A Listener's Diary

 

Frank Sinatra The Man and His Music + Ella + Jobim (ft.Ella Fitzgerald and Antonio Carlos Jobim)

What an amazing special (I recently taped it off of PBS, but it's available on DVD). Want to travel back in time? Check this special out. What most struck me was the simplicity: just a singer or two, singing songs on stage for the audience. No effects, no tv screen behind them, no fancy camera work, no playing guitars. Just the simplicity of the joy of singing, something we can all experience together without spending a penny. The joy in his expression, it makes him seem so young. (He was 51 or so, not that that's old.)

There's nothing like this on tv now, it's sad to say. Though scrupulously rehearsed (and featuring an orchestra conducted by, and with arrangements by, Nelson Riddle, that Easy Listening master), the performances have a freshness and intimacy so lacking on tv. Check out Frank smoking a cigarette between verses while singing with Jobim! Or telling corny jokes. He looks so happy, he's high. He's absolutely blissed out. Singing with Ella, he bounces around and dances like a ballerina. When she takes a solo, he sits off to the side on the floor, looking up as if in awe of a hero. It's shocking. When's the last time you saw a rocker or rapper looking happy? This is music for the pleasure of music. Frank sings standards, name-checking "composers," but he also sings modern rock songs. He claims to approve of the new music the kids are listening to, and he seems to feel every right to take a stab at it. Yet he indulges in overt nostalgia, trading bits of old songs with Ella. What must these two have thought about popular music in 1967? Could anyone even have suggested that they were too old? Did kids give them a chance? They probably shouldn't be singing songs like "Up, Up and Away," but it gives the special a touch of campiness that makes it that much more enjoyable for me.

Aside from the killer duets with Ella near the end (is it true they never recorded together? what a tragedy!), the biggest revelation for me was "Change Partners," a beautiful little number I adored.

I can't wait to watch this again.

- posted 9/15/2004

 

Sonic Youth in Concert

I caught Sonic Youth in concert at the Vic in Chicago Thursday night, my first time seeing them live. They were amazing!

Opening act Hair Police were a boring noise band on the surface, but with their Fuck You!s to the audience and their silly personas they were clearly doing some kind of art school performance art. I was embarassed for the few members of the audience who rose to the bait. Next up were a slightly better mediocrity named Wolf Eyes who I was told "had some buzz." Though the band has some noise potential, their performance was absolutely lousy. They played for about 15 minutes (Hair Police had played barely more), so most of the time from 8 o'clock to a few minutes after 10 when Sonic Youth took stage was spent waiting, so I was actually in a foul, angry mood when they started.

They were immediately so good, I instantly forgave them for foisting such bad bands on us and making us wait 45 minutes more before they went on. (They went on to play until a few minutes before midnight, including two encores.) I don't know their catalog as well as I should, but according to some people who wrote in to the SY message board (and comparing it to what I remember), their setlist looked something like this (album title abbreviations in brackets):

I Love You Golden Blue [SN]
Stones [SN]
Pattern Recognition [SN]
Unmade Bed [MS]
Skip Tracer [WM]
Kim Gordon and the Arthur Doyle Hand Cream [SN]
White Cross [S]
New Hampshire [SN]
Paper Cup Exit [SN]
Bull in the Heather [EJTANS]
Dude Ranch Nurse [SN]
Burning Spear [?]

(1st encore) Rain On Tin [MS]
Pacific Coast Highway [S]

(2nd encore) Sugar Kane [D]

(I think there was actually more, though.) I've always liked the Sonic Youth sound, but my enthusiasm for their albums has waxed and waned. Their new album (Sonic Nurse) is excellent, and I like the previous album (Murray Street) quite a bit. Clearly, Jim O'Rourke has reenergized the band. He was on fire at the concert, absolutely attacking his guitar. Everything about Sonic Youth came together for me at this revelatory show--the beat influence, the improv, the experimentation, the Branca stuff (which I am now very motivated to hear). It's all served to make this band stronger and more cohesive musically and, above all, masters of rock texture. (At times I closed my eyes and just lost myself in the sound, a feeling that took me back to the best rock concerts I've ever attended.) With four guitarists on stage, I spent a lot of the time trying to pick out the individual voices. At least once during the show, they lined up for a unified frontal assault on the audience that utterly blew me away.

Kim Gordon acted, basically, as the lead of this awesome band, which was only appropriate, as her material dominates the new album. At one point, teasingly thanking us for coming out to the concert rather than staying home to listen to Kerry's convention speech, Thurston referred to Bush as fuckface (cheer!), a bit later saying, "As a wise man once said, 'Women of the world, take over,'" a sly reference to a Jim O'Rourke song from Eureka. It also seemed like an acknowledgement of Kim's excellent front-woman skills. I was surprised how sexy (and sexual) Kim and Thurston were on stage. Thurston rubbed his guitar all over his body at one point like it was some strange sextoy, licking it, straddling it. It'd be stupid if most people tried that kind of over-the-top cockrock stuff, but it worked Thursday because they had the guitar chops (and vocals, not to mention drumming) to back it all up. I've heard/read that Sonic Youth hasn't been this good in years, so I feel lucky to have seen the band at their very best. I'm almost afraid to see them again, out of fear that they could never again live up to this concert.

- posted 7/29/2004

 

Jerry Goldsmith, Musical SF hero, Rest in Peace

It's sad to read of the death of composer Jerry Goldmsith. I can't pretend I ever followed his career the way I did star-composers John Williams or Danny Elfman, but his music was often a key, enjoyable part of films and tv shows. Most people would recognize his work for the Star Trek franchise when it returned from the dead starting in the late 70s. In my early teen years, I was much more taken with James Horner's more lush, melodramatic work for Star Trek II and III--they were some of the first LPs I ever owned and, along with William's Star Wars music, primed me for classical music long before I started buying rock/pop. But now, thinking of his work for the first film (which became the theme for ST The Next Generation) and for ST Voyager, I can appreciate now how he helped give Star Trek a consistent character. (If only Enterprise had used a Goldsmith theme instead of that awful song! The whole idea of singing a drippy song with lyrics just seems so wrong after Goldsmith's stately, brass-empasizing orchestral themes which had a somewhat regal flavor.) Looking at the list of film scores he composed, I have to admit I can't remember a lot of them, but most of them are movies I saw only once. I do remember his lovely music for The Trouble with Angels, a family favorite I saw several times growing up. There his music was almost a character in its own right, a melancholy, sweet theme that expresses the theme of adolescent growth and which is used in contrast to the comic hijinx of Hayley Mills and June Harding's characters. Other highlights include A Patch of Blue, Chinatown, Planet of the Apes, Patton (talk about memorable music!) and the Alien movies.

- posted 7/23/2004

 

Feeling Listless?

It's List Day! Oh, boy! Who doesn't love lists?!

A friend forwarded me a fun list of "The greatest intros in Rock and Roll" from the Palm Beach Post, of all places. A very classic, as opposed to contrarian, sensibility is at work here.

Then, there's Magnet Magazine's list of the TOP 60 ALBUMS 1993-2003, which apparently saw print some time ago but is new online. Since this is really my area of strongest interest, I was surprised how many CDs are on here that I hadn't even heard of--Jawbox's For Your Own Special Sweetheart? Grifters' Crappin’ You Negative? But there are some outstanding choices on here: The Shins, Pulp, the Wrens, Stereolab, Air, PJ Harvey, Interpol, Spoon (an album I just recently bought and love), and many others. R.E.M.'s New Adventures In Hi-Fi is a great choice, as it is such an underappreciated album and may be their best. I hate the choice for #1, but, isn't that often the case with these kinds of lists?

Lastly, a list announced some time ago, the American Film Institute's 100 Years 100 Songs list of top movie songs. Lots and lots of obvious choices, that oddly mixes songs from musicals and songs that were soundtrack hits. I'm happy they included "I Could Have Danced All Night" from My Fair Lady, but, as with several other musicals on the list (Grease, Chicago) you could include several more numbers. Of several songs included from West Side Story, I wish they'd included found room for "Officer Krupke," a brilliant song. Having seen more Westerns in recent years, I think there are much better Western theme songs (and Westerns) than the perennially overrated High Noon (#25). "Thanks for the Memory" is only associated with Bob Hope, and though he was a movie giant, I don't think it's a great song. "Put the Blame on Mame" from Gilda (#84) is a superb choice--great song, integral to the movie, an iconic movie, and a movie that is very much underseen. Lists like this should champion lesser-known classics! One of the criteria was to consider "songs that have captured the nation's heart," which is only going to tell us what we already know, amounting to a popularity contest. I was surprised and happy, then, to see a song from Cover Girl, "Long Ago and Far Away" (#92), an uneven film with great musical moments. ("The Show Must Go On" is a brilliant satire of wartime sacrifices made on the homefront.) But I wish they'd made room for "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," a key and great song from the great screwball comedy, Bringing Up Baby. And how could they overlook The Music Man? Maybe they should have limited it to 1 song per movie. Then there would have been room for some more provocative choices, like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a strong rock musical made into an even stronger movie with an oustanding soundtrack. As is, the list reeks of Oscar and all he stands for.


- posted 7/05/2004

 

Last week I saw a local production of Stephen Sondheim's Anyone Can Whistle. It was strange, very strange. The first third just seemed...bad, like an unsuccessul mix of Urinetown (subversive musical set in a metaphorical dystopia) and Hairspray (big, brassy woman character; gay camp elements). Of course, Anyone Can Whistle was written in the 60s. It was also a flop.

However, once you adjust to the musical's inner logic, its broad non-conformity themes expressed with asylum patients let loose amongst the larger population of a run-down town run by comically archetypal politicians, it begins to work a little bit. Actually, what happens is that the large cast is pushed off stage and you get some intimate time between
two likable characters (a heroic nurse and a heroic doctor), and the songs start to improve.

I like the themes, and I like the fact that the piece showcases two fun, flashy women (the hero and villain). The heroine, a nurse at a mental institution, can only lose her inhibitions when she dons a crazy red wig and takes on a racy French persona--an interesting drag theme. Was someone inspired by a friend who did drag? In the end, though, as unfair as it is to say regarding a show about nonconformity, the musical suffers for being just a little too weird. And though tuneful and interesting, these are not Sondheim's best numbers, not by a long shot.

*

Relatedly, today I read that Nathan Lane is writing for and starring in a production of The Frogs, a Sondheim effort that is based on a comedy by Aristophanes. The NYTimes article says, "He was already a Sondheim fan: 'Are you kidding?' he said. 'I'm a homosexual — it comes with the starter kit.'" Wow. I wish I'd gotten that kit when I came out. Must have gotten lost in the mail. It took me too many years to discover this great talent (unless you count West Side Story, which I don't, because that's Bernstein's music, even if the lyrics are amazing). Oh, and all kidding aside, you don't need to be gay to love Sondheim. Yes, he's that good.

I still haven't seen Passion, Assassins, Into the Woods, Follies, or Sweeney Todd, among others. The shows I have seen so far have been small productions--what I think of as true Chicago style, where, at their best, budget limitations elicit ingenuity, intimacy and purity of vision. Hey, an excuse for a list! I love lists. And I'll toss in ratings of the shows on a scale of 0 to 5 stars:

• Merrily We Roll Along @ Porchlight Music Theatre Co. (early 2000) - ****
  A great story, er, great book as the theater people say. Great characters, great songs, so touching it makes you want to cry.


• Pacific Overtures @ Chicago Shakespeare (Dec. 2001) - *****
  Incredibly unique piece, breaks the mould of musical theater. It's history. Great songs. This was a killer production.


• Sunday in the Park with George (June 2002) - *****
  I'd remembered hating the Broadway version with Bernadette Peters that they showed constantly on PBS once upon a time. But I'd never seen all of it before. Wow, was this amazing. Again, unbelievable creativity--the second act introduces a whole new set of characters. Genius songs--it's art.


• Company @ Porchlight Music Theatre Co. (March 2003) - ****
  Very strong show, with at least one classic, killer song, "Ladies who lunch." A bit sappy, and more disguising of the gay character. The production I saw was in a space that was lousy acoustically--a crime! But I don't hold that against the show.


• Bounce @ Goodman (July 2003) - Zip
  Don't ask. Dull story, but the songs fail. Of course every weisenheimer critic couldn't resist the headline "Bounce Doesn't," but, really, it should be entitled "Plod." B and I still torture each other with the title song. ANd The Goodman, the big shit in town, always sucks.


• A Little Night Music (February 2004) - *****
  Just brilliant. A friend didn't love this production as much as others he'd seen, but it was my first time, and I really loved it. What a lovely, lovely show, and "Send in the Clowns" ended up being icing on the cake, not the sappy punishment I feared.


• Anyone Can Whistle - **

- posted 7/01/2004

 

Concert Season

I saw a trio of concerts this week, which has got to be a personal record. I don't often see 3 concerts in a month--or even 6. But Red and I wanted to see these headliners and they all just scheduled this way.

First up: Franz Ferdinand at the Metro. The Webb Brothers opened and I can honestly say I don't remember much about them, positive or negative. Sons and Daughters followed, and in some ways I think they were the coolest band I saw all week. 2 women, 2 men, all of them Scots, and the sound was very stripped down, tough, cool, intriguing. I want their album! (A review that ran in the Chicago Trib said they were "nipping at the heels" of Franz Ferdinand. Then the main act, Franz Ferdinand. Truth be told, I'd only heard their album a few times--this was Red's pick, not mine. I bought Hot Hot Heat's, Interpol's and The Rapture's last CDs, and this seemed too much in that vein for me to invest myself in. But they absolutely sizzled live. It turned out to be by far the most exciting act of the week, and one of the best live shows I've ever seen. The Saturday night audience was in the palm of their hands (and quite a cool audience it was, as audiences go)--erupting in cheers and applause, screaming, dancing. It was great fun. The album came fully alive. I found that I knew the songs well despite only a few exposures over the last few weeks (proving their memorabiliy), and the sound was incredible. The boys were gorgeous but clearly possessed of professional talent. There was a hint of glam to the act, as they strutted and jumped and kicked around the stage looking wonderfully stylish in an early-80s-inflected way. Their songs, I started to realize, are enormously sexy, usually involving stories or scenarios that invite you to imagine yourself in--exploring the "dark of the matinee," for instance. Some of the songs explore bisexuality quite overtly (then there's Michael, which I wrote about earlier), and the audience was clearly worked up. Call 'em metrosexual posterboys! I still prefer Interpol slightly--their melancholy brand of cool suits me better (I'm not the nightclubbin' playboy type--surprised?)--and I do appreciate Hot Hot Heat's punkier side, but I was absolutely blown away by this concert.

Next up: Grant Lee Phillips on Thursday. The big surprise here was that opening act John Doe (of X fame) was more of a performance partner: the two performed several numbers for each other's sets. I didn't know John Doe's material, but it was strong straight-up rock with a folky inflection (though not quite as much as Grant Lee's). One other thing I can say about Doe (who I saw recently on DVD rental of Torque!) is that he wears his jeans and jives to the music in a very sexy way. A quick tangent: after his opening set, I went to the bathroom only to return and find a stranger in my seat. Shit, I thought, I'll have to be aggressive and get rid of some jerk. It was Doe, who'd joined a couple women he knew in the audience. As intermission ended he left and I got my seat back. Red had meanwhile gotten to shake his hand, which was good because he was more familiar with the man than me. Cool guy. I wanted Grant Lee to do more songs off his lovely recent album, Viriginia Creeper--because it's the only one I know! But he did do the best songs, and suddenly it struck me how many of his songs are love songs written and addressed to women characters--a profoundly heterosexual artist (they both were). Oh, well. No one's perfect. The band and back-up singer (who all stayed on stage the whole evening, backing both men) were very good. I wish there'd been a violinist, because the instrument is such a strong part of the new album's appeal, but, hey, you can't alway get what you want, eh? Aside from numbers such as Mona Lisa, Lily-A-Passion and Calamity Jane, GLP also did a number or two from his GLBuffalo days. They also covered Gram Parsons, Merle Haggard and X, of course. A strong concert--not quite what I'd expected, but very enjoyable.

Lastly: The Shins at the House of Blues on Friday. First, I have to say I'm not wild about the space there. It's too weird and consciously folk-arty. The lower level space is mostly covered by a low ceiling that hurts sound and creates an uncomfortable cavernous space. Yuck. I was thinking about the fact that it's a chain and decided it was like the Hard Rock Cafe of concert venues. Then today I was reading and saw a mention of a guy who was a co-founder of both chains, so hey are related! I was right! Anyway, opening band The Rogue Waves seemed like decent guys, but didn't impress me much. Next act The Glands were a really boring band in the vein of a Sonic Youth without the insane originality and variety. A band only critics could love. Slow songs, a terrible singer. They were really nice, though, for what it's worth. The Shins. It's funny, but I had almost the opposite reaction as I did to Franz Ferdinand. I think The Shins' album Chutes Too Narrow is brilliant, and it improves with listening. I'm so excited about their future. And their performance was just fine--the crowd was very much into them. (Truth be told it was an uncomfortably packed house, 1 of 2 sold out gigs.) But I didn't feel that the concert lived up to the album. The material didn't breathe enough for me. They were "good, giving and game," though, as Dan Savage would say, and I did enjoy the concert. It was the first time I'd ever seen a 4-guy band where the lead singer was introverted, didn't speak more than a couple words, and the keyboardist did all the talking. Interesting twist on the typical band psych profile. And the boys are clearly quite proud of being from New Mexico--there were some amusing flag-caping antics.

- posted 6/21/2004

 
Went to the Neo-Futurists' 30 Band in 60 Minutes fundraising event in a highly skeptical frame of mind: at your average concert, it takes a minimum of 30 minutes between acts to set up a band. This drives me crazy. I find it insulting to make the audience wait so long. So I was looking for proof that it could be done faster and more efficiently.

IT CAN!!! OK, so with the inevitable glitches, 30 bands took more like 90 minutes--apparently they've never finished under 60 at this annual event--but, still, damn close, and now I'm going to be even angrier at snotty bands that make me wait 20, 30, 40 minutes before they come out and play. (Hmm, is this a good thing?) Of course, these were local bands, but some of them were damn good. Red and I were blown away by Troubled Hubble--no, not just because their song came well under the 2-minute limit that had been requested of participating bands, and no, not just because they were wicked cute (though that never hurts), but because their song was a great blast of rock, some kind of punk/power-pop concoction that revved us way up. (Check it out--AMG gave their album 4 stars! I'm sure one of us will be picking that one up soon.)

The Neo-Futurists are probably the most consistently innovative and fun theater group in Chicago, if you didn't know, and the NF's Greg Allen co-hosted with the hilarious Tim Tuten (of The Hideout), who introduced bands with crazy improvved silliness. The diversity of this event was pretty wide, ranging from an all-woman drumming group (Big Smith), to rap (The Molemen), to a jazzy standard (Elizabeth Conant & Fareed Haque) to a divaesque R&B closer (the impressive Lynne Jordan covering "Me & Bobby McGee" a capella), but most of the bands fell somewhere in the vast rock spectrum. Lots of retro, all over the map, from White Stripes-ish roots rock, to rockabilly (one of my personal highlights, the Neverly Brothers). I loved Duenow (an intriguing and energetic woman drummer and guy guitarist/singer combo), and was impressed also by Archer Prewitt, whose music I've heard and enjoyed before. His more serious indie rock song suffered in the context of the carnivalesque context, but I was impressed nonetheless. El Guapo had a seriously hot guitarist. Hey, come on, rock is all about sex, so these things matter! Dolly Varden didn't seem to be at their best but intrigued me anyway. Evil Beaver could have shamed The Donnas with their hard-rawkin, the Kimi Hayes Band reminded me of Melissa Etheridge--in a good way. Preston Klik's Ritual had a memorable act--black female R&B crooner sang along to dancey techno music while a guy kept changing her wigs/masks/scarves/etc. and a statuesque dominatrix-style woman cracked a whip in the background. Fun in a Pet Shop Boys to the far extreme kind of way. Ellen Rosner did some straight ahead rock that was pretty good. RD Roth & The Issues hailed most obviously from Evanston. I couldn't hear the vocals, so I didn't know if they were serious or if they had a sense of humor. The Goldstars were quite good, and the guitarist impressed me in his leadership of the multi-group finale cover of "(What's so Funny 'bout) Peace Love and Understanding?" Cheer Accident was so unusual--a lone male vocalist with an entire brass line--that I'd have to hear more to know how I liked it. John Greenfield, if memory serves (gimme a break--it was 30 bands!), wrote a song inspired by the Neo-Futurist's awesome long-running cult show "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind" (a must-have experience for you Chicago visitors/inhabitants!). Very funny. Down the Line...I remember a mandolin and then trying to remember a band from the 80s, The Hooters. They were nothing like them.

Well, that taps me out for now. What a great way to be introduced to local talent, and what a blast the whole event was. I highly recommend it. Planning to go next year! (And not drink so much that I have to piss before the 30th band finishes!)

- posted 5/28/2004

 
I have a theory that records often get the reviews that should have been given to the artist's previous record. Mainstream critics are often a little slow in their reflexes. That might explain why i, the new Magnetic Fields album, has gotten such great reviews in the glossies. They're still reacting to the amazing feat of 69 Love Songs, an ultra-cool triple-CD that included many excellent songs. That ambitious work put singer/songwriter Stephin Merritt on the map. Now he (rightfully) sells out concerts to the hipster crowd--he's become, along with Dan Savage and David Sedaris, a gay guy all hipsters love.

A gay guy myself, I've loved Merritt's work for many years, esp. his early Magnetic Fields and 6ths projects (never was very wild about Future Bible Heroes). But the new album is mediocre, thwarted mostly by lethargic, tired performances that mar the album. The melodies are as perfect as always, just what you want and expect, but songs like "Infinitely Late at Night" (the worst tempo offender) drag the whole album down. "Is This What They Used to Call Love?" strains his vocal range, and "It's Only Time" ends the album on an uncharacteristically mawkish note. Where's our beloved gay cynic? Well, he isn't entirely gone, thank ABBA (or whatever other God might be applicable here). "I Don't Believe You" is classic Stephin Merritt, a highly recommended song. And in his less-often successful sincere vein, he scores a major win with "I Thought You Were My Boyfriend," which has it all--slick beat, catchy melody, anthemic sentiments. The song is a mature look at (gay) love life, with a chilling moment set to the lyric, "Some guys have a beer and they'll do anything." That's not necessarily a good thing, Merritt sings, which I found refreshing.

Songs like "I Wish I Had an Evil Twin" are SO CLOSE to being great that it's maddening. Just a bit of tempo tweaking, again. Even in cases where it's not tempo (clearly Merritt is experimenting with irony in tempo--upbeat sad songs, slower funny numbers), there seems to be an energy problem, often disappointingly in Merritt's voice. "In an Operatta" benefits from the fresh use of a harpsichord, at least. Likewise, "If There's Such a Thing as Love" has the rhymes and the melody--it's just lacking that usual carbonation that we take for granted from Meritt. Does he want us to stop expecting greatness from him?


- posted 5/26/2004

 
A friend pointed out to me the relevance of some lyrics by Bright Eyes, in the song "Let's Not Shit Ourselves", off of Lifted, an amazing album. Written well before we went into Iraq, it's worth noting:

"I should stop pointing fingers; reserve my judgment of all those public action figures, the cowboy president. So loud behind the bullhorn so proud they can't admit when they have made a mistake. While poison ink spews from a speechwriter's pen, he knows that he doesn't have to say it, so it don't bother him. "Honesty" "Accuracy" are really just "Popular Opinion." And the approval rating is high, so someone is going to die. ABC, NBC, CBS: Bullshit. They give us fact or fiction? I guess an even split. And each new act of war is tonight's entertainment."

Actually, I think the time for reserving judgement has passed.

- posted 5/11/2004

 
So, one of the Powerpuff Girls also sings old-timey music in the vein of the excellent Gillian Welch? Her name's Grey DeLisle. You can hear samples of her music at her web site. Her voice doesn't really suit my taste, but it's nice enough.

Been listening to the new album by Caetano Veloso, A Foreign Sound, a collection of English-language covers: and what a strange collection it is. He'll toss one out that seems beyond the pale, like "Feelings," and then he'll turn around and offer a sweet rendition that charms your socks off, as with Gershwin's "The Man I Love." Apparently, there have long been rumors about Veloso's sexuality, which puts this wide-ranging collection in a certain context, from Nirvana's "Come As You Are" to "Jamaica Song," more familiar in the mouth of Mr. Banana Boat himself, Harry Belafonte. I prefer the Tin Pan Alley songs, so well-written that anyone can sing them (let alone a golden throat like Veloso), but I'm surprised how well Cobain's song and David Byrne's excellent, too-little known "(Nothing But) Flowers" sound here.

Speaking of Cobain, I was in a record store the other day, near the listening stations, and a couple guys were shopping. One of them had headphones on and pointed out the Probot CD to his friend, saying WAY TOO LOUDLY, "DUDE, THAT CD is the BEST thing Grohl has done since NIRVANA." (Shoppers all over the store turning to look.) His friend must have turned beet red. So funny. Also probably true. What a fun idea for a project. I haven't listened to the CD much yet, but the idea alone--Grohl writing songs in a metal style and bringing in a different legendary metal vocalist for each cut--justifies the purchase. David Grohl is now hearby officially a Dave for good.

Borrowed a copy of Sufjan (how the hell do you pronounce that?) Stevens' new CD, Seven Swans. (Only fair as I had made the friend aware of this artist in the first place!) Too sincere and religious for my taste, but the music, if wispy, is nice. At times, very nice. I esp. like "To Be Alone With You," despite--maybe in this case because of--its religious meaning. "I've never met a man who loved me" is a poignant line, and the song reminds me of what I like about Christ and his story, as opposed to the "Christians" who dominate politics in this country.

Also borrowed OutKast's double-CD (generous friend!) and managed to get through it all, almost twice, a feat in itself since there are 39 tracks. Given all the coverage I'd read ahead of time, I was expecting to prefer The Love Below, but surprised myself by liking Speakerboxx a bit more, not least because it has more rap. If I ever have the time for the project, I'd like to go through and tease out my favorite bits into a lean 30 minutes or so. Bet my faves are the same as everyone else's. I should search the blogosphere, because I'll bet others gave done this already.

Modest Mouse's album Good News for People Who Love Bad News is a huge hit in stores here--big dents on the shelf where it should be. I love "Float On" right away, and the rest, though different from that song, sounds good. I'm connecting them to Hot Hot Heat, among other bands. IMDB connects them to French Kicks. Ooh, a free download. Love that.

Lastly, flipping channels one morning last week and caught Nellie McKay on The View singing, "I wanna Get Married," the lyrics of which struck me as nauseatingly nostalgic and anti-feminist, but apparently the song is satirical. Good to know that, as usual, I was just bein thick. Also handy, as "David" has gotten stuck in my head from the listening station at Tower and I'm going to have to have it soon!

Lastly, been hooked lately on Michael Buble's and Sinatra's versions of "Nice 'n Easy," and I'm wondering about the song. Since when does the guy have to remind the gal to slow down? Maybe he's reminding himself. Or maybe I should find a woman's rendition--I'd love to hear Peggy Lee's! Come on, iTunes. You've got a lot to add to that catalog...


- posted 5/09/2004