From: owner-jinglejangle-digest@smoe.org (jinglejangle-digest) To: jinglejangle-digest@smoe.org Subject: jinglejangle-digest V5 #22 Reply-To: jinglejangle@smoe.org Sender: owner-jinglejangle-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-jinglejangle-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk jinglejangle-digest Friday, February 1 2002 Volume 05 : Number 022 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [MLL] Time Out NY Live City Sounds review ["Rachel Kramer Bussel" ] [MLL] YOUR BALLOT Pt. 2 [Recordings@aol.com] [MLL] mommy pop [K3285@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2002 10:38:58 -0500 From: "Rachel Kramer Bussel" Subject: [MLL] Time Out NY Live City Sounds review Time Out NY (Jan. 31 - Feb. 7 2002, No. 331) Mary Lou Lord Live City Sounds (Rubric) This album marks an ostensible return to the hallowed, innocent time when indie-folk veteran Mary Lou Lord was just another loser warbling for change on street corners and subway platforms. (These days, she can be heard on TV: Her delicate cover of Daniel Johnston's "Speeding Motorcycle" is used in a Target ad.) All of the album's cuts were recorded by Lord in the fall of 2000 on a portable DAT at the Park Street and Harvard Square subway stops in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts. Trouble is, Live City Sounds doesn't sound live. Sure, at the beginning or end of each track, you hear an enthusiastic smattering of applause, a polite "whoo!" and Lord saying "Thank you," or "That was a song by the Pogues." But while she's playing, she might as well be in a soundproof studio: There are no subways thundering past, no commuters chatting in the background. In short, there are none of the "city sounds" that might have recreated the charm of actually hearing Lord back in the day, when she was a shy, aspiring young singer with a weak but plaintive voice who somehow beguiled harried passers-by into listening to downbeat original material and songs by bands few had ever heard of (though that sprinkling of Dylan and Springsteen didn't hurt). The result is that Live City Sounds comes across as an awkward hybrid of a live album and a studio album, and that Lord sounds rough throughout. However, the CD is generous (16 tracks) and far-reaching: It consists almost entirely of covers from a well-chosen group of artists, including the Magnetic Fields, Elliott Smith, Billy Bragg and Shawn Colvin. Lord is most at home on the melancholy tunes (Big Star's "Thirteen," her own "His Lamest Flame") and clearly out of her depth on epics like Springsteen's "Thunder Road" or Richard Thompson's "1952 Vincent Black Lightning." Her take on "Speeding Motorcycle" is a pleasuree, but it kind of undercuts the project: How authentic can you sound if you're busking with a song that's been bought by Target? - -- David Thorpe _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2002 12:12:14 EST From: Recordings@aol.com Subject: [MLL] "Absolutely! LOL! End of discussion!" >I find it amusing that some folks engaging in this debate will say things like "'Got No Shadow' received rave critical reviews.'" Critics are always idiots who can't write (unless, of course, you agree with them). > >>Absolutely. LOL. End of discussion.<< Yeah yeah, very clever, very glib. Also horseshit. I am not such a moron that I think critics can't write just because they disagree with my opinion. Lester Bangs is an excellent example, as well as (for movies) Roger Ebert: though he's known for his thumbs-up-thumbs-down TV reviews, his print reviews are surprisingly thoughtful and have challenged my own opinions in positive ways. What pisses me off is when a reviewer stoops to personal attacks, and unfortunately most negative reviews of ML fall into this trap, either by mentioning Kurt & Courtney, the cover-artist-vs.-writer syndrome, or (more recently) the label switch. When a reviewer attacks ML personally, that bullshit enters the public record. I don't see any reason not to respond and set the record straight (perhaps because I'm someone who heard mostly negative things about ML before actually hearing her music.) I also don't appreciate the "some folks say GNS got rave critical reviews" comment - that was ME, and I believe I pointed out that the average rating for GNS was 3 out of 4, which is excellent but not quite "raving." What I found most interesting about the GNS reviews was that even the writers with valid criticisms gave the album 3 out of 4 stars. Believe me, I didn't freak when a critic pointed out that many of the songs were old (they were) or over-produced (maybe; that's a matter of opinion) or that ML's voice wasn't right for some tunes. These are valid critical points. Caramello's review was a slash & burn job, plain & simple, and these kinds of reviews are the reason people say things like "all critics are morons." They aren't, but moronic reviews should be nailed. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2002 12:26:22 EST From: Recordings@aol.com Subject: [MLL] P.S. P.S. I kinda went off on Brian & Bear, but I should add that I mostly agree with their posts - they both made good points with civility and honor. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2002 12:56:18 EST From: Recordings@aol.com Subject: [MLL] YOUR BALLOT This might be fun, if totally unscientific. Please rate the following CDs by Mary Lou using a scale of 4 to 10 (.5's are okay) and E-mail to me by Feb. 7. (DO NOT POST TO THE JINGLE JANGLE LIST!) I'll tally them and post the results. I think it's okay to rate EPs alongside full-length CDs since MLL puts out so may EPs. If you don't have some of these, leave those blank. REAL (cassette) JINGLE JANGLE MORNING (KRS 7") MARY LOU LORD (KRS EP) MARTIAN SAINTS (KRS EP - CD version) GOT NO SHADOW (WORK) THE PACE OF CHANGE (WORK) MLL/SHA NA NA (KRS EP) LIVE: CITY SOUNDS (RUBRIC) SPEEDING MOTORCYCLE If I left anything off, please add to the list. I was inspired to do this because of the ratings I found on CD NOW! (I think) which were WAY off base. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2002 13:00:45 -0500 From: "Brian J. Bowe" Subject: Re: [MLL] "Absolutely! LOL! End of discussion!" on 01/31/02 12:12 PM, Recordings@aol.com at Recordings@aol.com wrote: > Yeah yeah, very clever, very glib. Also horseshit. Thanks for acknowledging my cleverness and glibness. The depth of my horseshit is also quite well documented. How polite of you to notice. > I am not such a moron that I think critics can't write just because they > disagree with my opinion. Lester Bangs is an excellent example, as well as > (for movies) Roger Ebert: though he's known for his thumbs-up-thumbs-down TV > reviews, his print reviews are surprisingly thoughtful and have challenged my > own opinions in positive ways. Moron? Who called anybody a moron? I merely said that I think it's funny that people -- including (gasp!) me -- are quick to dismiss people with whom they disagree. If Mary Lou got a rave review from this guy but the review was still written poorly, it wouldn't have been such an issue. And if you think Lester Bangs never resorted to personal attacks, you're wrong. I would direct you to the "White Noise Supremacists" or his piece on the gay Mafia as prime examples. No, I never said "moron." I did, however, say "huffy," and that description seems to fit in this case. I was just making a point that sometimes people take reviews and reviewers too seriously. > What pisses me off is when a reviewer stoops to personal attacks, and > unfortunately most negative reviews of ML fall into this trap, either by > mentioning Kurt & Courtney, the cover-artist-vs.-writer syndrome, or (more > recently) the label switch. When a reviewer attacks ML personally, that > bullshit enters the public record. I don't see any reason not to respond and > set the record straight (perhaps because I'm someone who heard mostly negative > things about ML before actually hearing her music.) The tabloid stuff can get tiresome, but I don't necessarily agree that the "covers vs. originals" critique is off base. Material selection is fair game for comment, and the notion that Mary Lou's work on indie labels is way better than her major label output is at least an interesting subject of discussion. > > I also don't appreciate the "some folks say GNS got rave critical reviews" > comment - that was ME, and I believe I pointed out that the average rating for > GNS was 3 out of 4, which is excellent but not quite "raving." What I found > most interesting about the GNS reviews was that even the writers with valid > criticisms gave the album 3 out of 4 stars. Believe me, I didn't freak when a > critic pointed out that many of the songs were old (they were) or > over-produced (maybe; that's a matter of opinion) or that ML's voice wasn't > right for some tunes. These are valid critical points. A couple of things here. First, maybe it's the journalist in me, but I'm always skeptical when people say things like "the average rating was thus-and-such." That's a meaningless comment. Did you clip all of the reviews and calculate the number of stars? How many stars is that out of -- four or five? What about publications that don't offer stars -- did you assign them star numbers? But more to the point, all I was doing was reinforcing my point above: it's easy to overlook bad writing in a review you agree with, and it's easy to trash a reviewer you don't agree with. Believe me, I've been on the receiving end of both. > > Caramello's review was a slash & burn job, plain & simple, and these kinds of > reviews are the reason people say things like "all critics are morons." They > aren't, but moronic reviews should be nailed. Nail away, pumpkin. Nail away. Hugs, bjb ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2002 13:01:39 -0500 From: "Brian J. Bowe" Subject: Re: [MLL] P.S. Damn you! I sent my very clever and glib response to your post before I saw this. Can we take the gloves off now? Hugs, bjb on 01/31/02 12:26 PM, Recordings@aol.com at Recordings@aol.com wrote: > P.S. > > I kinda went off on Brian & Bear, but I should add that I mostly agree with > their posts - they both made good points with civility and honor. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2002 13:04:42 EST From: Recordings@aol.com Subject: [MLL] YOUR BALLOT Pt. 2 QUICK NOTE: Yes, you can give two or more albums the same rating. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2002 21:03:44 EST From: K3285@aol.com Subject: [MLL] mommy pop Mary Lou is part of the "mommy pop" article in the Phoenix: http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/music/cellars/documents/02137682.htm Melissa ------------------------------ End of jinglejangle-digest V5 #22 *********************************