve bought worse records.
----------------Now playing: Coldplay - God Put a Smile on Your Facevia FoxyTunes
Another would-be present was Shakira’s “Donde Estan los Ladrones?” which I thought was Spanish for “Laundry Service”, which is the other CD my wife asked for.Niente.This one came out before Shakira became a major crossover artist.Although it’s too commercial and generic, I admire how she drops in a rock and roll guitar here and there.
Ultimate Yardbirds was a Father’s Day present, and it was going to be my attempt at resolving my Eric Clapton/Jimmy Page/Jeff Beck issues, and finally get into a band that I just kept missing.And there’s no doubt that the band’s got it going on.Check out the live blues covers, like Smokestack Lightnin’, but the singer’s just not there. Your assignment: Compare and contrast:
----------------Now playing: The Yardbirds - Smokestack Lightnin'via FoxyTunes
It’s hard to believe it now, but while the world was going to hell, my immediate surroundings were becoming more pleasant.There’s nothing like a terrorist attack to make you appreciate the little things.
My memories of that summer are bittersweet, and The Flaming Lips’ “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” represents it perfectly. (link).Instead of just being pretty, it’s also haunting and eerie.Wayne Coyne’s eerie voice singing "Everyone you know someday must die" seemed like a forewarning.And it was.
----------------Now playing: The Flaming Lips - Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell via FoxyTunes
The Drive-By Truckers are the first “southern rock” band I’ve had the slightest interest in for over thirty years.They emphasize songwriting over guitar histrionics.“Decoration Day” mixes Rolling Stones type guitar-crunch rock and roll with hard-edged country music.The songs are about disreputable people, and you get to hear their side of it.“My Sweet Annette”, about an elopement and a betrayal, is brilliant
---------------- Now playing: Drive-By Truckers - My Sweet Annette via FoxyTunes
Miles Smiles because he’s making a fool of me – this time by pushing his music in places I may never be.Check in with me in ten years, which is when I may have caught up with him.Sure.
Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” had won many Best Album awards the year before.I really liked their collaboration with Billy Brag on “Mermaid Avenue”, so I decided to try my first Wilco album.I found it weird, vague and pretensciouss - exactly what I normally like, but this time I wasn’t buying it.They were going for Big Star’s “Third” album vibe, but without enough hooks.And I prefer Alex Chilton’s voice to Jeff Tweedy’s.“I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” is a great lead-off track, but it takes half the album before they reach that level again.So I put it aside for a while.A year later, during a very dark period, it was virtually the only thing I could listen to. ---------------- Now playing: Wilco - I Am Trying To Break Your Heart via FoxyTunes
Fall:
By my next trip to the record store I still hadn’t learned my lesson about balancing experimentation with enjoyment.
Arthur Blythe’s “Lenox Avenue Breakdown” is probably the best of the bunch.
This jazz record has a nice balance of accessibility and experimentation.The cuts are long and easy to get right away.The solos are sharp and never commonplace.
The Moldy Peaches take precociousness to new depths.You alternately want to hum along and then smack them.They’re very, very raw, talented and not interested in letting it go down easy.They force you into their little world, so it’s not for every occasion.Definitely pre-9/11 music, so I just don’t have the patience for it now.
James Carter’s “Conversin’ with the Elders” has a young saxophonist interpreting tunes from the masters.Not that I’m all that familiar with the originals, mind you.Although I have no reason to do so, I’m always surprised and disappointed when a jazz album doesn’t hit me right away.But here I was doing it again.But after several years, I think I can finally hear it.
For those of you who think Iggy Pop makes the end of western civilization official, I must admit that I agreed with you at one time.Having finally sampled his best-of “Nude and Rude” about ten years ago, and enjoyed it, I’ve since taken two dives into the deep end.The first, a few years back with “Fun House”, his second record with the Stooges, and this time with his third, “Raw Power”, which was produced by David Bowie.My version is remixed by Mr. Pop himself.The opener, “Search and Destroy”, is one of the most ferocious rock songs ever, and I can’t say anything else comes close to it.The primitive lead guitar playing seems detached from the context (ie, whatever tune is being played at the moment).This irritates some people.And let’s face it - we still wouldn’t introduce Iggy to our wives or daughters.But if you can get past all that, there’s a real primal joy to be had here.Followed, perhaps, by some hot monkey-love.
---------------- Now playing: Iggy & the Stooges - Search and Destroyvia FoxyTunes
One of the big disappointments of the trip was Chris Bell’s “I Am the Cosmos”.Chris was the co-founder of Big Star, who died a few years after he left the band.This posthumously released solo album was getting good press, so it seemed a natural.The main problem is Chris’s high voice, and the strain shows more than once.To be fair, there are some gems, like “Speed of Sound” and “You and Your Sister”, with Alex Chilton singing harmony.Talk about your warm Hollywood-type reunion-before-tragic–accident-moment.
---------------- Now playing: Chris Bell - You and Your Sister via FoxyTunes
Bad Moon Rising:
My wife further eroded the record collection with Enya’s “A Day without Rain”.One of the deeper mysteries of marriage is how I somehow conveyed to her to not play this CD around me.Yes, I am aware that many humans find this music to be good, and I accept that.But just look at that cover!She’s got a tail, for God’s sake!It merely proves what I’ve always suspected: she’s actually Ursula from the Little Mermaid.And her music is just the anesthetizing poison she sprays you with BEFORE SHE EATS YOU!!..........I’ve been told to stop it.Okay, I will, but no, I will NOT apologize to a fish.Or ever go near water again.I admit that some of this is pretty, but I refuse to be coerced into liking it.It works well in those Lord of the Rings-type movies, though.
She also got Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising”.There are at most four songs here that do anything for me at all.Bruce has his heart in the right place, but the subject is just too big for him, and the music is dated.
Some nice person got me “Johnny Cash: The Heart of a Legend”, one of those knock off best-ofs you find in your local big box store.It’s a shame that I already had almost every song on it.I’d give it away if it weren’t so damned good.
Crash:
And then - nothing.It all goes black.Sometimes things happen that even music can’t fix, even if you wanted to hear some.Besides, why poison the memory of the music with what was going on around it?
And that kind of busted up the year for me.I loved nothing unconditionally.
So you bought a new CD and now you’re just putting it on.Don’t just sit there doing nothing, waiting for it an epiphany.Go do the dishes or something.If the CD’s good, it will get your attention.And maybe not the first time, either.Sometimes you have to just give it time.Some of my all time favorite albums didn’t hit me until listen six.A couple, even later than that.
Listen to your inner cheapskate who is telling you I just spent x dollars on this thing,I’d better invest at least a few spins in it.If you’re the type who spends good money on a CD and then puts it away after one listen, you obviously have way too much of it.Stop buying music, and give the money to charity.I’ll include my address.
The reason I’m going on about this is that you could very easily dismiss a perfectly good CD because you are in one mood and the CD is good for a completely different one.So it’s important to find the right time play it.
First, don’t open a new CD by an artist you don’t know, and then play it during “family time”.It’s the “No Soul Coughing at Dinner Time” Rule.I came to love their CD “Ruby Vroom” but it really didn’t work for the wife and kids at that moment.(It kicked in big time on a Walkman during a long train ride, though.)
Then there’s the right time of day.This is very subjective, since it has a lot to do with whether you’re a morning or an evening person.If when you first wake up, you can’t decide to use the razor to shave or slit your wrists, you probably shouldn’t put on Meat Loaf (music or food) at 7am.If you are a little more chipper than that, and think ML would be cool at that time, as one ex-girlfriend did, you should probably stop reading this now anyway.If you live next door to me, you’ve probably heard from me already.
Some CDs are great in the morning, like Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue” or Nick Drake’s “Five Leaves Left” because of how they can gracefully ease you into the day.These same CD’s may seem a bit draggy by mid-day when you have to be somewhere and you’re still waiting for the artist to get dressed.
Time of the year is important too.I like tuneful pop and energetic electric guitars during the summer, as a way of fending off the heat and humidity.I don’t recommend being too adventurous.You want something that will bear you up while the sun is beating down on you.It should probably be either very familiar sounding or just plain pleasant.After all, it’s hot as hell out there.But that’s me.I once played Peter Gabriel’s third album (you know, the one about torture, war and assassination…hmm…maybe this isn’t helping) for a captive audience on a beautiful summer day while driving to a Mets game.The only reason I survived was that everyone was too depressed to beat the sh*t out of me.The Mets lost, too.I like the album a lot, but it’s definitely for the winter.
The autumn is for more song oriented albums.Less flash, more texture and depth.The more melancholy the better.Break out those minor chords!But nothing too heavy.Summer’s just finished fer chrissakes!In the late fall, as the holidays begin, I find myself listening to music that I had listened to before at this same time of year.It really brings back the memories, and can put you in the holiday mood without having to listen to a bunch of Christmas songs you’re totally sick of.The important thing, though, is to get something new so that you will remember this year, too.
Winter (after Christmas) is for experimentation.I’m hibernating anyway so I don’t want anything too happy or uplifting. I may have asked for a boxed set for Christmas (“The Complete History of Depressing Music”).The windows are shut tight and it’s kind of quiet.Everyone’s in bed.This is good, because I may have another Soul Coughing on my hands.
Spring depresses the hell out of me for some reason (perhaps the music I’ve been listening to for the prior three months?), so I need music that heals whatever imaginary wounds I’ve inflicted on myself.This is a very hard quality to pin down.The music should be soothing but not boring.The one that worked best for me is Yo La Tengo’s “I Can Hear the Heart Beat As One”.But for those of you who prefer to sit back and enjoy your depression, I suggest Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”, which I spent several months listening to, to the exclusion of all else.Sometimes the healing just has to wait.
You can probably think of your own favorites that are specific to a time of year or a time of day.When you try to place them in a different context, they just don’t work as well. You don’t have ice cream for breakfast, and you probably don’t have cereal at night, so why wouldn’t you have similar needs or preferences when trying to nourish your soul?
