Archive 2006

 JOHNNY CASH'S LEGACY (January)

I'll be the first admit that I am not a big fan of country music. I especially do not like "new country", most of which is one step away from Top 40 pop music. However, I do make exception for country legend, Johnny Cash. After seeing the excellent movie,Walk the Line, I am fascinated by Cash's life and music. 

Johnny Cash grew up in poverty as the son of a share cropper in Arkansas. While new country is mostly commercial, Cash wrote and sang to the outsiders of society. He wrote for the poor because that was where his roots were. Though he never was in prison himself, he wrote about the criminals. He played his famous Folsom Prison concert for the prisoners in 1968. 

Johnny Cash's strong spirituality directed his life and career. He wrote for the outcasts in society because that was who Jesus ministered to. He felt that God saved him from the drug and alcohol abuse that almost cost him his career. He started his music career by learning to play the hymns he heard as a child. He recorded several hymns and even recorded a reading of the New Testament during his career. 

His marriage to country singer, June Carter, was one of music's greatest love stories. June stood by Johnny as he recovered from drug and alcohol addiction and married him once he was clean. They had a musical and loving partnership until June's death in 2003. Johnny passed away three months later. 

Johnny Cash had an impressive music career for over 50 years. He had one of the most unique and recognizable voices ever in music history. I recently purchased, American Recordings IV: The Man Comes Around, which was Cash's last recording before his death. The album was the perfect balance of Cash originals and cover songs. The album encompasses the many aspects of Cash's life and music. The album opens with "The Man Comes Around", a biblical testimony about Armageddon. In "I Hung My Head", a murderer repents. Cash exudes so much love on his cover of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", it even tugged at my cynical heart. Cash knew when he recorded this album that his health was failing and that he was at the end of his life. His cover of the Beatles' "In My Life" is a powerful introspective look at his life. American Recording IV was an amazing album because Cash brought his music to a new generation. It was also the fitting end to his legendary career 

Cash's most powerful, final statement though, was in his video for his cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt". In the video, a frail Cash sits alone singing interspersed with clips from his life. In the final moments of the video, clips for shown rapidly of Cash' music career, family, and the crucifixion of Jesus. The video brought together the three most important aspects of Cash's life: his music, his family, and his faith. It is the three things I admire him for and what made him a legend. 

*** I would like to express my sadness and shock regarding the brutal and senseless murder of musician, Bryan Harvey and his family on New Year's Day. I am not familiar with his work with House of Freaks but I am familiar with his work with Gutterball. I am least happy that the police were able to work quickly and find the killers. May justice be swift to his killers.

HOW BOOTLEGGING HAS ALMOST BECOME LEGIT (February)

As a music collector, I have seen bootlegs evolve to different formats and be obtained through different means. Bootlegs first became available on vinyl records that were usually produced in Italy. As with any bootleg, the quality of the recordings varied but these recordings were packaged nicely and looked like legit recordings from the record labels. As people stopped buying vinyl, more bootlegs started showing up on CD. One Italian bootleg company, Kiss the Stone Records, actually started advertising their bootleg CDs in mainstream US music magazines like Alternative Press. It unfortunately was too good to be true and they were shut down because of copyright issues and problems with customs getting the CDs into the US. After this point, less and less bootleg CDs from Italy were available in the US. 

This didn't stop the trading of music. Many fans started trading shows on cassettes for free. The internet made it possible for traders to post their trading lists and find other fans to trade with. Again, as technology changed, trading cassettes was replaced with trading CDs. CD burners and recorders made trading easier and the quality of bootlegs improved. Later, VHS tapes for videos were replaced with DVDs, thanks to DVD burners and recorders. 

Several years ago when the controversy regarding the piracy of music through file sharing programs like Napster became a hot issue, you would have thought that bootlegging would become more difficult. It has actually become more mainstream. I think that several things have brought about this change. First, the RIAA has taken on a full case against the piracy of commercially available music. Because of this, focus has shifted away from the circulation of non-commercially released music or bootlegs. 

Secondly, technology has again improved. Fast speed internet connections make downloading music easier. New file formats like FLAC and SHN have improved the quality of the recording over compressed formats like MP3. Bit Torrent has made downloading more efficient. As a recent Rolling Stone article stated "queuing up a list of torrents before bedtime has become as routine as running the dishwasher" (1). Downloading has made trading more efficient because shows can be available to everyone without the need to find a willing person to trade with and snail mailing the recordings to each other. 

The most important change is that the artists are embracing bootlegging. Many fan sites that are endorsed by the artists offer ways for fans to download bootlegs. Some artists have sold bootleg recordings to fans after their shows. Other artists have sold bootlegs directly to the fans themselves. Tori Amos recently released a box set of six of her show recordings. One of my favorite bands, the Twilight Singers, have sold DVDs of their shows to fans on their website. 

As a music fan and collector, I have always defended bootlegs. I have never condoned people other than the artist profiting from the sale of bootlegs nor do I condone the piracy of commercially available recordings. While the RIAA has created a witch hunt against piracy through lawsuits, bootlegging has become more accepted and almost legit. These recent changes, whether it be free sharing of shows or the artists themselves selling shows, benefit both the fans and the artists. 

1. "The Mavericks: Bram Cohen" by David Kushner, Rolling Stone, December 29, 2005-January 12, 2006.

A SONG FOR EVERY OCCASION (March)

What make music so wonderful is that no matter how you are feeling, there is a song that expresses that same feeling. These are some of my favorite songs for certain emotions or events. 

LOVE 
Ben Folds- "The Luckiest", R.E.M.- "At My Most Beautiful", U2- "All I Want is You", Peter Gabriel- "In Your Eyes", Matthew Sweet- "I've Been Waiting", Johnny Cash - "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", Tommy Stinson- "Light of Day" 

SEX (OR THE MAKE OUT SONGS OF EPIC PROPORTIONS) 
The Twilight Singers- "Clyde", The Afghan Whigs- "Neglekted", Nine Inch Nails- "Closer", Mazzy Star- "Fade Into You" BREAKING UP The Afghan Whigs- "When We Two Parted", Matthew Sweet- "I Thought I Knew You" and "You Don't Love Me" 

JOY/HAPPINESS 
Velocity Girl- "I Can't Stop Smiling", Gloria Bills- "Sunday Morning" 

LONELINESS/SADNESS 
Tori Amos- "Hey Jupiter", Morrissey- "Everyday is Like Sunday", Nine Inch Nails- "Something I Can Never Have", The Replacements- "Achin to Be" 

ANGER (OR THE MIDDLE FINGER SONGS) 
Supafuzz- "Fool No More", Devil May Care- "Your Mistake" 

GRIEF/DEATH 
Green Day- "Wake Me When September Ends", R.E.M.- "Sweetness Follows", Evanescence- "My Immortal" 

DANCE (OR RUMP-SHAKERS OF EPIC PROPORTIONS) 
Stereo MC's- "Connected", Lo-Fidelity All Stars- "Battle Flag", Massive Attack- "Daydreaming" 

SONGS I WANT PLAYED AT MY FUNERAL 
The Afghan Whigs- "Faded", The Gathering Field- "The Reservoir", The Choir- "A Million Years" 

SONG THAT REMINDS ME OF SOME OF THE PEOPLE I WORK WITH
Tommy Stinson- "Without A View"

REVIEW: THE TWILIGHT SINGERS- POWDER BURNS (May)

Very few artists can do a concept album that is consistently good from start to finish. Twilight Singers leader, Greg Dulli, both with his bands the Afghan Whigs and the Twilight Singers, has consistently been the master of writing brilliant thematic albums. Not since the Afghan Whigs’ 1996 release, Black Love, has Dulli made an album that is not only thematic but cinematic in that the songs flow together like scenes in a movie. In true Dulli fashion, that movie is a tale of love, lust, and violence calledPowder Burns. 

The album opens with the instrumental, “Toward the Waves” that builds into the straight out rocker, “I’m Ready” where Dulli purrs “I hope I see you out tonight and I hope we get it on”. “There’s Been an Accident” is a stunning track complete with a full string arrangement where Dulli makes the mysterious statement, “I don’t sleep here no more, so my shadow walks in place of me”. “Bonnie Brae” follows which is a rocker reminiscent of the Afghan Whigs. “Underneath the Waves” over a soaring piano, Dulli declares “fill me with your love…there’s an inner place I cannot find”. “My Time (Has Come)” is a funky number written with Afterhours frontman Manuel Agnelli, that includes vampire imagery, “There’s a girl lying at my door, I would die just to taste her blood”. A different version of this song titled “White Widow” appears on the Afterhours English album, Ballad for Little Hyenas. The album’s only real weak moment is “Forty Dollars”. I like the music but the effects used on Dulli’s vocals make his voice sound strange. The album closes with the beautiful, “I Wish I Was”, a love song to New Orleans, post-Hurricane Katrina. 

Powder Burns has a stellar list of guest players. Ani Difranco sings on three tracks. Joseph Arthur sings on three tracks as well including the haunting duet with Dulli on “The Conversation”. Former Afghan Whigs bassist, John Curley, plays on the track “Candy Cane Crawl”. Afterhours frontman, Manuel Agnelli, shares writing credit with Dulli not only on “My Time (Has Come)” but also on “The Conversation”. 

Parts of Powder Burns were recorded in New Orleans post- Hurricane Katrina on generators in a police state. The albums plays out lyrically like a murder mystery but also has a feeling of rebuilding like New Orleans. The stunning musical arrangements and the thematic lyrics make Powder Burns an overall impressive album. 

REVIEW: MATTHEW SWEET AND SUSANNA HOFFS- UNDER THE COVERS VOL 1 (July)

Matthew Sweet and Bangles front woman, Susanna Hoffs, first collaborated together in the Austin Powers’ movies as members of Austin’s band, Ming Tea. On the Under the Covers, Sweet and Hoffs collaborate in the real world as their Ming Tea alter-egos, Sid and Susie, covering the 60’s and 70’s pop songs that influenced them. 

These songs are a perfect match for Sweet and Hoffs, who both have written intelligent pop gems in their respective careers. The album opens with The Marmalade’s “I See the Rain” and the Beatles’ “And Your Bird Can Sing”, which are true to their pop roots. They rock out a little more on Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl” and The Stone Poney’s “Different Drum”. The music on Love's "Along Again Or" has an interesting Spanish flair. Hoffs’ vocals are angelic on the beautiful cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Sunday Morning”. 

Like with another Matthew Sweet side project, the Thorns, the album relies heavily on harmonies. Covering the Beach Boys’ “The Warmth of the Sun” and the Mamas and the Papas’ “Monday, Monday” seem like logical choices to emphasize the harmonies. “Monday, Monday” is one of the album’s highlights. Sweet and Hoffs’ voices harmonize so well together that you forget that the harmonies have gone from the four persons harmony of the original to two persons harmony. The harmonies and the musical production on the album’s closing song, the Bee Gees’ “Run to Me”, almost makes the Bee Gees seem cool. 

I’ll admit that I am not familiar with the original versions of several of these songs. However, these covers do sound good on their own with out comparison to the originals. These songs seem like they were meant to be covered by Sweet and Hoffs. Under the Covers is a neat tribute to the bands who obviously were such influences to Sweet and Hoffs. It also brings together two talented singer-songwriters in their own right. 

REVIEW: JOHNNY CASH- AMERICAN V: A HUNDRED HIGHWAYS (August)

After the success of the Johnny Cash biography film, Walk the Line, it is not surprising that a “new” Johnny Cash album would be released, three years after his death. However, American V is not a simple marketing ploy, it is a solid, thoughtful album that gives great insight into where Johnny Cash was musically in the last few months of his life. 

Johnny Cash’s spiritual beliefs play heavy into the album. The album opens with the humble confession to God in “Help Me”. Cash deals with the darker side of faith much like he did on “The Man Comes Around” from American IV on “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”. On the beautiful, “I Came to Believe”, Cash openly sings of his faith journey. 

Considering Cash’s failing health when American V was recorded, it has a reflective feel like the last album released in Cash’s lifetime, American IV: The Mans Comes Around, did. Not only does Cash reflect on his faith but he seems to be reflecting on his life overall on tracks like “Love’s Been Good to Me” and “A Legend in My Time”. He pondered death, most striking on the cover of Hank Williams’ “On the Evening Train”. The song is about a man watching his beloved wife’s casket being taken away on the evening train. The pain Cash sings with makes the listener think he was reflecting on the death of his beloved wife, June. Cash sings with tenderness about love on the pretty, “Rose of My Heart”. 

A large part of what makes the American recordings great in addition to Cash’s genius is Rick Rubin’s production. By mixing contemporary covers with Cash’s originals, Rubin brought Cash’s music to a new generation. I’ll admit I am not a fan of country music but Cash’s music went beyond genres. Like some funerals,American V has its sad moments, but it is also a celebration of Johnny Cash’s music and life. 

REVIEW- SOUL ASYLUM- THE SILVER LINING (September)

It’s been eight years since Soul Asylum’s last release, Candy From a Stranger, which was a disappointment to both fans and critics. Last year, founding member and bassist, Karl Mueller, passed away after a battle with cancer. Five of the twelve tracks from Soul Asylum’s latest release, The Silver Lining, were recorded with Mueller before his death. The Silver Lining is a welcomed return for Soul Asylum and a fitting tribute to Karl Mueller. 

The album opens with the first single, “Stand Up and Be Strong”. I thought this song was a little cheesy the first time I heard it but its optimism has grown on me with more listens. “Lately” at first sounds like just some quirky storytelling but becomes an effective protest song where vocalist, Dave Pirner, observes “You gotta bring your solider home. All those stones have been thrown. You gotta give a kid a chance to get a look at his kid and hope he can live with whatever he did”. “Crazy Mixed Up World” is a good social commentary with the observation that “someone’s always got a gun and it’s all about money”. “All is Well” is a solid rocker with the quirky chorus “all is well in hell”. “Success is Not so Sweet” is an excellent track musically due to the keyboard arrangements. One of the album’s more political tracks is a hidden track at the end of the album that references “Jesus was a hippy”, Richard Nixon, and Pirner asks “who are you gonna call your fearless leader?” all in the same song. 

With The Silver Lining, Soul Asylum makes a good comeback. The political observations make for better lyrics. Considering that I am a Tommy Stinson fan, I like his addition to several of the tracks. My only complaint with the album is that some of the later tracks (“The Great Exaggerator”, “Oxygen”, “Slow Rising”) on the album could have easily fit on one of Soul Asylum’s albums from the early 1990’s. Considering the eight year gap between albums, I expected these songs to have shown more musical growth than they did. The songs at the beginning of the album show a lot of growth in Pirner’s lyric writing, I just wish that this musical growth had been carried out through the last half of the album. However, I’m glad to see Soul Asylum again and The Silver Liningis a descent listen and comeback album. 

REVIEW- OPEN SEASON SOUNDTRACK (October)

Paul Westerberg seems to have grown up since his days as the front man for the Replacements. However, it was still surprising when he decided to do the music for the family film, Open Season. The soundtrack for Open Season includes eight new Westerberg songs plus two songs by Deathray and the Talking Heads’ classic “Wild Wild Life”. 

Most of the Westerberg songs are light but enjoyable such the opener, “Meet Me in the Meadow” and “Any Better Than This”. “I Belong” is the message song of this album and reappears at the end of the album sung by Pete Yorn. Two of the album’s more interesting moments are when Westerberg recruited former Replacements band mate, Tommy Stinson, on “Love You in the Fall” and “Right to Arm Bears”. “Love You in the Fall” is a nice pop song that could fit on Westerberg’s past solo albums but “Right to Arm Bears” is a play on words rocker than could have been a Replacements song if the lyrics were about beer instead of bears. These songs are not exactly Replacements reunion songs (if you want that listen to “Message to the Boys” from the recent Replacements anthology, Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was) but it is encouraging to see Westerberg and Stinson recording together instead of taking shots at each other. The song that seems out of place on this album is “Good Day”. This song originally appeared on Westerberg’s 1996 solo album, Eventually, and was a tearjerker written after the death of Replacements’ band mate, Bob Stinson. I have not seen the movie so I don’t know how it is used in the film but “Good Day” is a beautiful song however it seems too heavy for this soundtrack. 

A lot of Paul Westerberg fans are going to complain that these songs are too light. However, considering how overly sentimental and cheesy the music is for most family films, the soundtrack forOpen Season is better than most in this genre. The songs are enjoyable for Westerberg fans if you don’t take them too seriously. 

REVIEW: EVANESCENCE- THE OPEN DOOR (November)

It’s been a hard few years for Evanescence front woman, Amy Lee. Since the release of Evanescence’s 2003 break through album, Fallen, Lee has split from her long time collaborator, Ben Moody; her boyfriend, from the band Seether; and her management. Not surprising, Evanescence’s latest album, The Open Door, is filled with rage, longing to find one’s self, and even death. 

Throughout the album, Lee seems to be trying to purge herself of her bad relationships from the past. The album opens with the angry rocker, “Sweet Sacrifice” where Lee spits over heavy guitars “do you wonder why you hate? Are you still too weak to survive your mistakes?”. The first single, “Call Me When You’re Sober”, is an overt shot at Lee’s former boyfriend for his drug problem. Lee deals with the stresses of her new found fame on “Weight of the World”. On the creepy, “Lacrymosa”, Lee observes “now that you’re gone, I feel like myself again, grieving the things I can’t repair and willing”. On “Cloud Nine”, Lee proclaims “I’m never gonna be your sweet, sweet surrender, guess it wasn’t real after all”. The album closes with the beautifully quiet, “Good Enough”, that is a wish for finding one’s self in the middle of destructive relationships. 

Evanescence’s strength has always been Lee’s vocals that are beautiful but strong enough for the heavier music. The Open Dooris packaged very well with a very nice art concept. My problem with these songs is that I feel like I’ve heard them before. The dark themes and wanting to find independence were already better addressed on Fallen. The songs are descent but there is nothing here that matches the emotions of songs like “My Immortal”. The Open Door is a descent follow up for Evanescence, it’s just not the most original one. 

THE BEST AND WORST OF 2006 (December)

THE BEST 
BEST ALBUMS 
The Twilight Singers- Powder Burns (see my review) 
Johnny Cash- American Recordings V: A Hundred Highways (see my review) 
Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs- Under the Covers, Vol. 1 (see my review) 
The Replacements- Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was 

BEST SONG 
The Replacements- “Message to the Boys”. It took fifteen years to hear new Replacements music but “Message to the Boys” was well worth the wait. It is a perfect pop song that could have easily fit on one of the prior Replacements albums. I’m still dreaming of that Replacements reunion tour. 

BEST LIVE SHOW 
It’s been a good year for live music. These were some really good shows I saw this year. 
-Nine Inch Nails, Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY 2/24/06- In the past, I enjoyed Nine Inch Nails’ music but I never considered myself to be a huge NIN fan. I was so strongly affected by what I saw and heard at this show that I have been fully converted to a NIN fan.
-It was quite a year getting to see the Twilight Singers three times in one year. It is a toss up whether I enjoyed the Southgate House, Newport 5/20/06 show or the Great American Music Hall, San Francisco 6/19/06 show more. Newport had the hometown energy and John Curley joining in for some Whigs songs. San Francisco had Mark Lanegan and classic Dulli banter. I just wish that I could have included the Newport 11/3/06 show on this list but what started out as a cool show ended in disappointment after the encore fiasco. 
-The show I heard a recording of but would have loved to attended was Trent Reznor’s appearance at the Bridge School Benefit. I love the hard rock side of NIN but I also love how Trent Reznor can completely create a mood and atmosphere on the slower songs. Reznor’s appearance at this benefit with a string quartet was a perfect match for these songs. Strings rock! 

COOLEST COLLABORATION 
Matthew Sweet and Susana Hoffs on Under the Covers- A match made in pop heaven. 
U2 and Green Day on the Saints Are Coming 

COOLEST RETROSPECTIVES 
The Replacements- Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was- In contrast to All for Nothing, Nothing For All, this retrospective covers the Replacements entire career instead of just their major label years. How can you have a Replacements retrospective without songs like “Color Me Impressed” and “Unsatisifed”? This album fills the gap and has the added treat of two long awaited new Replacements songs. 
R.E.M.- And I Feel Fine: The Best of the IRS Years- In Time showcased R.E.M. in their major label years while this album is a retrospective of their early days on IRS Records. It’s a pleasant walk down memory lane and shows a more innocent time for R.E.M. 

COOLEST TREND 
Alternative song writers writing soundtracks for family movies- Let’s face it- the music in most movies for children is lame. But between Ben Folds writing the music for Over the Hedge and Paul Westerberg writing the music for Open Season, family movies are getting cool soundtracks. We do need to expose children to better music when they are young. 

COOLEST WEBSITE You Tube- Considering the MTV and VH1 would rather show episodes of Real World and The Surreal Life instead of music videos, You Tube has become the coolest place to find music videos ranging from official music videos to bootlegs. 

THE WORST 
Most Over-played Song- Gnarls Barkley- “Crazy”. This song was OK the first time I heard it. However, after hearing it multiple times a day and everybody wanting to cover this song, it got old real fast. 

Biggest Wimps- This is a three way tie between James Blunt, Daniel Powter, and Nick Lachey (even though I think James Blunt and Daniel Powter are in fact the same person). These guys’ songs are so sappy and whiney that they kind of remind me of Barry Manilow. 

“Where in the Creative Process…” Winner- Shakira- “My Hips Don’t Lie”- Shakira’s voice grates my last nerve anyway. I do wonder where in the creative process that someone thought it would be a good idea to just ask “what’s your name” and have some guys yell “Shakira! Shakira!” in the middle of the song. Like Ricky Martin several years ago, Latin music really needs a better representative in the US than this woman. 

The Continued Popularity of American Idol- It really bothers me that more Americans vote for contestants on this show than in real elections. This show is everything that is wrong with the music industry. Do we really need anymore mediocre pop singers getting lucrative record deals when there are talented artists struggling to get and maintain record deals? Will anyone care about any of the winners’ music ten years from now? Even 5 years from now? What qualifies Simon as a “music expert”? 

Angry Young White Suburbanites- Blue October- Blue October’s “Hate Me” was an over-played song about a bunch of white guys from the suburbs whining about how bad they’ve got it. I’m still pondering what exactly the phrase “makes a porno feel like home” means.