I do not think that Beck is depressed, and that he simply naturally often times comes up with a sort of dark and grim lyrical standpoint. “Walls” is a song that displays this mood, as do most of the cuts on the album. Beck does sound old, it is sometimes difficult to decipher what it is that Beck is saying, and that can sometimes be interesting depending upon the artist…but in this case it simply does not work. All of the songs are very Pop in sound, at least on the whole and very big on vocal choruses; but it is nothing that would appear in a commercial promoting Mountain Dew or Doritos. It just seems kind of strange, this sort of Middle Path that Beck is walking between the Experimental and the Pop, and his best bet would actually be a sound much less commercial since he really doesn’t have the vocal chops for Pop music. Could you really see Beck pulling something off like “Happy Together” or “God Only Knows”?
There is a repetitive quality to most of the individual songs, again, getting beat over the head with minimal lyrics and big choruses. As for the production of Danger Mouse; I don’t really see the appeal…other than the fact that he is very good at making drum machines sound totally broken and destroyed, unless these are actual beats that have been looped to come off as annoying as possible? I have trouble with the Rock press stating that this album is Psychedelic and very much in the style of some of the better music of the 1960’s. Personally, I am not getting that. Musically, in a lot of respects, this could be a Moby record…and that is certainly never a good thing. All of the keyboard action comes straight out of the worst of ‘80’s New Wave; just really bad. Beck giving a wordless backing vocal here and there is really rough, lord knows this isn’t Stereolab; and this is something that Beck does not do effectively. How frustrating to have a quality voice like Chan Marshall’s available of Cat Power fame, and Beck barely uses it; as this would be a better record if she simply was given more to do. Read the rest »
Not only one of my favorite albums of 1996 (if not my very favorite) also one of my favorite albums of the decade. It’s a truly epic psychedelic masterpiece that is not known by nearly enough people. I feel like the pied piper for The Olivia Tremor Control. While some of the other Elephant 6 bands have become quite widely known (Of Montreal, Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples In Stereo) — The Olivia Tremor Control are mostly unknown. That is a real crime, because in my view they are the best of the lot and that’s saying a whole lot because I’m a huge fan of Neutral Milk Hotel.
I did a review of this album already so… Click Here to read it. If you like adventurous catchy psychedelic music then I cannot recommend this album any higher.
Beck - Odelay
I’m not really sure where I rank Odelay among Beck’s albums. It’s the one that established him as a real “rock star” (and not just a “one hit wonder” with “Loser.”) I don’t think it’s necessarily his best album. But it is definitely worth hearing. It’s the non-singles that hold up best to my ears.
Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
Dr. Octagon (AKA Kool Keith and a bunch of other names) is one of the most insane rappers in the universe. But it’s not just his crazy lyrics that make the album enjoyable. It’s also the very groovy production work of Dan The Automator (DJ Shadow worked on “Waiting List.”)
Even if you think you have no interest in hip hop, I recommend giving this a spin. It’s unlike any other hip hop album I’ve heard.
Folk legend Woody Guthrie’s son Arlo Guthrie was born in Coney Island on July 10th of 1947.
His most famous song is the 18 minute long “Alice’s Restaurant” which was released on his album of the same name in 1967. The song was adapted into a movie also titled Alice’s Restaurant in 1969.
The song was based on real events involving Arlo Guthrie on Thanksgiving Day, 1965 (November 25th.)
I couldn’t find the original version of the song, so here’s the 1997 remake by Guthrie:
The Nowhere Man EP featured 4 songs from 1965’s Rubber Soul. It was released just a month before their next album, Revolver. Quite a curious release considering that the songs had already been released on Rubber Soul quite some time ago and Revolver was about to come out. I’m guessing it was their record company trying to squeeze some more money out of The Beatles “fad” before it died away (still waiting for that.)
The Beatles 1966 single “Paperback Writer” has always been one of my favorite Beatles rock n roll tracks. Here’s a few reasons why:
+ The main guitar riff rocks.
+ The bass is bad ass.
+ The harmonies are insane.
+ The crazy reverb on the vocals.
+ “Frere Jacques.”
If you don’t know what I mean by “Frere Jacques” listen very closely to the harmonies beginning at 1:01
“Paperback Writer”
(this is the promotional video for the song)
The amazing thing about the whole “Frere Jacques” thing is even though it’s quite obvious once you know it’s there, most people never notice it at all unless it’s pointed out to them. In fact I heard this song at least 100 times before I heard it. But now I can’t possibly miss it.
In my case, I didn’t actually have it pointed out to me, but instead I listened to the song on headphones while partaking in some otherworldly bits. As you can imagine, at first I just thought my mind was playing tricks on me and I was pretty flipped out. But then I think I was even more flipped out by realizing that this had been in the song the whole time, I just never noticed it before. That’s one of the fantastic things about The Beatles songs, there are so many layers to them, that new subtleties can be revealed even after many listens.
Somehow I had missed this video for Beck’s “1000 BPM” when it first came out. It’s one of my favorite tracks on 2006’s The Information and this video is sweet. Check it out:
Yesterday’s post was about how The Rolling Stones dedicated their free concert in London’s Hyde Park on July 5, 1969 to their ex-band mate Brian Jones who died on July 3, 1969.
Watch this documentary on the Hyde Park concert in 8 parts:
39 years ago today The Rolling Stones gave a free concert in London’s Hyde Park as a tribute to former band member Brian Jones who had died just two days earlier at the age of 27, making him one of the first members of a very sad “club” of famous musicians who died at age 27 (including Robert Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison & Kurt Cobain.)
Jones was found at the bottom of a pool on July 3, 1969.
Jones had been asked to leave the band earlier in the year. His last formal appearance with the band was in December of ‘68 for “The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus.”
Jones had been instrumental in the formation of the band (he also named the band) and had played a very large part in most of their earlier recordings.
Mick Jagger read from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Adonais” and released 3,500 butterflies in remembrance of Jones. The concert was also the first Stones performance with new guitarist Mick Taylor.
How does one describe what is essentially a Scottish trio going strictly commercial? The answer to this great cultural quandary is that one simply rejoices with the utmost salinity and advertises a smirk upon one’s face, real horror show. This record has one of the greatest one, two, three-punches in the history of Pop. “Know Who You Are at every Age”, “Evangeline”, and “Blue Beard”. Such saucy and bizarre song titles, one tends to think of Stereolab or even the Melvins, but I digress like a long forgotten and thoroughly dead former railroad conductor. This is sophisticated Dream Pop at its most sensual, but again…the teaming of those shimmering guitar parts by Robin Guthrie and Liz Fraser’s heavenly vocals is just what the Witchdoctor ordered.
“Evangeline” in particular hits this great theme of redemption, perhaps, which is something that I earlier discussed in my song review of the Twins “Heaven or Las Vegas”. What I really enjoy in the general mix of the record as well, is the quite subtle use of keyboard and bass guitar…as it is a good way to fill the air, so to speak, so that the melodies or songs themselves do not fly away from the listener, but rather, are gently cemented in their respective ear canals. While some may argue that this record is a little too ‘90’s VH1, I say bring it on and get me a diet beverage while you are at it, because I got my aerobics class in like 20 minutes from the present and I am so not joking! Four-Calendar Café is a record for all occasions; it encompasses many moods…ideal for a wedding, reading a book, even flossing.
“Blue Beard” is a perplexing song, there is something uplifting here but I cannot tangibly type what that uplifting thing is exactly, as it is best expressed by simply listening to the song. I am confused by it, it sounds as if Liz Fraser is reading instructions out of God’s own cookbook…the sounds are wondrous. I enjoy how the little drum machine kicks it up a notch during the song’s ending; like some kind of celebration. While other cuts on the record may be downcast and the high drama of album closer “Pur” entirely necessary, I feel this to be one of the better albums by Cocteau Twins. Three years after this in 1996 would see the release of “Milk and Kisses”…their last record to date and rather good, but “Four-Calendar Café” is the most substantially important of latter-day Cocteau Twins albums, and remember that I told you that, I beg of thee.
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