Archive 2018
REVIEW: U2- SONGS OF EXPERIENCE (February)
It has been since 2014 since U2’s last release, Songs of Innocence. Songs of Innocence was U2’s nostalgic look back to their youth in Ireland. Songs of Innocence received an unwarranted backlash due to the marketing botch by Apple where every I-Tunes user automatically received a copy album. The backlash really didn’t speak to the quality of the songs themselves. With Song of Experience, U2 returns to their roots with songs that are more spiritual and political at times.
The album opens with “Love is All We Have Left” where over a trance vibe, Bono sings the simple message that no matter how bad the world seems love is all we have left. With “Lights of Home”, Bono seems to poke fun at his legacy while being optimistic about the future when he sings “I shouldn’t be here cause I should be dead. I can see the lights in front of me. I believe my best days are ahead.” The song ends with a sweeping refrain “Free yourself to be yourself, if only you could see yourself” that sounds almost like a choir backing Bono. “You’re the Best Thing About Me” is a catchy song featuring the Edge’s characteristic guitar riff that is a tribute to long term relationships. “Get Out of Your Own Way” is a call for activism in troubled political times where Bono almost sounds like a gospel preacher when he proclaims “Fight back, don’t take it lying down. You’ve got to bite back. The face of liberty is starting to crack” over choir like backing vocals. “American Soul” is the most overtly political song on the album, a rocker where Bono addresses the refugee issue proclaiming “This country is to me a thought that offers grace for every welcome that is sought”. On “The Showman (Little More Better)”, Bono reflects on stardom singing “the showman gives you front row to his heart”. In “The Blackout”, over a funky bass line, Bono observes the darkest of the world and proclaims “democracy is flat on its back”. The album closes with the theme it starts with of hope in troubled times with “Love is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way”. The last song, “13 (There is a Light)”, is taken from the chorus of Songs of Innocence’s “Song for Someone”. While “Song for Someone” was Bono’s love letter to his wife, Ali, “13” applies the theme of finding light in times of darkness more universally and captures the theme throughout the album.
While Songs of Innocence was a more personal album based in nostalgia, Songs Of Experience is more universal. While Songs of Experience is not a Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby album for U2, it continues to showcase U2’s wisdom and experience as song writers.
REVIEW: GIN BLOSSOMS- MIXED REALITY (June)
Most people associate the Gin Blossoms with their hits from the 1990’s from their albums New Miserable Experience and Congratulations, I’m Sorry. Though not very prolific, the Gin Blossoms did independently release two solid albums, Major Victory Lodge (2006) and No Chocolate Cake (2010) since their reunion in 2002. It took several years, but their new album, Mixed Reality is the best the Gin Blossoms have sounded since their hit albums in the 1990’s. One reason Mixed Reality works so well is it is produced by Don Dixon and engineered by Mitch Easter. These guys brought us several notable albums from the 1980’s, the best being R.E.M.’s first three releases (Chronic Town, Murmur, andReckoning). The Gin Blossoms hit the jackpot with this collaboration. Dixon and Easter draw out the Gin Blossoms’ strengths and pay tribute to their influences, such as early R.E.M.
On the Gin Blossoms’ other releases, the songwriting was concentrated to vocalist, Robin Wilson, and guitarist, Jesse Valenzuela, and on early releases, the late guitarist, Doug Hopkins. On Mixed Reality, the band shared the songwriting which offered a more diverse set of songs. For Robin Wilson’s songs, the album opens with “Break”. “Break” is a rather typical Gin Blossoms song in that it is a very catchy, upbeat song musically but has darker lyrics about not letting bad circumstances break you when Wilson sings “I won’t break, I won’t let it break my heart…I fall and rise above and I won’t break”. “Face the Dark” is the best song on the album lyrically, a song about the pain from a broken relationship where Wilson observes “these tears are the cost of all I’ve done” and “it’s easy to look back and wish our time was not a bust”. “Forever is This Night” has a classic Gin Blossoms sound with jangle guitars and a catchy, dare you not to sing along chorus. “The Devil’s Daughter” is the dirtiest song to be on a Gin Blossoms album since their early days, a scruffy song about wanting to f**k the devil’s daughter. It and the filler ditty “The JFK Shit Show” feel out of place with the rest of the album. Guitarist Jesse Valenzuela's song contributions (with writing partner, Rembrandts singer, Danny Wilde) start with “Angels Fly”, a catchy song with the darker lyrics “watching all the angels fly, they just keep passing me by. It’s taking everything I’ve got keeping up with you”. “Here Again”, like “Break”, is upbeat musically but has darker lyrics about clinging to an unhealthy relationship. “Wonder” is a little melodramatic, a song about thinking back about old girlfriends. It still tugs at my heart though when Wilson laments “I wonder if you’re safe and warm and happy. I wonder if you think of me at all”. Guitarist Scotty Johnson with his writing partner, Kira Brown from Honeygirl , contribute “Girl On the Side”, that has a country flare and is a break from form musically. Bassist Bill Leen has always been the silent member of the Gin Blossoms. His contributions to the album are some of the most unique. “Miranda Chicago” has one of the most sweeping arrangements musically on the album topped off with horns at the end. Leen ended up writing one of the album’s stand out track in the album’s closer, “Mega Pawn King” which plays heavily of the band’s 1960’s pop influences such as the Byrds.
Mixed Reality has the best album cover for a Gin Blossoms album. It features the hot, cartoon alien, Eddie. The diversity in songwriting and the solid musicianship on Mixed Reality makes for some of the Gin Blossoms’ best work to date.
IT WAS TWENTY YEARS AGO TODAY… (August)
Wow, it has been twenty years! In August of 1998, I wrote my first blog and Mary’s Crib was born on a personal website on Prodigy. I originally started Mary’s Crib to facilitate my live show trading habit. Back in 1998, people traded shows on Maxell cassette tapes and via snail mail, something younger people will have no idea what I am referring to. I wrote my first blog “The End is Here” to express my disgust with trends in music at that time. Yeah, it is dated now but there are still some grains of truth there (Marilyn Manson is still a poser and Sean “P Diddy” Combs (whatever name he goes by now) could not write a song to save his life). I continued writing my opinions about trends in the music industry. Some of these blogs are very dated, like the ones about VH1’s Behind the Music and The List and CD burners. However, some of these topics are just as relevant today as they were then such as satellite radio and criticism of the Recording Industry Association of America and the Grammys.
Another focus with my blog came to be writing about the bands whose music has meant so much to me. Within the first year of writing my blog, I wrote about the Afghan Whigs, the Replacements, Tommy Keene, bands that were producing wonderful music but were not staples in mainstream music. In 2001, I started reviewing albums. These were just albums from my collection. I have always felt that if one person checked out an album I reviewed and it brought attention to some of these wonderful bands, I have done my job right.
I have been proudest of the section of my website about the music scene in my hometown of Lexington, KY. The most e-mails I have received regarding my website have been about this page. I have had people write me from all over the US and one person overseas to share their memories with me or looking for these albums. On my “12 Essential Albums by Lexington Bands” list, none of the albums featured were released after 2002, but these albums and the pictures bring back so many wonderful memories. Over the years we have had so many talented musicians in my back yard and these bands meant as much to me as the national bands.
Some of my blogs were very personal for me to write. “A Fan’s Farewell to the Afghan Whigs” in 2001 was written the day I found out my favorite band, the Afghan Whigs, had broken up. Ten years later, my blog “A Fan Farewell of R.E.M.” had many of the same emotions and is one of my favorite blogs. I had only written two tributes to those who went to rock and roll heaven (Robert Buck in 2001 and Alex Chilton in 2010) prior to 2016. Sadly, between 2016 and 2017, I wrote five tributes (Prince, George Michael, Dave Rosser, Tom Petty, and Tommy Keene). Tommy Keene’s passing was the hardest for me. I had planned on writing a big retrospect of his music. Instead I just wrote about everything his music meant to me and the words came pretty easy to me.
My “mix tape” lists have been the most fun to write. I have covered love songs (1999), break up songs (2000), hair metal ballads (2011), saddest songs (2012) and girl power songs (2015).
When I started Mary’s Crib, my focus was to be a music site. In 2008, I branched out and started reviewing the Oscar nominations for Best Picture. Oscar season is my “Super Bowl” and I have enjoyed writing about it. I have added some about movies and TV to my annual year end round up.
Mary’s Crib has had three homes, starting out as a personal website on Prodigy and QX.net. I obtained the domain of maryscrib.com in 2006 and this has become its permanent home. I have seen the music industry change a lot over twenty years but I still believe there is great music out there. I will continue to write about it. I am so happy to have received e-mails from music fans and a couple of musicians I have written about here over the years. If you are reading this, THANK YOU! Rock On!
REVIEW: MATT NATHANSON- SINGS HIS SAD HEART (November)
Sings His Sad Heart is Matt Nathanson’s follow up to his 2015 album, Show Me Your Fangs. One of Nathanson’s greatest strengths as a musician is his lyrics. As the album title suggests, the lyrics are his most open and personal, and at times sad, to date. There is a sense of memory throughout the album.
The album’s first single, “Way Way Back”, is about how exes will always have an impact on our lives. Nathanson laments “didn’t know that forever only meant forever til you found someone better…you can always find me in the way way back” but injects some humor when he asks “he looks better with his shirt off but can he sing?”. On “Different Beds”, Nathanson remembers various memories of an ex but observes “you and I, we’re gonna see the sunrise, it’s just gonna be from different beds next time” and comes to the sad conclusion “sometimes the things you love don’t love you back”. “Used to Be” is about holding on to memories. Nathanson confesses “I’m just a stubborn fool who’s living in the past”. This song has one of my favorite lyrics he has written to date in “I’ve got a king sized bed and a PhD in the way it used to be”. “Back Together” is very catchy musically but is about moving on from the past when Nathanson confesses “I don’t’ wanna be somebody I’m not, I just wanna be somebody amazing…I’ve been lost and I’ve been broken, finally coming back together”. The theme of moving on from the past continues with “Long Distance Runner” where Nathanson compares the past to a long distance runner and confesses “people keep saying memories fade, mine are all drunk and they just keep calling”. The album closes with the beautiful “Sadness”. Nathanson wrote it for his wife and it is about accepting the one you love, warts and all, when he sings “you find flowers in the ruins and the good in me. Sadness used to think that it owned me. Now sadness gotta share me with you”.
Matt Nathanson’s Sings His Sad Heart is a brutally honest confessional based many times on nostalgia. It is one of Nathanson’s best works lyrically to date. It is also a therapeutic and ultimately uplifting experience for the listener.
THE BEST AND WORST IN ENTERTAINMENT 2018
THE BEST
ALBUMS
Arthur Buck- Self Titled
Gin Blossoms- Mixed Reality (see my review)
Johnny Marr- Call the Comet
Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness – Upside Down Flowers
Matt Nathanson- Sings His Sad Heart (see my review)
Wussy- What Heaven is Like
CONCERTS
I saw several great concerts this year and give and shout outs to these: Afghan Whigs, Gin Blossoms (the show in Indiana they didn’t cancel the day before for vague reasons), Barenaked Ladies, Better Than Ezra, Matt Nathanson, Liz Phair, and the Psychedelic Furs. However, my top pick goes to the inaugural concert for the Taste of Cincinnati. The line up of the B-52’s, Rick Springfield, and Loverboy was a perfect mix of 80’s nostalgia.
SONGS
Matt Nathanson’s “Used to Be” is probably one of my favorites lyrically of his to date. The Gin Blossoms’ “Break” is everything I love about the Gin Blossoms in a song. When I saw Rick Springfield, I’ll admit I was in the “just play Jessie’s Girl” camp. He did really impress me with his sexy, bluesy rocker, “Voodoo House”, showing that he is not just a nostalgia act.
NEW TO ME ARTIST
Matthew Moon- He hasn’t released an album in five years. I discovered him by accident when I found out he was one the writers of the Gin Blossoms’ “Don’t Change for Me”. I really like his songwriting and I am continuing to discover his catalog. His self titled album is a definite great listen.
COVER SONGS
Matt Nathanson’s Pyromattia- Those of who grew up in the MTV generation love Def Leppard. Matt Nathanson took his fanboy love of Def Leppard to the next level with by releasing an album of acoustic Def Leppard covers. He said the album was unplugged to showcase Def Leppard’s underrated songwriting. It worked. His cover, in particular of “Hysteria”, is beautiful.
REISSUE
Best of R.E.M. at the BBC- Though R.E.M. broke up in 2011, they keep giving to fans with anniversary and box set reissues. The deluxe edition is extensive, featuring TV appearances and four full concerts aired on the BBC from 1984-2004 on eight CDs and one DVD. It is a fan’s dream box set.
MOVIES
Bohemian Rhapsody- Freddie Mercury was a larger than life presence as the front man of Queen . He had one of the best, unmistakable voices in music. Bohemian Rhapsody captures the wonder of Freddie Mercury. Rami Malek gives a memorable performance because he became Freddie Mercury. The recreation of Queen’s appearance at Live Aid is epic just like Queen was.
I give an honorable shout out to Juliet, Naked. The movie is based on Nick Hornby’s 2009 novel. Nick Hornby is a fellow music geek. When I read the book in 2009, I uneasily identified with the book too much, having a few Tucker Crowes of my own. Years later, I found the movie charming and a witty look at the sometimes strange world of being a super fan.
Another honorable mention goes to American Animals. The movie is based on a strange case that happened in my hometown of Lexington, KY where four privileged young men planned a failed heist of rare books from a local university. The movie mixed fiction and reality by including interviews with the real life participants. It showed that sometimes real life is stranger than any fiction.
THE WORST
HOW NOT TO HANDLE CONCERT TICKETS SALES
Nine Inch Nails- Cold & Black Infinite Tour- I usually appreciate Trent Reznor’s innovative ideas. The logistics of Nine Inch Nails’ Cold & Black Infinite tour was not one of them. I appreciate that Trent Reznor wanted to fight back at ticket scalping. But only offering the best tickets at the venue for purchase in person only. Really? It is 2018, we have online ticketing so that fans don’t have to waste multiple hours on a Saturday waiting in line to buy tickets. This scenario completely shut out fans who would be willing to travel to the show because they are not going to do additional travel to wait in line for tickets. I don’t look back nostalgically at the days of having to wait in line for hours for tickets. I didn’t make new friends with other fans in the line as Reznor glamorized may happen. Also, the tour had 39 dates in North America in only 13 cities. Was six shows in Los Angeles really necessary? There are Nine Inch Nails fans who live in places other than the biggest cities in the US. Yeah, Trent, I’m going to bitch about it. What a crap way to handle your long expected tour for fans. Thanks, but no thanks.
WHERE IN THE CREATIVE PROCESS WINNER
Greta Van Fleet- These guys are the biggest rip off of Led Zeppelin I have ever heard. Do these guys have any original ideas of their own? The leader singer’s attempt to sound like Robert Plant is not flattery, it is just lame.
MOVIES
Red Sparrow- This movie is two hours of watching women being raped and sexually tortured. How in 2018, can star Jennifer Lawrence find the misogynist garbage “empowering”?
Sorry to Bother You- The first part of the movie seemed to be an interesting satire on race relations about a black telemarketer who gets ahead by using his “white” voice. The last thirty minutes, however, is a weird, WTF sci fi ending that is completely disconnected from the rest of the movie. I won’t spoil it for you but two words for the ending: horse people. Critics thought this movie was brilliant. Did they watch the same ending I did?
I’M JUST NOT HIP
I guess this shows that I am truly middle age now when I don’t know who the artists are that are on the cover of Rolling Stone and the musical guests on Saturday Night Live.
