From: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org (loud-fans-digest) To: loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Subject: loud-fans-digest V5 #260 Reply-To: loud-fans@smoe.org Sender: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk loud-fans-digest Monday, November 21 2005 Volume 05 : Number 260 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: [loud-fans] Review of Bradley's Mix CD [2fs ] Re: [loud-fans] Review of Bradley's Mix CD ["Bradley Skaught" ] [loud-fans] what the hell ever happened to... [2fs Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Review of Bradley's Mix CD On 11/20/05, Bradley Skaught wrote: > > Of Montreal: "The Party's Crashing Us" - Love it! > > Very catchy. I've > > downloaded some OM in the past, and again, wasn't > impressed. But I > really, > > really like this song. So I'm going to download the > > album from eMusic and > > we'll see if I like the rest of it as well. > > I actually like the one before it better (title?). I don't like the earlier > albums very much, but I like it when he does the kind of synth oriented, > dance-y stuff. I like OM in smallish doses - after a while the relentless whimsy (albeit cut with a sometimes sourish take on things) takes it toll. But this is a case where that's more a problem with me than with the music: Tim Barnes (if I'm remembering the name right) is a relentlessly creative writer. > > > I've > > been trying to decide whether to pick up PIXEL > > REVOLT or not, and based on > > this track, I probably will. > > You know, i'm not sure how strong it is. The tempos are too same-y, it's > relentlessly dark and less divserse thematically than CELLAR DOOR. It > doesn't quite have any momentum, but there are some very good songs on it. > I'm still a big fan, but i'm hoping for something a bit different next time. > Still a mind blowing live act! I kind of agree. I've been a Vanderslice fan since hearing _Mass Suicide Occult Figurines_ when it came out, but _Pixel Revolt_ is, so far, a bit disappointing. Again, I like it in smaller doses: a bit too slow-to-midtempo-ish (not that he's really prone to rock out or anything) and the textural detail at which he's brilliant is more subtly deployed. Probably, I should listen to the thing in headphones late at night - I suspect that's its ideal listening environment. > > John Cale: "Satisified" (Bradley, you didn't have this > marked on the > track > > list, but I figured it out from the CD Text and all) - > > Like it, but a bit > > too mellow for me. I've always liked Cale's voice, > > but the music doesn't > > do much for me. > > It occurred to me recently that this song basically sounds like The Blue > Nile with Cale singing! Cale's records always take a while for me to get a read on - but I like that at age 63, he's still able to come up with something new, change directions yet again. First, who would have expected from Cale at this point an album with a bunch of guitar-based rock songs on them? And the fact that he sings the entire first track, which is almost dancey, in falsetto - I mean, I'm not entirely sure I like it, but he's definitely not resting on laurels or living in the past or any other cliche I can cough up ;-) > There's a whole world of pop stuff from the 80's that I really love and am > somewhat baffled by. It's sophisticated, intelligent, somewhat eccentric and > was, against the odds, relatively popular at the time. But despite its > popularity, it seems to have had no real lasting influence on pop music! I'm > thinking of Prefab Sprout, The Blue Nile, Aztec Camera, Scritti Politti that > first Nick Heyward solo album. There's something about the chord voicings and progressions a lot of these folks used - sort of in an area whose borders are defined by jazz, easy listening, and folk - that just doesn't quite sit well with me, although I like individual tracks and some albums from PSprout, Blue Nile, and Heyward (who moved away from a lot of that fairly quickly, I think). For a while I was putting "Faron Young" on every damned mix tape... But it's interesting, yes - just not what I want to hear a lot of. > > Ian Hunter: "I Get So Excited" - Like it. Sounds >simultaneously dated, > but > > also like something could've been made yesterday by >some > > retro-hipsters. > > This is from Ian Hunter's self titled solo album, and the album is just > non-stop brilliance from top to bottom! Such a great lyricist--so much > personality and wit. I bought the 30th anniversary reissue on import, and it > sounds beautiful. I think Hunter's not gotten his due - I think people at the time read him as one of Bowie's creatures, and/or derivative of a lot of American garage as well as some glam...but that mix is, in fact, pretty much his own. Throw in a bit of Dylan ("I Wish I Was Your Mother" from _Mott_ (I think) is one of the best imBobinations ever...), and there you go. I was a big Mott the Hoople fan in high school, and when Hunter left that band, I remember that first solo album got a fair amount of airplay on what turned out to be the last gasps of our area "freeform" FM rock station. Oddly, I never bought that album - no idea why. I did buy _All-American Alien Boy_ - and, despite a couple of good tracks, that's kind of an odd record...with, of all people, Jaco Pastorius playing bass on a few tracks! Hey Bradley - I seem to have lost the website whereon you had a few mp3s up - what was that again? - -- ...Jeff Norman The Architectural Dance Society http://spanghew.blogspot.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2005 10:09:59 -0800 From: "Bradley Skaught" Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Review of Bradley's Mix CD > Cale's records always take a while for me to get a > read on - but I > like that at age 63, he's still able to come up with > something new, > change directions yet again. First, who would have > expected from Cale > at this point an album with a bunch of guitar-based > rock songs on > them? And the fact that he sings the entire first track, > which is > almost dancey, in falsetto - I mean, I'm not entirely > sure I like it, > but he's definitely not resting on laurels or living in the > past or > any other cliche I can cough up ;-) This is one the reasons i've bought, and continue to buy, every Cale album. He's always trying something new--exploring some new technology, different instrumentation, etc. And even when the album doesn't quite work, there's always something interesting and fresh. And there's always some brilliant lyric writing, too. He really has an impressive catalog--three and a half decades of inspired musical investigation. Not too many his age can claim that--and still end up on MOJO's recommended lists! > There's something about the chord voicings and > progressions a lot of > these folks used - sort of in an area whose borders > are defined by > jazz, easy listening, and folk I've never heard it described quite like that, but it's very true and it makes very clear why I love it so much (plus the fact that it was all very lyric oriented, as well!) My favorite pop, in general, is where a kind of sophisticated writing and arranging is married to a very immediate, compact pop song. And I suppose the "folk" part of that equation is in the emphasis on lyric and vocalist. Kind of how the McGarrigle's could write those nuanced, detailed songs but still lend them a roots-y immediacy. I guess maybe folks have a similar response to Jeff, where the oddness of all that stuff colliding makes for limited interest. But those bands were popular for sure, and I find it interesting that they got so popular playing that stuff, but their influence on younger musicians is practially non-existent! > I remember that first solo > album got a fair amount of airplay on what turned out > to be the last > gasps of our area "freeform" FM rock station. > Oddly, I never bought > that album It's really worth picking up--everything great and underrated about Hunter is on display. Roger's suggestion that it sounds like some retro-hipsters could have made it reveals how things have come around to a point where it sounds very fresh! The production is really wonderful and Mick Ronson is really at his best (doing the "subdued/supporting detail" kind of stuff, as opposed to the "lemon faced rawk" thing!) If you can track down the 30th anniversary import, there are some good bonus tracks--including one where Hunter sounds _exactly_ like Tim Finn! Interesting... love, B ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2005 15:08:15 -0600 From: 2fs Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Review of Bradley's Mix CD On 11/20/05, Bradley Skaught wrote: > > There's something about the chord voicings and > > progressions a lot of > > these folks used - sort of in an area whose borders > > are defined by > > jazz, easy listening, and folk > > I've never heard it described quite like that, but it's very true and it > makes very clear why I love it so much (plus the fact that it was all very > lyric oriented, as well!) My favorite pop, in general, is where a kind of > sophisticated writing and arranging is married to a very immediate, compact > pop song. And I suppose the "folk" part of that equation is in the emphasis > on lyric and vocalist. Kind of how the McGarrigle's could write those > nuanced, detailed songs but still lend them a roots-y immediacy. > I guess maybe folks have a similar response to Jeff, where the oddness of > all that stuff colliding makes for limited interest. But those bands were > popular for sure, and I find it interesting that they got so popular playing > that stuff, but their influence on younger musicians is practially > non-existent! What's weird is that I like jazz (actual jazz not Kenny Fucking G), I like a lot of folk, and when the arrangements are interesting enough I can even enjoy some areas of "easy listening"...but something about that stuff just seems...I dunno. Maybe it's the production, some of the keyboard sounds or reverb? My vagueness suggests maybe I should go and re-explore some of that stuff - maybe I'd like it more now. Or not. One can't always explain or justify one's taste, and it's certainly possible to respect and admire music you don't actually enjoy, so maybe I'll leave it at that. But I always feel, in such cases, that it's *my* problem, not the music's - and that I should try to overcome whatever is preventing me from liking it. Foolish, perhaps - - although when it works it means I have a whole bunch of new music to enjoy. When it doesn't work, it means that at least I can finally say, pretty much without doubt (as I can with most post-eighties metal), that I just don't like the genre, in that its defining traits are things I don't like. - -- ...Jeff Norman The Architectural Dance Society http://spanghew.blogspot.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2005 22:42:11 -0600 From: 2fs Subject: [loud-fans] what the hell ever happened to... ...Rebecca Gates, ex- of The Spinanes? That band put out three very fine albums, and Gates released a solo EP in 2001 that was one of my favorites of that year...since then...? Does anyone know? Did she become a Carmelite nun? Or a food scientist formulating caramels? Or the mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California? - -- ...Jeff Norman The Architectural Dance Society http://spanghew.blogspot.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2005 23:50:55 -0500 From: "Stewart Mason" Subject: Re: [loud-fans] what the hell ever happened to... - ----- Original Message ----- From: "2fs" > ...Rebecca Gates, ex- of The Spinanes? > > That band put out three very fine albums, and Gates released a solo > EP > in 2001 that was one of my favorites of that year...since then...? Continuing with the solo career, slowly. She was the opening act one of the three or four times we've seen the Decemberists in the last 18 months, and came on to play with them a few times in the course of their set. She said she's working on a new record, if I recall correctly. S ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2005 23:05:00 -0800 From: Michael Mitton Subject: Re: [loud-fans] what the hell ever happened to... I was going to follow up with a question about where Sarah Dougher has been. I talked to her three years ago, and she said she'd be back in the studio in three or four months. I knew she played a couple dates with The Mountain Goats recently, but nothing else. But I Google her every few months anyway, and decided I'd do that before posting the question. It turns out she has had breast cancer, now in remission. She's posted an interesting transcript of the first conversation she had with her doctor after finding out the tumors were malignant: http://www.freewebs.com/sarahdougher/newsandtour.html mm NP Sigur Ros, Takk (First SR I've liked, and I love it.) ------------------------------ End of loud-fans-digest V5 #260 *******************************