Where Are We Now?
This blog is retired. We're now at Old Man Rocking.
A spin-off from the Pop Kulcher website, dedicated to the 50 Greatest Rock & Roll Albums Of All Time (in my humble yet largely correct opinion), the Pop Kulcher Blog is my attempt to keep things relatively current, time permitting.
I don't listen to the radio much, because of that little part about it sucking so bad and all. Bought a new car stereo last year solely so I could have an in-jack where I could plug in my iPod and listen to 14,000 songs of my choosing plus Rachel Maddow show podcasts. As opposed to, like I said, music that sucks, and right wing nut job talk radio. But, still, on occasion I do like to stab blindly at the buttons and see what's what. So for the past week or too there's been this insistent little tune that I keep hearing, kind of annoying, waaaaay to repetitive (why oh why do some artists who come up with a catchy chorus feel the need to play it 30 times over before the fade?), but, still, undeniably the sort of thing that plays over and over in your head for hours afterwards. The bassline rips off Joy Division in parts, the vocal stylings at times remind me of Of Montreal, maybe some early Weezer in the mix... no clue. Finally googled the lyrics last night, and turns out it's some act called MGMT, produced by the Flaming Lips' producer, which makes sense. Song's called "Kids," and, foolishly, isn't even the single.
Been a bit quiet, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy burning useless mixes.
The Chills, Soft Bomb (planning a Chills mix, and had a hole in my collection).
Buying, absolutely. I’m old fashioned that way.
If you count live discs, the Grateful Dead, by a mile (with Phish running right behind). If proper studio releases only, probably Guided by Voices, but I'd have to check.
The Clash, London Calling.
Not sure I get the difference between this & the previous question – I assume the test’s author is distinguishing between what’s viewed through the critical eye as great, and what you just happen to like more than anything else. I think London Calling is my favorite albumbecause it’s the best album ever recorded, but, if push came to shove, I might have to give a slight edge to the Beatles’ Abbey Road, or maybe the Stones’ Exile on Main St., or possibly Who’s Next, or maybe Dylan's Blonde On Blonde.
I don’t think of any cd’s I own as particularly expensive. But one standout purchase I remember is a Genesis bootleg, Gabacabriel, a 3-lp vinyl bootleg capturing the lone “reunion” show with Peter Gabriel and Genesis in 1985. I paid around $50 for it at the time, which was a lot for a kid (I was probably around 17 or 18 at the time). It sounded like crap (I’ve since replaced it with a cd version, and the sound isn’t much better), but damn was it cool.
Drive-By Truckers this summer, I think. Been a very slow fall for me.
Nope. Had some big offers for Dead cover band Dark Star Orchestra a few months back (couldn’t make it), but still sold ‘em at face. Just a matter of general principles for me.
Nope.
Tough one. I think a toss-up between the Who (’68-’73) and the Stones (’69-’73), though I never saw any of those shows in person. Of the bands I’ve actually seen live (not counting the Who, who I only saw well past their prime), I’ll go with Yo La Tengo.
Don’t remember. Probably one of those all day festivals like Fleadh or the Bridge show.
The Beatles. Elvis may have gotten the ball rolling, but the Beatles had more lasting impact. I’m pretty confident that rock & roll as we know it today would still be here without Elvis, but I don’t think I could say that about the Beatles.
You must be kidding. I'm still struggling with the two disco moves I learned in junior high.
I’m pretty sure I own all my favorites.
King Crimson, In The Court Of The Crimson King, or maybe Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures.
I married her. (Not Poison, but she likes primarily music that I hate far more than Poison. Love is blind, or at least deaf.)
Once Joe Strummer died, this became far less interesting for me. I suppose I’d like to see the Stones play a show with Mick Taylor.
John Lennon. Because then the previous question would have an obvious answer.
Even they are voting for Barack Obama these days.
Neutral Milk Hotel, “Holland 1945.”
Dunno.
Radiohead.
Valley Girl.
Hey, we all need to belong.
Ira Kaplan (Yo La Tengo). He just seems totally cool.
His latest, Way To Normal, is no great departure from this track record. A few jaunty pop songs, a few ballads that haven't quite grown on me, a few eccentric songs whose novely wears off halfway through first listen. If Rockin' The Suburbs was his joyous return to the fun, upbeat sound of the first few Ben Folds Five albums, and solo follow-up Songs For Silverman was a more ballad-heavy, lushly adult album along the lines of the Five's swan-song Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, Normal seems like an attempt to straddle both sides of his stylistic range. Album opener "Hiroshima" (something of a rip-off of Elton John's "Benny & The Jets") starts off with a merry romp, and stays in the same mood for "Dr. Yang." After that, though, it's kinda all over the place. I liked the duet with alt-folkie Regina Spektor, and was reluctantly taken in by the unfortunately-named "Bitch Went Nuts," a catchy pop track dragged down by yet another excursion into Folds' well-worn hate-the-ex rantings. Otherwise, not so much. And the album doesn't really have a killer stand-out track approaching the sweeping beauty of Silverman's Brill-building-inspired "Landed."
All told, there were probably as many (or more) solid tunes on his recent soundtrack from Over The Hedge. Seriously, I'd pick that up first. Stuck within the confines of a children's animated film, Folds had to resort to clever lyrics that are bitch-free; plus, hey, a nifty middle-of-the-road cover of the Clash's "Lost In The Supermarket," can't go wrong with that.
Fortunately, the general unevenness of Folds' albums, plus a steady flow of worthwhile tunes on various ep's, b-sides and soundtracks, makes him ideal for mixing. Picking up Way To Normal and Over The Hedge gave me an opportunity to expand my old single-cd mix into a double-cd deluxe edition, and it looks something like this:
Not a political blog, not a political blog (he keeps reminding himself)...
Took a couple days off. Dunno, maybe its just the emotional toll of learning that, based on where I live and how I vote, I not only don't live in "Real America," but I'm "Anti-American." Does this parade of morons never end?
1. Beulah, Gravity's Bringing Us Down
2. Neutral Milk Hotel, Communist Daughter
3. Built To Spill, Distopian Dream Girl
4. Essex Green, Don't Know Why (You Stay)
5. Yo La Tengo, From A Motel 6
6. Matt Pond PA, Last Light
7. Pernice Brothers, Clear Spot
8. Ambulance LTD, Stay Tuned
9. Cat Power, Werewolf
10. Rilo Kiley, Capturing Moods
11. Guided By Voices, Everybody Thinks I'm A Raincloud
12. The Thrills, Don't Steal Our Sun