music_phantom13

I'm not sure if I'd consider that bad news... The band released a new must have in their catalog that, imo, is much better than anything released on Geffen. The definitely came down in quality as time went on on a major label, but luckily they're back at their finest. Have you ever heard any SYR releases? Last year they released something with Merzbow that was definitely one of my favorites, that marked following SY again for me.

Gavin B.

I was being facetious with bad news item of Sonic Youth getting sacked by Geffen. I think it's the best thing that could have happened to SY at this stage in their career.

The band really lost me when the went to Geffen and what's really bad is Geffen purchased most their back catalog on Neutral, SST, and Enigma Records except for Confusion Is Sex which Geffen took a pass on, for some odd reason . So Geffen's hyrda headed infotainment monolilth is official owner of most Sonic Youth's back catalog of studio releases, except for the newest release on Matador Records. I'm sure the Geffen plan is to devalue up the Sonic Youth catalog of studio releases with a deluge of repackaged SY anthologies. That's the real bad news about the end of Sonic Youth's relationship with Geffen.

I'm not sure about the extent of Geffen's financial ownership in SYR but there's there's 13 albums on SYR and another 13 (maybe even more) owned by Geffen. I'll do some research on the ownership of SYR because you've made me curious. The major labels often set up "indie bands" wih their own pseudo indie labels to give them street cred. SYR may actually be a in-house boutique label is under the ownership of the Geffen monolilth.

Gavin B.

Song of the Day
Notable Albums of 2009


2009 Notable Album: Through the Devil Softly- Hope Sandoval

Trouble- Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions Hope Sandoval only does one thing musically but she does it better than anyone else. Most of her songs are at a dirge tempo, her lyrics are right from the pages of Confessions of an Opium Eater and she sings her acid soaked blues ballads in a dreamy sing song voice. The Warm Inventions back her vocals in the same manner as Mazzy Star and leave plenty of musical space for Hope's langorous voice to fill in. Hope who always seemed to be the eternal wild child is now age 43 and lord knows where the time goes.

Gavin B.

Song of the Day
Notable Albums of 2009


Notable Album of 2009- Back Spacer by Pearl Jam

Just Breathe- Pearl Jam I always thought Pearl Jam was a musical anacronism even upon their much ballyhoed arrival with their debut album Ten in 1992. Granted. it was a transcedental moment when Pearl Jam blew the roof off of Saturday Night Live but for the most part Pearl Jam (and the entire grunge movement) was an American aftershock from the UK punk era that spawned a legion of mediocre imitators, none of whom were as talented as Pearl Jam or Nirvana.

Pearl Jam was my younger brother's band, not mine. Jim my younger brother was 15 years younger than I was. For Jim, rock and roll began with the arrival of Led Zeppelin. Jim loved the arena ready metal bands like: Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Metallica. I lived in a paralell universe and listened to the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, Public Image, Gang of Four, The Mekons, Patti Smith and Mission of Burma. In the aftermath of grunge, my brother's musical taste matured and he began to appreciate many of the same bands I did. I think Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain had a lot to do reschooling my brother and by 2005 Jim and I had a large overlap of musical tastes. I turned my brother on to Massive Attack and Jim worked patiently to school me on the wonders of Led Zeppelin who fell off my radar after their third album. I developed a whole new appreciation for three Led Zep albums: Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffiti and In Though the Out Door.

I always thought that alt/music movement of the late 80s and early 90s was essentially a regressive movement that produced a handful of great bands like Jane's Addiction, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

The most influential quartet of alt/rock albums had all been released by the end of 1991: Blood Sugar Sex Magic (1991), Ritual de lo Habiual (1990), Ten(1991) and Nevermind (1991). As a middle aged fan of UK punk rock (circa 1976) there was nothing revolutionary about the music on the Los Angeles Lollapoloza tours or Seattle's grunge rock scene. We'd seen this movie before in 1976 and the America grunge/alt rock movement was a 14 year old punk postcard that finally got delivered to American music fans.

During the Grunge/Lalapooloza phenomenon, the most forward thinking music fans of 1976 UK punk had already stepped away from punk and were moving on to post-rock forms of music. American artists like Uncle Tupelo, the Blood Oranges, Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams were at the heart of a roots rock and country music revival that took two decades and one movie soundtrack (Oh Brother Where Art Thou?) to gain enough momentum to crossover into the mainstream.

Across the pond in the UK groups like Stereolab, Massive Attack, the Orb, Orbital, and Aphex Twin had abandonned rock and roll altogeher and were experimenting with non-rock musical forms like: house music, acid jazz, trace, trip hop, global fusion, and techno. Four albums from the early UK post-rock movement changed my life were Stereolab's Peng (1992), The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultra World (1991) and Massive Attack's Blue Lines (1991) and Saint Etienne's Fox Base Alpha (1992).

Some rock bands like Radiohead and Sonic Youth survived by intergrating electronica and avant garde experimentation into their musical oeuvre. Many American based artists like Wilco, the Mekons and Neko Case joined in with the roots rock Americana movement. But the real action in this new post -rock world was among the UK and American groups who transformed the narrow techo subgenere into a sprawling genre of diverse music that was being called electronica by 1999.

1990 was the year punk finally broke in America and the death of Kurt Cobain on April 5th 1994 was the last gasp of the punk generation. It took 14 years for punk to gain an American audience and it all collpased with Cobain's death in 1994. Punk's 18 year run spanned two generations and had more staying power than just about any trend in the 60 year history of rock and roll. We are a few weeks away from 2010 and nearly 35 years beyond the punk music revolution of 1976 and I'm still seeing teenagers with spiky hair, mohawks, pegged pants and black leather jackets who talk about the Ramones, the Sex Pistols and the Clash as if Maggie Thatcher and Ronald Reagan were still ruling the international roost.

With the release of Back Spacer. Pearl Jam makes the giant leap forward into the 21st Century by discovering their own rootsy sound that was always lurking within the 200 watt Celestion speakers of their stacks of Marshall amplifiers. Pearl Jam has caught up with the times or maybe the times have caught up with Pearl Jam. Even as Pearl Jam was once my younger brother's band with the release of Back Spacer, I'm finally glad to claim Pearl Jam as my own. Below is Eddie Vedder's heartfelt vocal and the more nuanced playing of Pearl Jam along with the use of a string section. I love everything about this song.

Gavin B.

Song of the Day
Notable Albums of 2009


Notable Album of 2009- Yakiimo by Simone White

Yakiimo- Simone White I recently saw Simone White at a club in Chicago and she is a mezmerizing performer. She has a childlike voice similar to that of Mo Tucker in the Velvet Underground. Simone's musical oeuvre is minimalist folk ballads that are mysterious, humorous, erotic and often disturbing. She didn't learn to play guitar until age 22 but her simple finger picking patterns underscore the power of her songwriting and she uses few if any backup musicans on her recordings.

By her own account Simone was born in Hawaii to a family of artists and spent her early years "playing in the dirt and moving from town to town." Her parents were hippie cultists who lived a bedouin lifestyle. Drawn to the arts, Simone acted in plays and films, work as a photographer and wrote. Needing an instrument for the songs she wrote a cappella, Simone taught herself to play guitar. But other interests prevailed and it wasn't until she moved to New York from London in 2000 that she was ready to get on stage and play. She played at NYC clubs and bars. A chance meeting in 2004 took her to Nashville to record with Mark Nevers (Calexico, Will Oldham, Lambchop). Here website is @ http://simonewhite.com/

Simone White is a distinctive musical stylist and won't be everyone's cup of tea but if you like musical eccentrics like Cat Power or Lisa Germano you'll probably like Simone. It takes a few listenings to appreciate the complex psychosocial themes Simone White explores with her music and she views herself and the world around her with a sublimely dark existential gaze.

Gavin B.

Song of the Day
Notable Albums of 2009


Notable Album of 2009- Things About Comin' My Way by Various Artists

There were great bluesmen recording before Robert Johnson entered a San Antonio, TX. studio in 1936. Most notable of those early blues artists were the Mississippi Sheiks an all-star family sting band based in the northern delta region of Mississippi. The Sheiks were "other Carter Family" of the era and were sons of Ezelle Chatmon who was also the uncle of Charley Patton. The leader was Bob Carter the ragtime blues wizard and other members were Lonnie Chatmon (aka Lonnie Johnson), Sam Chatmon, and Walter Vinson. The Sheiks were formed in 1926 and held together until 1936 when they did a final recording session with the RCA owned Bluebird Records.

In their own world of blues music the Mississippi Sheiks were the equivalent of Beatles. Until the Sheiks, most blues musicians were local celebrities in their towns or county; but the Sheiks first blues musicians to become regional celebrities throughout the South. The Sheiks were selling 10,000-25,000 thousand records at a time when sales of 1000 units was considered to be the benchmark of a bonafide hit record in the blues world. The Mississippi Sheiks were a versatile dance band who not only performed the blues, but also played ragtime music, New Orleans style jazz, country music and had a large repetoire of songs that were the popular standards of the day.

The last surviving member of the Chatmon/Carter family of blues players was Sam Chatmon who remained a seasoned in-demand blues performer until his death at age 86 in 1983. I'm proud to say that Sam and his wife were friends of mine and they welcomed me into their family home when I visited them in Hollandale Mississippi when I worked for the Library of Congress recording project. I don't think Sam completely understood his towering historical significance as a blues musician.

It's to the credit of the Vancouver based folkways label Black Hen Music that this tribute album to the Sheiks was accomplished. It has been nominated as the best accoustic blues album of 2009 by the Blues Foundation. Here is the impressive list of tracks and artists on Things About Comin' My Way:

1 It's Backfirin' Now - The North Mississippi Allstars
2 Things About Comin' My Way- Ndidi Onukwulu
3 Stop and Listen - John Hammond
4 Honey Babe Let The Deal Go Down - Bruce C0ckburn
5 Bootlegger's Blues - Oh Susanna (arrangement by Van D. Parks)
6 Sitting On Top Of The World - The Carolina Chocolate Drops
7 Too Long - Danny Barnes
8 Jailbird Love Song - Jim Byrnes
9 That's It - Bill Frisell
10 Please Baby - Madeleine Peyroux
11 Livin' In A Strain - Kelly Joe Phelps
12 Lonely One In This Town - Steve Dawson
13 The World Is Going Wrong - Geoff Muldaur and The Texas Sheiks
14 We Both Are Feeling Good Right Now - Del Rey
15 Somebody's Gotta Help You - Bob Brozman
16 He Calls That Religion - The Sojourners
17 I've Got Blood In My Eyes For You - Robin Holcomb

You can hear samples of all the songs and purchase a cd or download of the album at the Black Hen Music website

Somebody's Gotta Help You - Bob Brozman Nearly every song on the Sheik's tribute album is interesting on it's own terms, so the dilemma is to pick one song out of the seventeen on the album. I let nepotism rule the day in my selection of one featured song of the day. Since Bob Brozman is an old pal of my from my St. Louis days, I choose his excellent rendition of the Sheik's classic Somebody's Gotta Help You.

Gavin B.

Song of the Day
Notable Albums of 2009


Notable Album of 2009 XX by The XX

Islands- by The XX The album cover artwork is dull and the name of the band could be easily mistaken for the venerable Los Angeles punk band with a single "X". To make matters worse, the All Music Guide lists 11 different bands with some variation of "XX" in their name, including three bands using "XX" and two bands using "The XX".

All of this attendant confusion with the name of the band made me reluctant to even give The XX album a fair and impartial day in court.

Beware of strange musical gifts bearing the alternative/indie label, but to be safe, give the band a cursory listening just in case they're as good as everyone thinks they are.

In the case of the XX my jaded logic as follows: if the band was worth listening to, they'd come up with more imaginative name for themselves. I'm glad that I didn't allow my skeptical nature to rule the day, because I would have taken a pass on a solid debut album by a remarakbly good band. It's like finding a sting of pearls in the toxic waste dump that comprises the contemporary "alt/rock" scene.

The XX's music came my way via an Internet buzz of their first single Crystalized which hit the radar early this year. By July, the atomospheric British indie band had released this captivating self titled debut album.

What really surprised me was the youthful ages of the band members. The XX was formed just last year when all of the band members were still in high school. My, my.... It's a tender young age to have such brooding and world weary outlook on life. Of course I was impressed.

Some critics are calling The XX album the best debut album of 2009... I won't go that far but the comparisons to Shreikback, Young Marble Giants and Portishead aren't that far fetched. XX is one of those albums that improves with repeated use.


The XX

Sneer

This journal is intimidatingly dense in its content, but it's a really informative and interesting read, keep it up.

__________________
Fright Team radio show

Gavin B.

Song of the Day
Notable Albums of 2009


Notable Album of 2009- Townes by Steve Earle

Maria/To Live Is To Fly- Steve Earle Today's song of the day is a twofer and the two songs are tracks 14 and 15 on Steve Earle's magnificent tribute album to his fellow songwriter and best friend, the late great Townes Van Zandt. From my perspective Townes' musical legacy is second only to that of Dylan's body of work.

I fell in love with Townes' music upon first hearing it on the album Delta Mama Blues way back in the late 70s. It takes awhile to fall under the spell of Townes' poetics because his words hang so well with his music. There isn't a single awkward polysyllabic word that rubs up against the tempo of the song because all of Townes lyrics are haunting and evocative yet so elegantly simple. The lyrics always fit the music like a glove.

Towne's plantive tenor was very different from Steve Earle's rough hewn voice and the better version of each song is a matter of taste. Since Townes Van Zandt and Steve Earle are my two favorite country music artists, Townes is sort of a dream album for me. I only wish that Steve and Townes had done more work together when Townes was still alive and kicking.

Gavin B.

Song of the Day


Great Moments in American Jazz

Victory Dance- Don Pullen I'm taking a short break from my year end round-up of notable albums of 2009 to post an extraordinary solo piano composition by the underrated and largely unknown maverick jazz pianist Don Pullen. Pullen died in 1994 at age 54 at the peak of his playing powers. He was best known for leading a quartet with saxaphonist and flutist George Adams. Pullen dropped out of medical school to persue a career in music inspired by the free jazz of Ornette Coleman and Eric Dolphy in the early 60s. Pullen cut his teeth gigging with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and later moved on to fill the vacant piano seat in the legendary Mingus band.

Pullen was very controversial figure in jazz circles because of his unorthodox inclinations and his tenedency to deconstruct a song in ways that baffled and even angered jazz fans and music critics.

Victory Dance begins as a pleasant sounding Afro Caribbean jazz piece but listen to what happens when Pullen starts reeling out the theme to the edge of the abyss and back again. The musical integrity of the song comes close to collapsing while Pullen hammers away at the keyboard wih demonic abandon. Those familar with the free wheeling psychedelic jams of the Grateful Dead will find themselves in familar territory but other folks may wonder if Pullen is having some sort of nervous breakdown. It's one of the most amazing post-structural piano pieces I've ever heard.

Victory Dance appears on a hard to find 1983 Italian EP by Pullen called Evidence of Things Unseen on the indie jazz label Black Saint.