Record Review 14 Spoon: "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"

Spoon
GaGaGaGaGa
Merge Records 2007






Spoon is an intriguing band in a lot of respects. Classic indie rockers out of Austin who wowed the critics with their 2002 release “Kill The Moonlight” with grabby summer anthems “Small Stakes” and “The Way We Get By.” The followed it up with “Gimme Fiction” which took it in a harder long where they tried somewhat unsuccessfully to craft a straight ahead rocker. With Ga... they are on firmer ground and returning to their artsy, tuneful roots but with some more maturity. They continue working on the hippest indie label Merge.(www.mergerecords.com). This is a great album.

Britt Daniel is still driving the band and is in his best form on this CD which might be their best effort yet. He knows his way around a hook and the band is good enough to more then stay with him. It is crisp and has 10 songs that clock in at 37 minutes and it hearkens back to the good old days of 3 minute, radio ready pop tunes.
“Black Like Me” leads off and is as strong as anything out there. the whole CD evokes quality Squeeze tunes but in a lot of ways is so much better because...well I don’t know why but probably because of recording improvements it just sounds so crisp and sharp...and his lyrics...and the tunes hold up to crisp and sharp.

“I'm in need of someone to take care of me tonight
As I walk into Dorian's, can you see it in my eyes?
My boots are on the mend and they ain't walking home
Street tar in summer'll do a job on your soul
Jenny's watching cover shot, my head's feeling light
I'm in need of someone to take care of me tonight
Anyhow, anyway, so I split
Like just getting out of there is gonna get me outta this
I spent the night in the map room
I humanize the vacuum
I'm in need of someone to take care of me tonight
As I'm lookin' out at you, can you see that in my eyes
On the mend, now they could lead me home
Street tar in summer will play a trick on your soul
Jenny's gone day and night
Ah, It made me feel so light
Just someone to take care tonight
Jenny's watching day and night
My head's still feeling light
Someone to take care tonight
All the weird kids up front, tell me what you know you want
Someone to take care tonight”
Nice imagery and what a great last line finally looking to the weird kids up front at a show for final redemption..





“Finer Feelings” has an “Afghan Whigs” feel to it and rocks along nicely. “My Japanese Cigarette Case” might as well be a Squeeze song with winsome harmonies and hooky guitars and lyrics and the next song “The Underdog” and even the next one continue in precisely the same pleasing vein. The next song “Rhythm and Soul” feels like newer Decembrists and is so listen-able as to be a little painful. “Don’t You Evah” returns successfully to the bands more signature sound which relies on Daniels voice and clever wordplay and “You’ve Got That Cherry Bomb” introduces some big horns and kind of reminds me of early graham Parker and nice swinging British sound. “The Ghost of You Lingers” is a promising song title but unfortunately is likely the only real failure on the album with an annoying piano duh duh duh duh duh duh...that so distracts overs Daniel’s voice that you really cannot care what he is singing about. The CD finishes with “Don’t Make Me A Target” which is just a great little pop, paranoid, why is everone messing with me song. And it is song with enough passion and anger to make it work. If you buy it on iTunes there is a bonus track “Deep Clean” which is stripped down and a little whiny and... you don’t need it.

The CD is a very solid effort. I always wonder how an “Austin” band gets such a brit rock sound and i think you either credit or fault that to Daniels singing style but it is, for the most part, delightful. As I said earlier one of the CD’s primary charms is the short, sharp length of the songs. As one who has tired of jam bands and 4 minute “solos” you have to admire the attempt at Beatles-esque concise writing and playing. Punch it out and let me tap my feet and smile.

Album Review 7: The Silos "Come On Like The Fast Lane"

Walter Salas Humara started the Silos around 1985. Since that time he has released thre or four brilliant CD’s (”Cuba”, “Susan Across The Ocean”, “The Silos” and 2004’s “When The Telephone Rings”). For Cuba Rolling Stone voted the band the best new artist. The album “Cuba” along with Uncle Tupelos work did as much to shape the next 15 years of alt-country as anything. He has a substantial body of quality work. Before the Silos he was a Gainsville boy with his band The Vulgar Boatmen who put out some really fine music and he has had a side project called “The Setters” with Alejandro Escovedo, another favorite of mine. Here is what he Hamara says about Gainsville:

"It's where I spent my college years learning a lot and drinking a lot. It's a special place - a crossroads of Marxist dialectic and simple values and realities. I'm looking forward to the G”ville show and the kick-off of a tour that will take us through many of our old haunts and some fresh ground. We're super proud of the new album and thank our lucky stars it happened the way it did."

My biggest surprise was that the is no Wikipedia entry for the Silos or for Salas Humara. Perhaps that will be my project on another day. Anyway, as I said their last album was the semi-brilliant “When The Telephone Rings.” It was mournful and rocked my socks off so...I was disappointed by this album. The critics and the press releases all compare the album to Television and Velvet Undergorund with better pop lyrics. That is...generous.

It is on Bloodshot which is one of my favorite indie labels and they had a little release telling us what Humara thought the songs were about:
1. Behind Me Now
No time left to worry about what horrible consequences the narra-
tor’s actions have wrought on the ones he is about to leave behind.
He’s about to find out what’s on the other side.
2. Fall On Your Knees
Baby’s keeping you up the part of your night not devoted to the
big Rock Show? We all know life gets tougher the older we get,
so we save a little piece for our souls and hang onto it with all
our might.
3. Tell Me You Love Me
Ah, the travails of Modern Romance. Just tell me you love me.
4. I Won You Won
Breaking up will be good for both of us? Especially if there’s a
party going on and our remote control is tuned in.
5. Keeping Score
Time just a keeps on rollin’ along. There are no second chances.
Don’t be a fool. Be Here Now.
6. People Are Right
He’s leaving town. She steals his car. He later finds it with a note
attached. Just when he’s realizing the truth is always grey, he gets
the call ...
with us when we give up sane for crazy.
8. Top Of The World
So what if the baby can’t drive..... we can! Get behind the wheel
and just drive like hell. There’s nothing like it.
9. Days Gone By
There’s a lot of news, a lot of Talking Heads. It’s a endless stream.
A lot of things we have very little effect on. Sometimes we don’t
even have any control over our most intimate relationships. An-
other reason to Be Here Now.
10. Sunset Morning
Love is strange. Love is beautiful. Sit back and let it roll all over
you.
11. Never Leaving
When you find the right one, let yourself go and wallow in the best
thing that’s ever happened to you.
12. Out Of Our Way
There are many who will stop at nothing to get their way. Politics,
Religion, Economics - Is there any difference?
13. Kickass
You don’t need another man. You are kickass.

The bottom line is that the CD is very solid and for me was uninspired. With such a great body of work and so much talent it seems like it could almost be a throw away. It was recorded in 4 days. No fact about the Cd would have surprised me less. On a positive note there is not an unpleasant song on the CD and the more you listen to it the more it grows on you. It is simple straight ahead unaffected, non-poser rock. Parts of it are sweet. “Behind Me Now”, “Tell me You Love Me” and the title cut make it a worthwhile puchase no matter what. The 6th track, "People Are Right" has some sweet lap steel noodling that although not life changing...it works. This is hard for this Diner being a huge Silos fan. I like the CD but I am calling it non-essential and giving it 7 1/2 Slingers out of 10.

The Silos will be coming to “Off Broadway” soon. He puts on a great show always playing the same miked up acoustic guitar with a lot of effects that make it sound like whatever kind of guitar he wants it to be. It is a fun rock and rollshow and should not be missed.

All that having been said here is the quintessential iTunes composite of the Silos and Salas Humara and the Setters

1. Commodore Peter
2. Tennessee Fire
3. Change The Locks
4. Lets Go take Some Drugs (and drive around)
5. Mom Out Dancing
6. Shaking All Over The Place
7. Nothings Going To Last
8. I Want To Be Your Dog
9. Susan Across the Ocean
10. Evageline
11. When The Telephone Rings
12. My Big Car
13. The Only Love
14. About Her Steps
15. Cuba
16. Love Is A Beautiful Thing

Album Review 6: The Lemonheads...The Lemonheads

So, what do you say about The Lemonheads? I believe eaier in my ode ti Mississippi Nights referenced once stepping over him in the entrance to Mississippi Nights at 1:00 in the afternoon on my way to buy tickets for that nights show. When I say him it is because Dando is the only Lemonheads member to be on every track of every album and it has never been more...or less then a vehicle for him. He burst onto the scene as the beautiful indie rock god out of Boston. They recorded 5 very good but fairly forgettable CDs early on from 1987-1990. Banging Juliana Hatfield (The Blake Babies) and was everyone’s next big thing after the CD “It’s a shame About Ray” (1992) before releasing the beautiful but soulless “Come On Feel The Lemonheads” and disappearing into the dumpster diving world of being the talented ex-indie rock god.



Saying that he had a little “drug problem” is like saying our President is “a little stubborn” or even better saying our President has “a little problem with the english language” or even better syaing our President....never mind, I digress. Evan was the king hell junkie and by his own admission did everything under the sun. In recent interviews he has blamed this on indie rock stardom and people wanting to make him into a 10 million record seller that he never wanted to be. Cry me a river, build a bridge and GET OVER IT!

All that having been said this is a great little (just over 30 minutes) CD. In is (one of my favorite words) “chunky”. Really nice guitar work and his plainspoken voice just sound soooooo good sometimes. He brought together the old Descendants rhythm section of Bill Stevenson and Karl Alverez and augments them with some other great musicians most noticably Garth Hudson on keyboards and incredibly guitar God (big G) J. Mascis. It syas Mascis only appears on one track (No Backbone) but thats a lie. His jangly Neil Young inspired heavy guitar can be heard throughout backing Dando’s own dandy licks.



“Black Gown” starts it off with nice guitars and vocals and then goes into the pretty and dark “Become The Enemy.” By that time you know the Cd will be worth it even if you do not like anything else. “Pittsburgh” and “Let’s Just Laugh” bring out the good old Lemonheads. Never let it be said that pretty drug addled men cannot write some great angst driven rock.
One of the things I love about it is it’s brevity. A little over 30 mintes and 11 songs. That is the way God meant for us to rock. Most of these artists get some success and they are driven to doing things like putting 11 minutes of “arty” feedback into an otherwise nice song (see “Wilco”) but this is just a straight ahead, VERY unpretentios rocker. Great driving around music. Nothing that will change your life but frankly...it’s just rock and roll and it shouldn’t change your life. 7 1/2 Sliders on the 10 Scale.


Lemonheads/Dando iTunes Composite
1. Alison’s Starting To Happen
2. Frying Pan (Dando on Victoria William Tribute)
3. Become The Enemy
4. 1000 Wedding (Dando on Gram Parsons Tribute)
5. Into Your Arms
6. It’s A Shame About Ray
7. It’s About Time
8. For Shame Of Doing Wrong (Dando on Richard Thompson Composite)
9. Buddy (My Drug Buddy)
10. Paid To Smile
11. Mrs. Robinson
12. Black Gown
13. Left For Dead

Record Review 5: Lucinda Williams WEST

Lucinda Williams.... it is hard to listen to ANY Lucinda Williams CD without marveling that she has not stuck a gun in her mouth. The daughter of Arkansa Poet Laureate Miller Williams (not that artsy southern people and their kin ever kill themselves) Lucinda has been writing what is simply some of the most heartfelt, painfully sung music of my lifetime. She is not a pretty lady. She has been hurt by men and hurt by life. She has serious questions about God... but she knows her way around a hook and a melody and her voice is about the most “real” thing I have had the pleasure of hearing live.


Williams had a tough early career starting in 1979 and 1980 with “Ramblin” and “Happy Woman Blues”. These CD’s show the rudiments of her style and showcase her voice but the booze and cigarrettes had not accomplished all of their magic yet. It was not till 8 years later when she released “Lucinda Williams” that some critic began to talk and her recording on “Change The Locks” (an old Silos tune which is simply pne of the BEST break up songs ever) that anything more then critics began to take notice. They say her breakthrough came in 1998 with the BRILLIANT (capital B) “Car Wheels On A Gravel Road” but I (and there is no one more important then me) would patiently (sort of) explain to you that the earlier “Sweet Old World” was really the the CD that put her on every critics list. (and I would be right...again.) “Sweet Old World” was 1992 and “Car Wheels” 1998. One thing she has never been is prolific. In 2001 she put out “Essence” which was for me a foregettable step backwards until hammering another one over the fence with 2003’s “Worl Without Tears”. Now only 4 years later she gives us “West”.





I am a fan. I generally do not review, listen to, or think about any musician (even one I just pick up) without being a fan. Williams songs are all deeply caring about her characters. Many of them seem to be to friends along the way, a lot to men who have wandered in and out of her life. She is not an angry chick, just a weathered one who never seems to learn that men...are just men. “Are You Alright” kicks it off in fine style. The first line, “Are you alright, all of a sudden you went away...” finishing with “Are you alright, cause I need to hear from you,” tell you everything you need to know. But the nice thing about Williams is she loves her characters and she loves that they have been in her life and might come back. The second song...”Mama You Sweet” is sweet. Send it on a mix tape to mom on Mothers day so everyone knows how cool you are. “Learning How To Live” might be a fill for “Are You Alright”. The 4th song “Fancy Funeral” will likely be popular but is a simple ode tonot spending money on a funeral but instead spending it on stuff now and making beautiful but cheap goodbyes. Next is “Unseffer Me” and for me it is the CD’s stopper. She is asking...begging for her lover to make it right. She does this a lot but simply...no one does it better. “Everything has changed” leaves her emotionally dead after another break up. “Come On”...a break up song starts with “Dude Iam So Over You”. I do not know how you feel about these songs as a woman but as a man I wish I could inspire this kind of angst in any woman. “Where Is My Love” is just a voice song...”Is my love in Helena eating sweet potato pie?” Kurt Cobain could not have gotten away with this but with her...it feels good even with the occasionally trite chorus. The next song “Rescue” seems to be that lesson that she can sing about but never learn...”He can’t rescure you, he can’t pull the demons from your head”. Indeed. “What If” is a pretty and politcal ballad. “Wrap My Head Around That” is... you will not believe this...a break up song. It kicks up the artistry a little more though. She has always had a song or two on each CD that through odd pacing and purcussion just...seem to glow (Like “Hot Blood” from “Sweet Old World”). it almost feels like a Lou Reed rap. “Words” is a tribute to the comfort of writing and “West” is a commercial for the California Board of Tourism with a nod to the folks in New Mexico and Arizona as well.





This is out on the “Lost Highways” imprint which is Universals noble but ultimately stupid effort to have a pretentious alt-country, indie label to give it some credibility in that market. They have some great artist but a lot of it is forced...this is not. She put together some good musicians for this one. Doug Pettibone is a pretty guitar player and Jim Keltner has been “drummer for the stars” since i have been listening to music. She throws in the classic Bill Frisell and adds Gary Louris (Jayhawks) for some background vocals and it is all just...pretty. This is a good CD. It has been long awaited like all her CD’s so it is critically acclaimed. She just has so much talent and so much angst and that...that voice. You get the feeling on every CD that there is just so much crazy shit going on her head every day that it really must be hard just dealing every day.
One of the great things about a new CD from Lucinda is the chance you get to go back into the catalogue and look at what she has done. Although not prolific it is a solid body of work. In that regard I give this only 7 out of 10 Sliders. Also as a new feature I am providing....since I do go back and review the whole catalogue, a new feature and that is the artists essentail iTunes composite which you can go download. That is why I am here. Here goes:

1. Change The Locks
2. Steal Your Love
3. Get Right With God
4. Passionate Kisses
5. Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
6. Six Blocks Away
7. Right In Time
8. Unsuffer Me
9. Are You Alright
10. Bleeding Fingers
11. Fruits of My Labor
12. Those Three Days
13. Pineola
14. Hot Blooded
That would not be a bad 14 bucks to spend.

Record Review 4 Frank Black: "Christmass"

Frank Black: Christmass
"This release is comprised of live Frank Black acoustic recordings from Summer 2006, along with five studio tracks recorded partly in hotel rooms and partly at Planet of Sound studios in Hartford, Connecticut. The set also features a DVD (NTSC format) with selections from one of the live acoustic shows and the whole things features seven new songs in total. Frank only titled this Christmass to satisfy his father, who always asked him to put out a Christmas album, and to reclaim the original spelling. It's a stripped down and intimate affair.

I like Frank Black. Even more then I like the Shins. I did not get on the Pixies the first time around and discovered Frank Black’s solo stuff and finally got back around to The Pixies...who then blew me away...not that you care. Frank Black...fat...bald...and alone with his acoustic guitar and his troubling voice is about as pure performance art as you can get for someone who isn’t even trying. he is creepy in a fascinating way. His songs are straightforward, often nonsensical and always eerily beautiful.

This is no different. There are no surprises here. There do not need to be. last years “Fast Man Raider Man” was a self indulgent double CD that covered a lot of ground but this is some new stuff but mainly a nice acoustic look back. he hammers old Pixies chestnuts “Where Is My Mind?”, “Cactus” and “Wave of Mutilation.” His sol songs are not epochal but it is a nice mix with highlights of “Nadine”, “Raiderman” and “I Burn Today.” The new stuff is all good just because it is new...and it is him.

If you don’t know Frank Black you don’t need this CD but you should go listen to the Pixies. Frank’s stuff is all more stripped down so I like it but the Pixies...rock. The CD comes with a nice DVD performance of a number of the songs. Like I said i love this guy but he is one of the uglier men in the universe. He looks more like Spiderman's nemesis Kingpin then anything else. Then again. I loved Kingpin. The CD is non essential for anything but a fan. 6 SLingers out of 10. here is a pic I took of the dear boy last year at The Duck Room

RECORD REVIEW 3 THE SHINS "WINCING THE NIGHT AWAY"

I like the Shins. There...I said it. They are on that awkward 3rd CD thing that all bands that live that long must go through. It is a historically painful one because unlike the forgivable sophomore slump the third CD if bad, kills careers so there is a tendency to try to hard, be too clever and not do anything that is both cohesive and interesting. There is normally no reason to combine bouzakki, Gregorian chanting and the sounds of Sigma Chi fraternities boys breaking wind but bands have tried this approach and it is a mess.

The Shins have not fallen over this obvious stumbling block. They have some unusual songs and some instrumentation that is...interesting. A few songs like “Split Needles” sound more like “fingernails on chalkboard” with synth and James Mercers voice. As I see it the band IS Mercers voice. The songs are all tuneful and nonsensical enough to be open to any interpretation if you can indeed figure out what Mercer is singing about at all. All that negative stuff having been said, what a voice he has and there are some pop gems on this one.

The first cut “Sleeping Lessons” is of the indecipherable/over wrought genre. Skip it. Moving to the song “Australia”, it compared reasonably with anything on “Chutes Too Narrow” and the following song Pam Berry though a little mopey has a nice edgy cello which makes you think of teen angst and suicide and everything that is wonderful. The fourth song “Phantom Limb” is a strict winner and was released last fall as “THE SINGLE”. It is once again just sweet, well constructed pop that tunefully wraps around Mercers lilting disaffected voice....beautiful.

The CD does have more production and instrumentation the Chutes but holds up to listening over and over again and I have had it as a sound track for the last few days in my office and...well...you can work to it. What else can a boy ask for? At this early date it is the Album of the Year. Buy it. Smile. Be happy. It receives 8 Slingers out of ten. High praise indeed.