Random Musings After An Inexcusable Absence

Nope, no excuses. Just not motivated lately. Plus, really haven't been spending my money on new releases, and how much do I want to blather on about reissues? But here we are.


Tried to resist, but ending up blowing some bucks on a 2-cd remastered version of the Moody Blues' legendary Days Of Future Passed. Yes, the Moodies have their detractors, and their then-innovative use of an orchestra foreshadowed some of the excesses of the prog era. But this 1968 classic, however high the kitsch-factor may be, is still essential. Of course, I already have it on cd, and, though this is a special SACD release, I don't have an SACD player... but, nonetheless. Plus oodles of bonus b-sides on the second disc. Though most have come out before on various collections, they're actually pretty decent, and it's nice to have 'em in one place. A buncha live tracks from some '67 & '68 BBC sessions round out the collection -- again, nothing essential, but makes for a solid package.

Can't say I'll spring for the other SACD remasters, but if the dry spell of new releases continues, who knows.


I've had the new Flaming Lips cd on order for a couple weeks, and now it looks like it got lost in the mail. Shit! But I did see the video for "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" (yes, apparently they still show videos, at least if you're up in the middle of the night and have MTV-2), and it totally kicks ass. Not that most of the Flaming Lips songs don't kick serious amounts of ass, but this one's even goofier than most of 'em. Almost worth the insomnia. (Also caught some amusing videos from Cat Power and Of Montreal that night... some sorta indie rock video show reminiscent of the old and dearly missed 120 Minutes.)


Kinda old news by now, but in case you missed it... British anti-terrorism police arrested a man on suspicion of terrorism for singing along with the Clash's "London Calling" in a taxi. Personally, I almost think the story is a hoax, which isn't entirely foreign to today's press corps, but in today's environment it seems as likely to be true as not.


And speaking of reactionary dipshits... Bush's approval ratings have hit a new low of 32%... Of course, though I like to think of myself as a glass-half-full kinda guy, I still have to wonder who these 32% of Americans are who still think he's doing a good job. Sure, you've got your contingent of flat-earthers who will support anyone who pledges to put Jesus in the classroom and gas the queers, but who else?


Which brings us back to (a) how stupid some people are, and (b) music [yes, I know, that's what I should stick with in the first place]. Truly terrifying, and perhaps only marginally hilarious, story in today's San Francisco Chronicle about pathetic souls who swear by Journey's pain-inducing slab of evil Escape as the pinnacle of artistry. Definitely one of those stories that makes me embarrassed to live in the San Francisco area. Well, I've been here 15 years, and I still think Journey sucks. I pledge an oath to you, dear readers, that however much I will indulge in fits of kitsch and camp, be it Neil Diamond or worse, I will never, ever, have a kind word for Journey. Count on it.

Nothing New-ish

Not like I fooled myself into thinking I'd be posting here regularly -- on the ladder of family/work/intermittent stabs at personal time, blogging is a pretty f*ckin' low rung -- but, geez, this is getting silly. But the whole point was to have a place to post reviews of new music I pick up and, quite frankly, I haven't bought anything new in awhile. Which is not, alas, to say that I haven't bought anything. I'm just buying a lot of oldies. (Specifically? Various psychedelic compilations and random sunshine pop -- dunno why, just the mood. Maybe I'll write about some of the good catches.) And, slave to the industry that I am, I keep wasting $$ picking up reissues of things I already own in every conceivable format this side of 8-track tapes. (Moody Blues on SACD, when I don't even have an SACD player? Sure, why not.)


Fortunately, there are a couple things I've got on order. The new Flaming Lips, of course. And the new Matthew Sweet/Susannah Hoffs album of 60s covers. (Which, I suppose, hardly counts as "new," but maybe "new-ish.") So I've got that to look forward to, at least.

But, yeah, once again I desperately need some hot tips on new things I should be checking out. (Last time I solicited advice, someone steered me to the Heavy Blinkers, a nifty Beach Boys pastiche that I enjoyed quite a bit, thanks.) My main mode of finding new artists over the past couple years has been to browse Not Lame or Parasol Records, two of the leading online purveyors of indie pop, and sift through their audio samples. Or maybe go to Amazon.com, pull up a cd I'm into at the moment, and follow the "customers who bought this album also bought..." links until I find something new. But who has the time? So, please, help me out, folks.