tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60140842024-03-13T07:52:48.432-05:003 Minutes, 49 SecondsTo be read at maximum volume.Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.comBlogger480125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-6300487110828739482023-12-17T03:49:00.000-06:002023-12-17T03:49:00.173-06:00Twenty Twenty-Three2023 marks not only the 20th anniversary of this blog (an occasion I'm overdue to celebrate), but also 20 years of compiling a playlist of favorite songs to summarize my year in music consumption. <div><br /></div><div>Though I still make an ultra-limited run of physical copies, for the most part this now lives in the streaming world. As such, if you have Amazon Music Unlimited you can listen <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/e001a4f2e9e342e48ae0022ef0deb27dsune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_XsrWY7JPSMzoWaqaIEdw8YQbC" target="_blank">at this link</a>.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIy1tem3lcZ_whdRz98diX1VJKVwy5hBTAGPXFhbVGoTqt5WKLgwCF1PViESA3g8R6uroh5c3esbDzsnEDf7U8jwYgdHO9mZIR4x4ys2RSc1SeNOx8pQi2Q56YAiqCuD8Ov-IbPg8pl4DXeOHW1FqbaRyy9r85BFafTuDvIgAiZAqxq4GNoTboVA/s621/2023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="621" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIy1tem3lcZ_whdRz98diX1VJKVwy5hBTAGPXFhbVGoTqt5WKLgwCF1PViESA3g8R6uroh5c3esbDzsnEDf7U8jwYgdHO9mZIR4x4ys2RSc1SeNOx8pQi2Q56YAiqCuD8Ov-IbPg8pl4DXeOHW1FqbaRyy9r85BFafTuDvIgAiZAqxq4GNoTboVA/s320/2023.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>The Tracks:</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Mammoth WVH: "Like a Pastime"</div><div>2. blink-182: "Fell in Love"</div><div>3. Jonas Brothers: "Vacation Eyes"</div><div>4. Kylie Minogue: "Things We Do For Love"</div><div>5. Carly Rae Jepsen: "So Right"</div><div>6. Semisonic: "All the Time"</div><div>7. Caitlyn Smith: "High"</div><div>8. Wilco: "Meant to Be"</div><div>9. Jenny Lewis: "Chain of Tears"</div><div>10. The National (feat. Taylor Swift): "The Alcott"</div><div>11. Lufthaus & Robbie Williams: "Unlovable"</div><div>12. The Killers: "Your Side of Town"</div><div>13. Foo Fighters: "Show Me How"</div><div>14. The New Pornographers: "Bottle Episodes"</div><div>15. Ben Folds: "Paddleboat Breakup"</div><div>16. The 3 Clubmen: "Look At These Stars"</div><div>17. Andy White & Tim Finn: "My Regeneration"</div><div>18. The Beatles: "Now & Then"</div></div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-23048932456236600752023-11-18T03:49:00.000-06:002023-11-18T03:49:00.141-06:00The Beatles: "Now and Then" (2023)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3m9uo5iGwMHj6UAdp_KUpqbspuTgFYnpzJ8_F-PXa92zics2oULFFHM4UqUK66oR1zOFbRyALo8i3QFSdSJQsiSNeL3DhJOtLcNtHwMkWXrcsVYtRZ1MBYkCGYiLS6gg841OKc0b6mrNKAcQszf0nh9NjKFZpBu9U6MpPZZhbyXTeUhobl3bgzA/s800/397600917_832606758692524_8109084493118267326_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3m9uo5iGwMHj6UAdp_KUpqbspuTgFYnpzJ8_F-PXa92zics2oULFFHM4UqUK66oR1zOFbRyALo8i3QFSdSJQsiSNeL3DhJOtLcNtHwMkWXrcsVYtRZ1MBYkCGYiLS6gg841OKc0b6mrNKAcQszf0nh9NjKFZpBu9U6MpPZZhbyXTeUhobl3bgzA/w320-h320/397600917_832606758692524_8109084493118267326_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">All the way back in 2008, I wrote a series of posts covering the recorded output of an obscure 1960s band called The Beatles. Though never especially popular or commercially successful, they managed to release an impressive 13 albums and 2 compilations in a 7-year period.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Once I completed those reviews, I promptly forgot all about the Beatles. I was sure that I didn't need to keep tabs on them, because all indications were that they'd never reunite or release any more music.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So you can imagine my surprise a couple of weeks ago when I came across a YouTube video claiming to be about the making of a new "final" Beatles song called "Now and Then."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And then imagine even more surprise when I learned that this song was not the first new Beatles song since 1970. It's the third!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As it turns out, the Beatles had actually "reuinted" to record more music in the 1990s. Though band member John Lennon was killed in 1980, he left behild some unfinished songs. Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr teamed up with Jeff Lynne (of Electric Light Orchestra fame) to turn those circa 1977 demos into new Beatles songs.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">They woked on three songs, "Free as a Bird," "Real Love," and "Now and Then." The first two were were released in 1995 and 1996 respectively, but "Now and Then" was abandoned. Reportedly, the lads were frustrated by the low quality of the demo, and ran out of time to finish. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">All this time, the song has stuck in McCartney's craw. Fast forward 20 years and technology has advanced enough that Paul was able to use machine-aided learning to extract John's vocal from the original demo and use that to finally bring his vision for the song to life. Wow, living in the future ain't so bad sometimes.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So, to complete this project I started all those years ago, let's review the final three Beatles songs!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROoZ6YI0ZjgqlmjbuomufDaAYBKWJ3M577ncD0MJb14nLtTioqo-cNWSocBRB7RiqrixLaB-TlYvSxyuYWOeO7NkziA77J43XJuHmml7-9MafeWIABz9I0o7ZegNNOlqXX2YyZ40GgtDF51gYmZ8tfFfGFRc5hj0lgraKTQi1hgMbmI_GnTNj4w/s599/Free%20as%20a%20Bird.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="599" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROoZ6YI0ZjgqlmjbuomufDaAYBKWJ3M577ncD0MJb14nLtTioqo-cNWSocBRB7RiqrixLaB-TlYvSxyuYWOeO7NkziA77J43XJuHmml7-9MafeWIABz9I0o7ZegNNOlqXX2YyZ40GgtDF51gYmZ8tfFfGFRc5hj0lgraKTQi1hgMbmI_GnTNj4w/w200-h173/Free%20as%20a%20Bird.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>"Free as a Bird" (1995)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Apparently, this song premiered to the world at the end of the first part of a documentary that aired in Novemeber 1995. The documentary was a ratings disaster and the song sunk into obscurity (it certainly didn't go top 10 on the charts and win two Grammys). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now I don't believe the recpetion is an indication of its quality, but there is something that feels off about "Free as a Bird." It's not just the semi-goulish nature of a collaboration between three live musicians and one dead one, but it is the combination of that and the ghostly, dirgelike melody. For a song ostensibly about joy and freedom it just feels so sad. I think Paul recognized this, and that led him to switch roles with John and write a verse about regret and loss. There are a few Beatles songs that make good use of the happy / sad dynamic, but I think it might have been more effective here if Paul and George's verses had shifted into an uptempo major key sort of thing. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">All that said "Free as a Bird" has some little joys, such as Harrison's opening guitar solo, the gorgeous "ah" harmonies on the bridge, and the false ending with the little bit of John dialgoue.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">*</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMiv7wFFpff1vLH6jOWq4wJWoGxtfIzmOhMIIKHK-YyvkSdEElqVYbeMezGmPruHfLfbuaGI4AFPAgW7GZM7SscGWTn5IEofX2avBomL_VvR1onFMFW-RSudFKRaEYCmPpGW8nqm3dZfa3DLksfLClCjRWt5IChYVxd4cqjAk_WMY8y87_54ULQ/s478/real-love-us.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="478" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMiv7wFFpff1vLH6jOWq4wJWoGxtfIzmOhMIIKHK-YyvkSdEElqVYbeMezGmPruHfLfbuaGI4AFPAgW7GZM7SscGWTn5IEofX2avBomL_VvR1onFMFW-RSudFKRaEYCmPpGW8nqm3dZfa3DLksfLClCjRWt5IChYVxd4cqjAk_WMY8y87_54ULQ/w200-h199/real-love-us.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>"Real Love" (1996)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"Real Love" is more like it, and its creative success reveals another fault of "Free as a Bird." From the midsixties on, the Beatles weren't an especially collaborative group. Or more precisely, the results of their collaborative process weren't readily obvious in the final product. So while Paul writing a verse, and Paul and George both taking turns on lead vocals on "Free as a Bird" was nice and all, it wasn't something that felt especially Beatlesque.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"Real Love," on the other hand, feels very much like a John song with Ringo playing drums, George adding lovely guitar bits, Paul on bass, and, once again, those harmonies. While it's not quite something you could imagine fitting on <i>Abbey Road</i> or <i>Let It Be</i>, it at least feels part and parcel of the Beatles discography, and doesn't betray the circumstances of its creation.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">*</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"Now and Then" (2023)</div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm going to put it out there: This is my favorite of the three. While there are likely many reasons why, I'm going with the simplest explanation: It has the best melody. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I love that Paul showed the restraint to go the "Real Love" route and honor John's song above all else, while at the same time making it into one final collaboration between two men. Working with co-producer Giles Martin, Paul smartly reduced the original demo down to its esssence, removing a prechourus and unfinished verse, and adding his own floursishes in their place.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">John's vocal is strong and immediate, placed front and center on the track. Since George Harrison died in 2001, his contribution is limited to some rhythm parts he recorded back in 1995, but we have Ringo on drums, Paul on bass and Harrison-esque guitar, and a touching string arrangement. The harmonies are said to be lifted from "Here, There, and Everywhere," Eleanor Rigby" and "Because," though the latter is the only one readily indentifiable to my ear.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">*</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And there we have it. The last three songs from a band that never quite got the attention they deserved, but nonetheless leave behind a discography worth revisiting now and then. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If you'd like to check out my reviews of the Beatles' older work, here you go:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/01/158-beatles-please-please-me-1963.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Please Please Me</a> (1963)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/02/159-beatles-with-beatles-1963.html" style="font-weight: bold;">With The Beatles</a> (1963)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/02/160-beatles-hard-days-night-1964.html" style="font-weight: bold;">A Hard Day's Night</a> (1964)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/02/161-beatles-beatles-for-sale-1964.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Beatles For Sale</a> (1964)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/02/162-beatles-help-1965.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Help!</span></a> (1965)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/02/163-beatles-past-masters-1-1990.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Past Masters 1 </a>(1990)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/03/164-beatles-rubber-soul-1965.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Rubber Soul</a> (1965)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/03/166-beatles-revolver-1966.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Revolver</span></a> (1966)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/03/167-beatles-sgt-peppers-lonely-hearts.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</span></a> (1967)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/04/170-beatles-magical-mystery-tour-1967.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Magical Mystery Tour</a> (1967)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/06/172-beatles-beatles-1968.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Beatles</span></a> (1968)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/06/174-beatles-yellow-submarine-1969.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Yellow Submarine</a> (1969)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/06/180-beatles-abbey-road-1969.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Abbey Road</span></a> (1969)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/08/183-beatles-let-it-be-1970.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Let It Be </span></a>(1970)<br /><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/08/185-beatles-past-masters-volume-two.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Past Masters 2</span></a> (1990)</div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-2176072185409163802023-11-11T03:49:00.004-06:002023-11-11T13:41:31.038-06:00Refrigerated Love: Afterplay (2023)<div style="text-align: left;">In May of 2019, the semi-seminal U.K. new wave heavy metal glam rock shoegaze new romantic band <b>Refrigerated Love</b> released their 28th studio album, <b style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2019/05/282-refrigerated-love-prodigal-sunshine.html" target="_blank">Prodigal Sunshine</a> </b>and a retrospective box set called <i>Refrigerate After Opening</i>. It was a triumphant return to the spotlight for a band who had long been justly ignored. Following a summer tour of state fairs in the U.S., the band took time off to relish their middling success. Their plan was to begin a massive European tour in May of 2020. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, we all know what happened next. As the seriousness of the COVID-19 virus foisted itself on the world and everything began to shut down, the band initially held fast to their intention to tour. "We have always been an anti-fascist band," lead singer said in a press release on March 19, 2020, "and we will not give in to these attempts to curb our natural born freedom to rock"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As venues shuttered their doors, Refrigerated Love continued to be defiant. "We're coming to the arenas no matter what," guitarist Nigel Hornblower told the press, "We'll play on the roof, close the streets in front of them, take over adjacent parking lots. The shows are going on!"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But they didn't do any of those things. Like every other musical artist, Refrigerated Love retreated to their respective homes and tried to figure out what to do with their broken plans, rising anxieties, and lack of a creative outlet. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Each band member coped in their own way. Lyricist Elvis Hornman started a podcast, <i>Elvis Has Left the Building!</i>, the title of which many took to be a clever allusion to Elvis Presley, at least until they found out that the podcast was literally Hornman recording himself walking out of various public buildings and describing what the doors look like. Hornblower gave guitar lessons via Zoom, winning warm reviews for only forgetting to unmute himself about half the time. Colin Porthorn and illegitamite son Alfie - the band's newest member - did a series of live performances, which they released in 15-second increments on Tik Tok. And keyboardist Hornel Lieberman - who has always created the artwork for the band's albums - made headlines when he announced he'd be selling the images as cryptocurrency. He generated more headlines, though, when it turned out he'd confused JPGs and NFTs.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Then, after reading somewhere that many musical artists were creating some of the best work of their careers in quarantine, the band decided to convene to write and record a new album.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"Rock and roll is about rebellion and free-thinking!" Porthorn said at a press conference annoucing the album. "We won't be silenced because you don't like to hear what we have to say," said Porthorn to the many members of the media who had gathered to report on every word he said at the behest of the multibillion dollar corporation to which the band is under contract.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Porthorn went on to claim that Gen X Norwegians were were consipiring to control the populace, and had created the COVID-19 virus and then transmitted it into homes via electric kettles. This led journalists to unearth footage of Porthorn's drunken onstage rant from a Lollapalooza stop in 1994. "Stop Britian from becoming a slacker paradise. Get the lazy Norwegians out," he slurred to a Denver audience. He went on. "Do we have any Nordics in the audience tonight? Identify yourselves and then leave. Stop eating our food." The band then launched into their cover of Anne Murray's "Can I Have This Dance."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A contrite Porthorn smoothed things over with a public apology following that show, but apparently the wounds inside the band never healed. After Porthorn's media meltdown, plans for a new album were abandoned, and the Refrigerated Love camp went dark. Then, one by one, members began annoucning their departure from the band. First to go was keyboardist Lieberman. He announced that he would retire from active duty, and would instead focus on painstakingly remixing and remastering the band's vast discography. At last report, he was on working on the third track of their debut album.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Elvis Hornman jumped ship next. His relationship with the band had been strained for awhile, so it was no surprise when he submitted his resignation by faxing the lyrics to a song called "I Quit" to all major media outlets that still had fax numbers. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Many assumed that the band would go back to how they began, with Porthorn and Hornblower operating as a duo. So considerable shock ensued when in December 2020, Hornblower appeared on <i>The Graham Norton Show</i>, and the host asked him what Refigreated Love had planned for 2021. Hornblower answered, "I wouldn't know. I've left the band." The audience gasped. Hornblower went on to tell a delightful story about a time he got invited onto a men's college wrestling team bus in a Chik-Fil-a parking lot.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Scores of "Refrigerated Love Break Up" strories went out in the media, and about a dozen distraught fans gathered on the street outside the north London recording studio to demand the band reunite.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Porthorn remained uncharacteristically quiet through all of this. In March 2021 he quietly released an EP of covers of 1960s protest songs called <i>No Shelter-In-Place</i>. It was recieved with widespread apathy. That summer, Porthorn appeared on ABC's <i>The Singing Designer</i>, in which various pop singers perform and the audience rates their outfit and tries to guess which fashion designer created it. Colin was one of the few who could have been on either side of the equation: Some may remember his failed mideighties young men's clothing line "Colin's Boys."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Then, in September, a 24-day countdown clock appeared on the Refrigerated Love website, leading fans to speculate wildly. Some thought it would be the first remastered album, others dared to hope the band were fully back together. When the clock hit 12:00:00, it was joined by a repeated bit of distorted melody. When the clock reached zero, it was replaced with an image that appeared to be a an extreme closeup of an expanse of black leather emblazoned with the word "Afterplay."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Excitement over a new Refrigereated Love album was quickly dampened by the release of the details. The band most certainly was not back together. Working with hot producer KatKit (Maroon 5, Lady Gaga), Porthorn had written and recorded everything on the album himself, with the exception of a single tuba solo from Alfie (who is also the band's apprentice drummer, but who was not allowed to drum on the record). What's more, he announced plans to tour the album with unknown replacement musicians on keyboards, bass, and guitar. "I found the best possible musicians within a 100 mile radius of my home," Porthorn declared in the press release announcing the tour.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">He also tried to head off criticisms of him carrying on the name alone: "There are very few unalienable rights in rock," he wrote, "But one of them is most certainly the right of a lead singer to put whoever he chooses on the stage behind him while continuing to use the band name that everyone knows and loves."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LKYCz8nGsWjhtICtUHMp_HpH6XN7fnqE2NjTIbpFwSY4Nb0-YcLqOVJt8xHMEgkJT4xjJMQSmRSzhZPTO8r0EkZHCyFI-VjMy1cznnuGQLjrKE1IoqwgdPdOBeo9l9Shj8eAlYWhllgVw9MWXeNeKHuli1CZHQ-tpPsbvhzQCt2OnuhFlmolFg/s1320/Afterplay.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="1320" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LKYCz8nGsWjhtICtUHMp_HpH6XN7fnqE2NjTIbpFwSY4Nb0-YcLqOVJt8xHMEgkJT4xjJMQSmRSzhZPTO8r0EkZHCyFI-VjMy1cznnuGQLjrKE1IoqwgdPdOBeo9l9Shj8eAlYWhllgVw9MWXeNeKHuli1CZHQ-tpPsbvhzQCt2OnuhFlmolFg/s320/Afterplay.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Expectations for <b><i>Afterplay </i></b>were very low, and they weren't helped by the stomping lead single, "Suit Up," with a melody that's lifted directly from Blondie's "Heart of Glass" and lyrics that detail Porthorn's elaborate grooming routine before spending a night with his lady.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The release of the full album hasn't changed the calculus either. While many older artists have trumpted the importantce of preserving the sanctity of the album as a cohesive creative statement, Porthorn has taken an opposite tack. On Spotify and other streaming services, <b><i>Afterplay </i></b>is only able to be listened to in shuffle mode. Not that it really matters one way or the other. Refrigerated Love were always a band that struggled to be mediocre even at full strength. To expect Porthorn to do it on his own is insanity.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Witness the flop second single "Stupendous," in which Porthorn sings syllabic variations of the title word for 5 and a half minutes over a lo-fi synth figure. Also patience-testing is the pleading piano ballad "You'll Blow It if You Don't Blow It Tonight." Porthorn has always had a way of making sexual come-ons sound extra creepy, and this may be his creepiest moment yet. And the less said about the ponderous "Homberg - Dying Death" the better.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">That said, the album does have a couple of high points that will make long time 'Frigers remember what they loved about the band. "Empty Doorway" is a punky 2-minute blast of guitar, tuba, and drums. "Oh No Jane" is Porthorn's take on the popular English folksong, done as a power ballad in the manner of Porthorn's overappreciated 1990 solo album <i><b>Mystery Pants</b></i>. Of course, Porthorn saw fit to reinsert some of the bansihed verses of the song, including lines about removing garters and hands exploring naughty bits.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The fact that its best song is a cover that recalls Porthorn's only solo effort is damning for <i><b>Afterplay</b></i>, an album that shouldn't exist, and yet does, in fact, exist.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">With rumours of a long-delayed entry into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame, one wonders if Porthorn will continue to treat Refrigerated Love as a one-man show, or if he will welcome his band of brothers back into the fold. Or is that, "back into the cold."?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>For more Refrigerated Love:</b><br /><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2004/08/refrigerated-love-history.html" target="_blank">Refrigerated Love: A History</a><br /><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/06/refrigerated-love-complete-discography.html" target="_blank">Refrigerated Love: The Complete Discography</a><br /><i><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/06/173-refridgerated-love-were-actually.html" target="_blank">We're Actually Serious, No Really</a></i> (1999 album review)<br /><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/06/180-refrigerated-love-no-expiration.html" target="_blank"><i>No Expiration Date</i></a> (2008 album review)<br /><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2011/10/278-refrigerated-love-inmortality-2011.html" target="_blank"><i>Inmortality</i></a><i> </i>(2011 album review)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2019/05/282-refrigerated-love-prodigal-sunshine.html" target="_blank">Prodigal Sunshine </a>(2019 album review)</div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-64008816404875432002023-02-05T03:49:00.001-06:002023-02-05T03:49:00.235-06:00Weezer: SZNZ Abbreviated<p>One of the most oldest and most enticing thought exercises in pop music is: What if (artist) had released the best songs from (double album) as a single disc instead? Pre-Internet, folks used their cassette decks to create their own truncated versions of likes of The Beatles' <i><b>White Album</b></i> ("Revolution 9" has to go, for sure) and Elton John's <i><b>Goodbye Yellow Brick Road </b></i>(sorry, "Jamaica Jerk-Off"), some out of artistic vision, others because the tape just wasn't long enough to hold all the songs.</p><p>Now, with mp3s and streaming, we have the ability to curate everything for ourselves, which means even a single album could be reduced to an EP of your faves, with the shuffle feature making it so the order doesn't even have to be the same every time. Here's where I could detour into a healthy digression about the negative consequences of that total freedom, but I'll resist the temptation.</p><p>Our good friends Weezer - who are not typically known for restraint - spent 2022 on the <i><b>SZNZ </b></i>project, releasing one 7-song EP for each season. At 28 total songs it's the equivalent of a double album. Suffering from what <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urfhnlI4sN0" target="_blank">Professor Skye</a> dubbed "Fatigueezer" (a.k.a. Weezer Fatigue, the condition of being worn down by the sheer amount of material Weezer relases), I gave each of the EPs a cursory listen as they came out, and then moved on. But recently my completist nature nudged me to download all four EPs, burn them as a double album, and really give them a good listen.</p><p>I found mostly what I expected, which was that the EPs were incosistent, both within themselves and between one another. (That said, <i><b>Autumn</b></i> is pretty darn good front-to-back). My mind could not avoid going back to that atavistic thought exercise: What if <b><i>SZNZ </i></b>had been a single album? </p><p>And what's more, what if it adhered to the Weezer rule of including only 10 songs per album? (Eleven of their fifteen albums follow this rule) And, what's even more, what if I kept them in the order of the seasons, starting with the songs from <i><b>Spring</b></i>, and progressing forward from there?</p><p>Below, you'll find what I came up with. I think this makes for a top tier Weezer album, at least up there with <i><b>The White Album </b></i>and <i><b>OK Human</b></i>. </p><p>(You can listen along on <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/36cfdc802d0345b78279fbc34bae2550sune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_gVB7oquMRuGHW7G7VL0tgZD6m" target="_blank">Amazon Music Unlimited</a>.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOIWh9K4lWpx-z0o0Hqt-OvpNHVXrKP9nt8I2uxTgSA9DV7G1ARGnJxw_xKANEZzQTDJ6nFbKb49w3b6QTY9dmtgQ9YTJnLEVg61RlsR2JGFvuvfnCd6NANQAUsF5nHqzCy9KD9F23BP0prREEwr3tAnRISB-lPTmhZY1ML05AY2-Cs0MMj0/s571/SZNZ.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="571" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOIWh9K4lWpx-z0o0Hqt-OvpNHVXrKP9nt8I2uxTgSA9DV7G1ARGnJxw_xKANEZzQTDJ6nFbKb49w3b6QTY9dmtgQ9YTJnLEVg61RlsR2JGFvuvfnCd6NANQAUsF5nHqzCy9KD9F23BP0prREEwr3tAnRISB-lPTmhZY1ML05AY2-Cs0MMj0/s320/SZNZ.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">1. "Wild At Heart" (<i><b>Spring</b></i>)</div><div style="text-align: left;">We start off in a happy, optimistic mood.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">2. "A Little Bit of Love" (<b><i>Spring</i></b>)<br />And keep it going.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">3. "The Sound of Drums" (<i><b>Spring</b></i>)<br />A variation on a tried-and-true Weezer theme, the power of music. Which leads well into...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">4. "Records" (<i><b>Summer</b></i>)</div><div style="text-align: left;">With shout-outs to Rihanna, Lana (Del Ray), and Nirvana, it's sort of a sequel to 2008's "Heart Songs."<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">5. "The Opposite of Me" (<b><i>Summer</i></b>)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Here's where we get into the self-loathing section of the album. This one reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where George starts doing the oppoiste of everything he would usually do.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">6. "Can't Dance, Don't Ask Me" (<i><b>Autumn</b></i>)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Another great Weezer outsider anthem in a long line of them: "I always wish that I was doin' what somebody else is doin'"<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">7. "Get Off on the Pain" (<b><i>Autumn</i></b>)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Closing out the self-loathing suite.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">8. "Should She Stay or Should She Go" (<i><b>Autumn</b></i>)<br />Now we shift toward a doo-wop number that takes the point of view of Adam in the Gaden of Eden. <br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">9. "The One That Got Away" (<i><b>Winter</b></i>)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Features that unmistakable Weezer build-up. You'll know what I'm talking about it when you hear it.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">10. "Dark Enough to See the Stars" (<i><b>Winter</b></i>)<br />These last three songs are a direct contrast to the hopefulness that opens the album, with this one reflecting the sense of lonely reflection that comes in wintertime. That said, it warms my heart to hear harmonica on a Weezer song again. </div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-19951248267934771392023-01-28T03:49:00.000-06:002023-01-28T03:49:00.183-06:0012 by Pete Droge<div style="text-align: left;"><i>Here's the drill: Twelve songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order. This one features...</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecej6FHx9b4aYP-T3dxEeez14NlEijrooXEWY1-C6Y5iMgDzcLFxZEfp9UlwrsSen-tS5WBoIpCdtPiroTqOA8BAzmujauV3A8UO-okTUd6oGqh48wMtPbsgjsDa2k-OXMaau6ZHe2t_wQKru3zEaWchUL1YGWmj8gkWsrx0RtaCEbbUUB7E/s502/Droge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="502" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecej6FHx9b4aYP-T3dxEeez14NlEijrooXEWY1-C6Y5iMgDzcLFxZEfp9UlwrsSen-tS5WBoIpCdtPiroTqOA8BAzmujauV3A8UO-okTUd6oGqh48wMtPbsgjsDa2k-OXMaau6ZHe2t_wQKru3zEaWchUL1YGWmj8gkWsrx0RtaCEbbUUB7E/w640-h134/Droge.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Pete Droge was an unlikely discovery in the early 1990s Seattle music scene: a folk singer with a twang. He released three albums on major labels between 1994 and 1998, got a couple of songs on film soundtracks, made a cameo in Almost Famous, joined supergroup The Thorns, and released two albums and two EPs independently. <br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Here's a primer, though I'd recommend seeing out 1996's <b>Find a Door</b> in its entirety. It's one of my favorite albums of all time.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>(If you've got Amazon Prime, listen along <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/8b5d1661738842f6beca191db40748besune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_GmfdOrHyTiZICAZJcCkxSX3Nn" target="_blank">here</a>.)</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. "If You Don't Love Me (I'll Kill Myself)" (<i><b>Necktie Second</b></i>, 1994)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Works as both a parody of a certain type of song as well as a good example of that same type of song, namely the romantic lament.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">2. "Beautiful Girl" (<i>Songs from the Miramax Motion Picture <b>Beautiful Girls</b></i>, 1996)</div><div style="text-align: left;">This played over the credits of a movie that's definitely worth watching if you haven't seen it, if only for the amazing cast.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">3. "That Ain't Right" (from <b><i>Find a Door</i></b>, 1996)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Find a Door</i></b> is, for me, where Droge really fulfilled his "second-coming of Tom Petty" hype. The songs are tough and wise and wry, and feel like you've known them forever.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">4. "Find a Door" (from <i><b>Find a Door</b></i>, 1996)</div><div style="text-align: left;">A brutal kiss-off in the form of a ballad: "You better find yourself a door / we sure don't need you anymore."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">5. "Blindly" (from <i><b>Spacey & Shakin'</b></i>, 1998)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Droge's third album was the requisite experimental effort where the artist explores the limits of his reach, but it also had a few "traditional" tunes like this searching ballad.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">6. "Long, Sweet Summer Nights" (from <i><b>The Thorns</b></i>, 2003)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Droge teamed up with Shawn Mullins and Matthew Sweet in this singer-songwriter supergroup. The results were joyful, as on this celebration of romance-gone-right.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">7. "Small Time Blues" (from <b><i>Skywatching</i></b>, 2003)</div><div>If you look closley, you can see Droge and his wife, Elaine Summers, performing an acoustic version of this in <b>Almost Famou</b>s. Cameron Crowe included them as a tribute to Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">8. "Train Love to Stay" (from <i><b>Skywatching</b></i>, 2003)</div><div>9. "Above It All" (from <i><b>Skywatching</b></i>, 2003)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Imagine an alternate reality where <i style="font-weight: bold;">Skywatching </i>were released in 1998 instead of <i style="font-weight: bold;">Spacey & Shakin'</i> and the chances become high that Droge would have scored some radio hits in that last gasp of "alternative" radio. These two would have been prime candidates.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">10. "Give It All Away" (from <i><b>Under the Waves</b></i>, 2006)</div><div style="text-align: left;">An unconventional love song in that it celebrates its subject's daring and genrousity, rather than their beauty or sex appeal.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">11. "Sad Clown" (from <b><i>Volume 1</i></b>, 2009)</div><div style="text-align: left;">In the late '00s and mid '10s, Droge teamed with his wife - a singer-songwriter in her own right and a constant presence on his "solo" songs - for two EPs as The Droge and Summers Blend. This handclappy trifle features Summers on lead vocals.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">12. "It's Hard For You" (from <b><i>Volume 2</i></b>, 2014)</div><div style="text-align: left;">A lovely showcase for Droge's gift for melody.</div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-70750590379202292542023-01-21T03:49:00.004-06:002023-01-22T09:50:39.747-06:0012 by Matthew Sweet (2002 - 2021)<p><i>Sometimes a huge part of an artist's career has not been summarized. Case in point...</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJmJhRIsDJ_05t4dZ9RW8YRc4MZ3S_1lUVEcLUd6bElQLySYJzH0e_HDLTkKOSZULCcQCZ9B1UOV6ABXH-pTUfSep4ZK0kBVH6aD788kpftMVFctNXf0nUVcdQRZNAe_LfO5Y73IR-hAW5w6IYOaYOavPiCK4Gm9xk_46SpnIMrStGbHCcGY/s1137/MS_AlteredBeast_Front_Cover_Mini.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="1137" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJmJhRIsDJ_05t4dZ9RW8YRc4MZ3S_1lUVEcLUd6bElQLySYJzH0e_HDLTkKOSZULCcQCZ9B1UOV6ABXH-pTUfSep4ZK0kBVH6aD788kpftMVFctNXf0nUVcdQRZNAe_LfO5Y73IR-hAW5w6IYOaYOavPiCK4Gm9xk_46SpnIMrStGbHCcGY/w640-h138/MS_AlteredBeast_Front_Cover_Mini.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Matthew Sweet has a couple of compliations out there, but neither of them cover the past couple of decades, a span that has seen him release 8 albums of original material and 3 albums of covers. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br />I followed Sweet's career religiously early on, with my ardor gradually diminishing after the magnificant one-two punch of <b>In Reverse</b> (1999) and <b>The Thorns</b> (2003) That's not to say he hasn't produced some great work since then, it's just that it requires bit of effort to pick out the gems. Here's my college try:</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>(Two of these albums are not available on streaming servies, so here's a slightly modified version of the playlist on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGmAqm9xA_SCmsfoKznssitfyWBMZvSJc" target="_blank">YouTube</a>.)</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. "I Can't Remember" (<b><i>The Thorns</i></b>, 2003)</div><div style="text-align: left;">The Thorns was a rootsy, close-harmony early-aughts version of Crosby, Stills, and Nash, featuring Shawn Mullins (of "Lullaby" fame) and Pete Droge (of "If You Don't Love Me (I'll Kill Myself)" fame) and Sweet. Their one and only album was pretty darn good, and this particular song is a lovely heartbreaker.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />2. "Wait" (<i><b>Kimi Ga Suki *Raifu</b></i>, 2003)</div><div style="text-align: left;">It's amazing how much melody and movement is packed into these 2 and a half minutes.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">3. "In My Time" (<i><b><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2004/09/50-matthew-sweet-living-things-2004.html" target="_blank">Living Things</a></b></i>, 2004)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Time is a recurring theme throughout Sweet's work. In fact, you'll find at least one song on each album that tackles the topic in some form or another.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">4. "Tomorrow" (<i><b>Living Things</b></i>, 2004)<br />5. "Around You Now" (<i><b><a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/09/186-matthew-sweet-sunshine-lies-2008.html" target="_blank">Sunshine Lies</a></b></i>, 2008)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Not ashamed to admit that I picked both of these songs because they could have slotted easily onto <i><b>In Reverse</b></i>, with their stacked harmonies and sparkling production.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">6. "She Walks the Night" (<i><b>Modern Art</b></i>, 2011)</div><div style="text-align: left;">As a whole, <b><i>Modern Art</i></b> was a bit too off-kilter for my tastes, but this song hits the *ahem* sweet spot of being unconventional while maintaining its melodic appeal.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">7. "You Knew Me" (<i><b>Tomorrow Forever</b></i>, 2017)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>Tomorrow Forever</b></i> arrived six years after Sweet's previous original album - he'd previously never gone more than fou years - but it was a pleasant reminder that the old guy still had a few tricks. This particular track is a welcome return to the countryish bent of <b><i>Altered Beast</i></b>.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">8. "Hello" (<i><b>Tomorrow Forever</b></i>, 2017)</div><div style="text-align: left;">A piano-driven tune featuring more evidence of his obsession with time: "Hello, I'm from the future, from exactly when I'm not sure."<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">9. "Years" (<i><b>Tomorrow's Daughter</b></i>, 2018)</div><div style="text-align: left;">10. "I Belong to You" (<b><i>Tomorrow's Daughter</i></b>, 2018)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Both <i><b>Tomorrow Forever</b></i> and its companion <i><b>Tomorrow's Daughter</b></i> display lots of evidence of the deep study of 1960s and 1970s pop music Sweet did for his <i><b>Under the Covers</b></i> albums. These two especially sound like amalgams of your dad's collection of 45s.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">11. "Split Mind" (<i><b>Wicked System of Things</b></i>, 2018)<br /><b><i>Wicked System of Things</i> </b>was a Record Store Day-only release and has become somewhat obscure. But it's worth seeking out; this chiming tune is one of the highlights.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">12. "Drifting" (<i><b>Catspaw</b></i>, 2021) </div><div style="text-align: left;">Listetning to this midtempo beaut gives you the same sensation as its title.</div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-48588386592300106262022-12-09T03:49:00.001-06:002022-12-09T03:49:00.199-06:002022: The Album<p>Since 2003 I've made a mix of some of my favorite songs of the calendar year. Here's the cover art and track listing for the 2022 edition.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVeu4fR-wWJHNYXvBV7b6enUQWGWgmnumuFk-Y9dfQlI2LJlx-iIdWdFXiMpVZf_qyKDyoNnPCdg3u3iQW3c6VL4Khr9yAMGs_vhgy7quq4h7xAZ-ikyHn8yHLF8kgtnrypjr4LIzTcVJsJYPiioGejlqlHvnZEGzTPDVk8JFwRZCEO8jqPM/s566/2022%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="562" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVeu4fR-wWJHNYXvBV7b6enUQWGWgmnumuFk-Y9dfQlI2LJlx-iIdWdFXiMpVZf_qyKDyoNnPCdg3u3iQW3c6VL4Khr9yAMGs_vhgy7quq4h7xAZ-ikyHn8yHLF8kgtnrypjr4LIzTcVJsJYPiioGejlqlHvnZEGzTPDVk8JFwRZCEO8jqPM/s320/2022%20cover.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>1. BODEGA - "Pillar on the Bridge of You"</p><p>2. Harry Styles - "Late Night Talking"</p><p>3. Vicious Vicious - "Evolution"</p><p>4. Hot Freaks - "Lovely"</p><p>5. Carly Rae Jepsen - "The Loneliest Time"</p><p>6. Tears for Fears - "End of Night"</p><p>7. Spoon - "Wild"</p><p>8. Death Cab for Cutie - "Here to Forever"</p><p>9. Citrine and GUKKO - "Feel Better"</p><p>10. Rhett Miller - "Fascination"</p><p>11. Broken Bells - "Fade Away"</p><p>12. Leah Marlene - "Flowers"</p><p>13. Robbie Williams - "The World and Her Mother"</p><p>14. Jimmy Eat World - "Something Loud" (acoustic version)</p><p>15. Sloan - "Dream It All Over Again"</p><p><br /></p><p>If you have Amazon Unlimited, you can listen <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/c5647a86303f4c23bfbad893d85070bcsune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_buM28B9HBNR8YPI40m76Ofh33" target="_blank">at this link</a>. </p>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-54714600301495987942022-12-03T15:49:00.002-06:002022-12-03T15:49:00.206-06:00R.I.P. Christine McVie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpfH2QROXbO_gnWtJZGmcTyd-gFEaHh_-9se1rHh0nnW9wfUqv_84bjN63j9YqFPhqp9Zpb_qTa60j6K4UERUrwfGC6aWXfjiAfi-5scFWWv452p44M9gP4ywlXshyk4XWJ2AmzMLpd_-phUFWOFyitgcwRZPEr3Dx1NXnWjk_S6_MUw8aka0/s1200/british-musician-christine-mcvie-of-the-group-fleetwood-mac-news-photo-1669845196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1200" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpfH2QROXbO_gnWtJZGmcTyd-gFEaHh_-9se1rHh0nnW9wfUqv_84bjN63j9YqFPhqp9Zpb_qTa60j6K4UERUrwfGC6aWXfjiAfi-5scFWWv452p44M9gP4ywlXshyk4XWJ2AmzMLpd_-phUFWOFyitgcwRZPEr3Dx1NXnWjk_S6_MUw8aka0/s320/british-musician-christine-mcvie-of-the-group-fleetwood-mac-news-photo-1669845196.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>In honor the passing of my favorite member of Fleetwood Mac, I made a playlist encompassing Christine McVie's songwriting career. </p><p>If you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/39146a796aca4e3488f453f482f5e738sune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_bQjZNtVAyIGpwXsOoetCZGZzR" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>1. "No Road is the Right Road" (<i>Christine Perfect</i>, 1970)</p><p>2. "Spare Me a Little of Your Love" (Fleetwood Mac, <i>Bare Trees</i>, 1972)</p><p>3. "Remember Me" (Fleetwood Mac, <i>Penguin</i>, 1973)</p><p>4. "Just Crazy Love" (Fleetwood Mac, <i>Mystery To Me</i>, 1973)</p><p>5. "Say You Love Me" (Fleetwood Mac, <i>Fleetwood Mac</i>, 1975)</p><p>6. "Over My Head" (Fleetwood Mac, <i>Fleetwood Mac</i>, 1975)</p><p>7. "Warm Ways" (Fleetwood Mac, <i>Fleetwood Mac</i>, 1975)</p><p>8. "You Make Loving Fun" (Fleetwood Mac, <i>Rumours</i>, 1977)</p><p>9. "Songbird" (Fleetwood Mac, <i>Rumours</i>, 1977)</p><p>10. "Think About Me" (Fleetwood Mac, <i>Tusk</i>, 1979)</p><p>11. "Never Make Me Cry" (Fleetwood Mac, <i>Tusk</i>, 1979)</p><p>12. "Love In Store" (Fleetwood Mac, <i>Mirage</i>, 1982)</p><p>13. "Hold Me" (Fleetwood Mac, <i>Mirage</i>, 1982)</p><p>14. "Got a Hold on Me" (<i>Christine McVie</i>, 1984)</p><p>15. "The Challenge" (<i>Christine McVie</i>, 1984)</p><p>16. "Everywhere" (Fleetwood Mac, <i>Tango in the Night</i>, 1987)</p><p>17. "Little Lies" (Fleetwood Mac, <i>Tango in the Night</i>, 1987)</p><p>18. "As Long As You Follow" (Fleetwood Mac, <i>Greatest Hits</i>, 1988)</p><p>19. "Behind the Mask" (Fleetwood Mac, <i>Behind the Mask</i>, 1990)</p><p>20. "Sooner or Later" (Fleetwood Mac, <i>Time</i>, 1995)</p><p>21. "Temporary One" (Fleetwood Mac, <i>The Dance</i>, 1997)</p><p>22. "Sweet Revenge" (<i>In the Meantime</i>, 2004)</p><p>23. "You Are" (<i>In the Meantime</i>, 2004)</p><p>24. "Carnival Begin" (<i>Buckingham McVie</i>, 2017)</p><p>25. "Red Sun" (<i>Buckingham McVie</i>, 2017)</p>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-86417384315437669622022-06-11T01:49:00.179-05:002023-01-11T09:26:21.814-06:0012 More by John Mayer<p><i>Sometimes an artist just needs 12 <b>more </b>songs to summarize their career. Case in point...</i></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiePfYJQ1lt6M8UXz1_Amj0yhzRN9mKescYAWSZsFwluPnWpznOZnZiz0xWI8KwwZ-tZorwRmTsybv7IpsExb-tvSabTdo92PJOZ4dtRIMSiKa137y4tz9lO9t6NTRwdTdB802DPKZCzYAcbv8_4PL2HPtKgiT6WLWX-00scjoBRnL6sZgUyCQ=s1200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiePfYJQ1lt6M8UXz1_Amj0yhzRN9mKescYAWSZsFwluPnWpznOZnZiz0xWI8KwwZ-tZorwRmTsybv7IpsExb-tvSabTdo92PJOZ4dtRIMSiKa137y4tz9lO9t6NTRwdTdB802DPKZCzYAcbv8_4PL2HPtKgiT6WLWX-00scjoBRnL6sZgUyCQ=w400-h149" width="400" /></a></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Having settled into the "elder statesmen" phase of his career, John Mayer has allowed his muse to lead the way. The result thus far as been country rock John Mayer, Laurel Canyon John Mayer, r & b John Mayer, and adult contemporary John Mayer. </i></div><div><br /></div><div><i>This list covers his career from 2012 to 2021. Check out</i><i> 12 by John Mayer for the first half of the story!</i></div><div><br /></div><div><i>If you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/aefcb0b7283341c88054873ca5d465a8sune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_aY7XOY4Q1xBGw3cXq4fNXumhM" target="_blank">here</a>. </i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><br /></div><div>1. "Born and Raised" (from <b><i>Born and Raised</i></b>, 2012)</div><div>When Mayer commits, he commits. For his Laurel Canyon album, he actually got David Crosby and Graham Nash to sing backup on the easy-going title tune.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. "Queen of California" (from <b><i>Born and Raised</i></b>, 2012)</div><div>A lost AM hit circa 1973.</div><div><br /></div><div>3. "Paper Doll" (from <i><b>Paradise Valley</b></i>, 2013)</div><div>I love dis tracks, especially when the dis-ee responds with their own dis track (great examples: Paul McCartney's "Too Many People" and John Lennon's "How Do You Sleep?"; Notorious B.I.G.'s "Who Shot Ya" and 2Pac's "Hit 'Em Up"). "Paper Doll" is Mayer's response to Taylor Swift's scathing 2010 kiss-off "Dear John." The song uses uses the titular item as a metaphor to accuse Taylor of being coddled and not knowing who she really is: "You're like 22 girls in one / and none of them know what they're running from." </div><div><br /></div><div>4. "Who You Love" (from <i><b>Paradise Valley</b></i>, 2013)</div><div>When I first heard this '70s AM radio style duet with Katy Perry I thought it was a Pride sort of "love is love" message, but then I realized that the then-couple were singing about their own unlikely relationship.</div><div><br /></div><div>5. "You're No One Until Someone Lets You Down" (from <i><b>Paradise Valley</b></i>, 2013)</div><div>A pure country tune shows that Mayer could have made it in Nashville circa 1965.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>6. "XO" (digital only single, 2015)</div><div>The rock-musician-covers-the-r-&-b-song thing is pretty played out, but Mayer takes on this Beyoncé tune not with his tongue in his cheek, but with his heart on his sleeve.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>7. "Still Feel Like Your Man" (from <i><b>The Search for Everything</b></i>, 2017)</div><div>Fantastic groove on this one actually feels like a callback to his first album.</div><div><br /></div><div>8. "Moving On and Getting Over" (from <i><b>The Search for Everything</b></i>, 2017)</div><div>Absolutely love the bridge on this one, as well as the Marvin Gaye-esque vocal performance.</div><div><br /></div><div>9. "Helpless" (from <i><b>The Search for Everything</b></i>, 2017)</div><div>A bit of harsh self-reflection in which Mayer wonders he's constitutionally destined to fail at romance: "The same brain that brings me ecstasy / Is the same brain that gets the best of me."</div><div><br /></div><div>10. "Shot in the Dark" (from <i><b>Sob Rock</b></i>, 2021)</div><div>I think most critics and fans were surprised to find that Mayer going full adult-contemporary-circa-1987 was not as much of a stretch as they expected. Truth is, those soft rock elements have always been a part of his musical DNA, he's just never before leaned so hard into them.</div><div><br /></div><div>11. "Til' the Right One Comes" (from <i><b>Sob Rock</b></i>, 2021)</div><div>Mayer obviously ruminates a lot on why his relationships have a tendency to implode, but this particular song finds him making a shift from being hard on himself (as on "Helpless" and "Half of My Heart") to expressing a resolute optimism.</div><div><br /></div><div>12. "Last Train Home" (from <b><i>S</i></b><i><b>ob Rock</b></i>, 2021)</div><div>An 80's style keyboard line drives this tune forward, but what really makes it for me is the occasional sprinkling of thrilling guitar bits that get more and more frequent before taking over at the song's conclusion.</div><div><br /></div><div></div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-56877633593609909642022-06-04T03:49:00.004-05:002022-06-04T03:49:00.203-05:0012 by John Mayer<p><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features...</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpdhY0LxXkjnf9cdudtftePs43iXkB0DMfKW3gBpgsfIgQ9DdAFhUSup2FtziW_gN78lf4wic7ehnlDsMTwI8yeVgDxMYoFAfu4tBaRpq8yPLGpmk4o5ULqXrM1Ldbybka8g603aN0auMm8QvXdrF0P2_mwUizAmy6JRCLwkc-pI-WLmHrY5E=s800" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="800" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpdhY0LxXkjnf9cdudtftePs43iXkB0DMfKW3gBpgsfIgQ9DdAFhUSup2FtziW_gN78lf4wic7ehnlDsMTwI8yeVgDxMYoFAfu4tBaRpq8yPLGpmk4o5ULqXrM1Ldbybka8g603aN0auMm8QvXdrF0P2_mwUizAmy6JRCLwkc-pI-WLmHrY5E=w400-h155" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>With all of his failed celebrity romances and foot-in-his-mouth interviews, John Mayer the person isn't always easy to love. But John Mayer the musician is a different story</i><i>. His virtuosity never supersedes his pop songcraft, and his lyrics are searching, wise, vulnerable, and relatable. In my mind, he's the closest thing we'll get to a Gen X James Taylor.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>This list covers the first 8 years of his career. K</i><i>eep an eye out for 12 More by John Mayer, coming soon!</i></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i>If you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/aefcb0b7283341c88054873ca5d465a8sune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_aY7XOY4Q1xBGw3cXq4fNXumhM" target="_blank">here</a>. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>1. "No Such Thing" (from <i><b>Room for Squares</b></i>, 2001)</div><div>I'm on record with the opinion that Weezer are the ultimate Gen X musicians, but John Mayer is a very close second. This song captures that feeling of disillusionment and freedom that comes with going out into the "real world" and discovering it's not anything like our parents and teachers told us it would be.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. "Why Georgia" </div><div>Might be a quarter-life crisis.</div><div><br /></div><div>3. "Neon" </div><div>Though the lyrics is about pursuing a frustratingly elusive woman, the accompanying music is supremely comforting and soothing.</div><div><br /></div><div>4. "Bigger Than My Body" (from <i><b>Heavier Things</b></i>, 2003)</div><div>Encapsulates that desire to feel that we're a part of something beyond ourselves.</div><div><br /></div><div>5. "Clarity" (from <i><b>Heavier Thing</b></i><b>s</b>, 2003)</div><div>A jazzy composition about those flashes where everything makes sense, and just how fleeting they are ("by the time I recognize this moment, this moment will be gone").</div><div><br /></div><div>6. "Home Life" (from <i><b>Heavier Things</b></i>, 2003)</div><div>Probably my favorite John Mayer song. I wrote a whole piece about it <a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2004/12/16-john-mayer-home-life.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>7. "Only Heart" (from <i><b>Heavier Things</b></i>, 2003)</div><div>A perfect example of how Mayer uses his prodigious guitar skills in complete service of the song.</div><div><br /></div><div>8. "Waiting on the World to Change" (from <b><i>Continuum</i></b>, 2006)</div><div>Another Gen X anthem. We tend to be less politically active than the generations surrounding us, but not for lack of investment: "It's not that we don't care / it's just that we know the fight ain't fair."</div><div><br /></div><div>9. "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" (from <i><b>Continuum</b></i>, 2006)</div><div>Pop music is full of metaphors for failing relationships, and this is one of the more elegant ones. The accompanying music is an appropriately languorous smolder. </div><div><br /></div><div>10. "Say" (from <i><b>Continuum</b></i>, 2006)</div><div>One of his best vocal performances.</div><div><br /></div><div>11. "Heartbreak Warfare" (from <i><b>Battle Studies</b></i>, 2009)</div><div>The song is pretty darn good for the first three minutes, and then it just launches to a whole other level for a full minute before cooling down again.</div><div><br /></div><div>12. "Half of My Heart" (from <b><i>Battle Studies</i></b>, 2009)</div><div>Taylor Swift provided background vocals on this country rocker that finds Mayer being brutally honest about his romantic shortcomings. Fitting, considering how their ensuing romance turned out (more on that in 12 More by John Mayer).</div></div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-73964278545886173762022-05-28T03:49:00.000-05:002022-05-28T03:49:00.198-05:0012 More by The Honeydogs<p> <i>Sometimes an artist just needs 12 <b>more </b>songs to summarize their career. Case in point...</i></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhS7tpvLasNJj2URbA3uxVkBHGAml4YGqMGmvBhvB5kXcuY9jP3uDYrRNqboTsCGmHhHfe-Lj7MCRzijVQjDkHU7KFg1nN9ZX_xccpc3Rx9xIv4sTXmvtXIsoB-h3U5TQ9KHoy50LkKqVJOYvVbLGr8nhqwB6Y6AO3KsK44snQqbSKADlJQScQ=s510" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="73" data-original-width="510" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhS7tpvLasNJj2URbA3uxVkBHGAml4YGqMGmvBhvB5kXcuY9jP3uDYrRNqboTsCGmHhHfe-Lj7MCRzijVQjDkHU7KFg1nN9ZX_xccpc3Rx9xIv4sTXmvtXIsoB-h3U5TQ9KHoy50LkKqVJOYvVbLGr8nhqwB6Y6AO3KsK44snQqbSKADlJQScQ=w640-h92" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><i>A fixture on the Minneapolis indie music scene since the mid-1990s, The Honeydogs swing from alt-country to bar rock to Stax-style rock 'n' roll to Beatley power pop. Since the artistic high of 2004's <b>10,000 Years</b>, the band has put four additional records of smart, solidly-constructed tunes. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Since songwriter Adam Levy has a gift for one-liners, I'll limit my commentary to a favorite line from the song.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Check out 12 by The Honeydogs for a summary of their first 8 years. And i</i><i>f you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/cace3621d10441f2a5971abe6ce13b65sune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_YpsBvYymcWEpt5onm5O5In4lf" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>1) "Too Close to the Sun" (from <b><i>Amygdala</i></b>, 2006)</div><div>"I have no regrets, only epithets"</div><div><br /></div><div>2) "Mrs. Ketchup and the Arsonist" (from <b><i>Amygdala</i></b>, 2006)</div><div>"Jettisoned up to the stars / Close to god, but no cigar"</div><div><br /></div><div>3) "Amygdala" (from <b><i>Amygdala</i></b>, 2006)</div><div>"Too good for words, too good for me, too good to be true"</div><div><br /></div><div>4) "Stash" (from <i><b>Sunshine Committee</b></i>, 2009)</div><div>"Well is it written on my forehead, 'I'm gonna crash?'"</div><div><br /></div><div>5) "Sunshine Committee" (from <i><b>Sunshine Committee</b></i>, 2009)</div><div>"Analog rules in a digital world"</div><div><br /></div><div>6) "Aubben" (from <i><b>What Comes After</b></i>, 2012)</div><div>"Beware of the murder of crows in your backyard"</div><div><br /></div><div>7) "What Comes After" (from <i><b>What Comes After</b></i>, 2012)</div><div>"She's like candy / It's never better than the first time / Savor it / Don't devour in a gluttonous haste"</div><div><br /></div><div>8) "Better Word" (from <i><b>What Comes After</b></i>, 2012)</div><div>"Shame begets shame and lies beget lies / and the glimmer of humanity disappears from your eyes"</div><div><br /></div><div>9) "Smile To Yourself" (from "Indomitable" single, 2015)</div><div>"Witches will burn / opinion will turn"</div><div><br /></div><div>10) "Devices" (from <b><i>Love & Cannibalism</i></b>, 2016)</div><div>"Doors are closed on the avenue of the righteous"</div><div><br /></div><div>11) "Wheels" (from <b><i>Love & Cannibalism</i></b>, 2016)</div><div>"Our tank is on empty / We'll make it on fumes"</div><div><br /></div><div>12) "Look Through the Sun (Photokeratitis)" (from <b><i>Love & Cannibalism</i></b>, 2016)</div><div>"Whole milk in the veins / cupcakes for brains / battling for billboard space in the endzone"</div><div></div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-30194106560687690732022-05-21T03:49:00.006-05:002022-05-21T03:49:00.226-05:0012 by The Honeydogs<p><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features...</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGn2GMqUyPn-aLSe2JinpTQXFikAo-5MzE8E9OVgpV_zjx_5mSTHQsNR7moSRUeb7kgLE1diRjyScVDsqEKG88dspbc8cRjYf2OxAzaliMAlri7KAOGNN-gG4m6yczOFK3477NYu047QMl1ie9g2-xZmKeDZfcp6hdJnYyVNBydQFTRy_8HNs=s1100" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="1100" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGn2GMqUyPn-aLSe2JinpTQXFikAo-5MzE8E9OVgpV_zjx_5mSTHQsNR7moSRUeb7kgLE1diRjyScVDsqEKG88dspbc8cRjYf2OxAzaliMAlri7KAOGNN-gG4m6yczOFK3477NYu047QMl1ie9g2-xZmKeDZfcp6hdJnYyVNBydQFTRy_8HNs=w640-h98" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Honeydogs arose from Minneapolis as part of the alt-country "craze" that swept through the nation in the mid-1990s. In the early 2000s they - like Wilco and the Jayhawks before them - made a successful transformation into an ambitious Beatle-esque chamber-pop band, culminating in the dystopian concept album </i><b>10,000 Years</b>.<i> This list covers their first 8 years and 6 albums.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Since songwriter Adam Levy has a gift for one-liners, I'll limit my commentary to a favorite line from the song.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>If you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/3f07413925d241008b1e1817fad24ce7sune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_bt5aNR5NCxZyIaMjTg5ocMPcm" target="_blank">here</a>. And keep an eye out for "12 More by the Honeydogs" coming soon!</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1) "Those Things Are Hers" (from <i><b>The Honeydogs</b></i>, 1995)<br />"There's the ring, that once held us together / She wants it back, so I'm sending it next week"<br /><br />2) Your Blue Door (from <i><b>Everything, I Bet You</b></i>, 1996)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"Would you lie to me, with the cheapest form of flattery?"<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">3) "Over You" (from<i><b> Everything, I Bet You</b></i>, 1996)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"Give me the strength to walk / out the door and feel the shock / of the cold air / of loneliness"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">4) "Kandiyohi" (from <i><b>Everything, I Bet You</b></i>, 1996)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"Yeah I hear she's engaged / I didn't mean to ruin your week"<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">5) "I Miss You" (from <i><b>Rumor Has It</b></i>, 1997)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"But we made love for hours / In my head"<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">6) "Rumor Has It" (from <i><b>Rumor Has It</b></i>, 1997)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"The sun and the stars and the planets and the Earth / Were separated from each other at birth"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">7) "Sour Grapes" (from <i><b>Here's Luck</b></i>, 2001)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"Yeah, it's lonely at the bottom / It takes everything I got to keep from sinking like a stone"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">8) "Red Dye #40" (from <i><b>Here's Luck</b></i>, 2001)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"You're a third rate first date, it's clear"<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">9) "Losing Transmissions" (from <i><b>Here's Luck</b></i>, 2001)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"We rob Peter, then we sucker-punch Paul"<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">10) "Rosie Flores Came To Town" (from <i><b>Island of Misfits</b></i>, 2002)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"The buses weren't runnin' / but we all got around."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">11) "The Rake's Progress" (from <i><b>10,000 Years</b></i>, 2004)<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"All I need is a pretty girl / And a pretty big gun"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">12) "10,000 Years" (from <i><b>10,000 Years</b></i>, 2004)<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"They're melting their toys down for the war effort / All of the kids stand in line to enlist."</div><p></p>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-26496381296936107092022-05-14T03:49:00.001-05:002022-05-14T03:49:00.207-05:0012 by The New Pornographers<p><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features...</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIPXCVqQKMMXqgiwerB-2qdBcFQ3NEeBSqLx4SWqQYF4zPfdh82JQQvwMQDJetvUQdqyBnzySQEbLbShOxgtPyAj-r8BtPcLA2ipTkR-S33X9bRHxhX-kSt_cmEUHIsdxBSt8dAwNJ2CK9lsp0c_hzTEwwLAJTg1wcmCZSqH8ZQKHUjQRffWA=s391" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="228" data-original-width="391" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIPXCVqQKMMXqgiwerB-2qdBcFQ3NEeBSqLx4SWqQYF4zPfdh82JQQvwMQDJetvUQdqyBnzySQEbLbShOxgtPyAj-r8BtPcLA2ipTkR-S33X9bRHxhX-kSt_cmEUHIsdxBSt8dAwNJ2CK9lsp0c_hzTEwwLAJTg1wcmCZSqH8ZQKHUjQRffWA=w400-h234" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>For twenty-two years and eight albums The New Pornographers have been providing us with uncategorizable-but-irresistible pop songs laden with stacked harmonies, counter-melodies, and cryptic lyrics.</i><div><br /></div><div><i>If you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/cd392b2d45f64e9e8863a7cd3344c188sune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_A6kedAYuOR7rjgsnutwoJyj0C" target="_blank">here</a>.</i><div><i><br /></i><p></p><div>1. "The Slow Descent into Alcoholism" (from <b><i>Mass Romantic</i></b>, 2000)</div><div>Opinion: The best New Pornographers songs feature A.C. Newman and Neko Case singing in tandem.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. "All For Swinging You Around" (from <i><b>The Electric Version</b></i>, 2003)</div><div>Opinion: The best New Pornographers songs feature Neko Case on lead vocals.</div><div><br /></div><div>3. "A Testament to Youth In Verse" (from <i><b>The Electric Version</b></i>, 2003)</div><div>In truth, I generally just sit through the Dan Bejar songs waiting for the other ones, but I do genuinely love this song (and "Myriad Harbor" from <b><i>Challengers</i></b>).</div><div><br /></div><div>4. "The Bleeding Heart Show" (from <i><b>Twin Cinema</b></i>, 2005)</div><div>For my money, their most thrilling moment on record. When the voices start stacking up on one another? Chills every time. Also, you've gotta play along on air drums or you're not doing it right.</div><div><br /></div><div>5. "Use It" (from <i><b>Twin Cinema</b></i>, 2005)</div><div>"Two sips from the cup of human kindness and I'm shit-faced."</div><div><br /></div><div>6. "All the Old Showstoppers" (from <i><b>Challengers</b></i>, 2007)</div><div>Opinion: The best New Pornographers songs feature A.C. Newman on lead vocals.</div><div><br /></div><div>7. "Crash Years" (from <i><b>Together</b></i>, 2010)</div><div>So many instrumental earworms in this song: the whistling, the cello, the way Neko stretches the word "rule" into four syllables.</div><div><br /></div><div>8. "Champions of Red Wine" (from <i><b>Brill Bruisers</b></i>, 2014)</div><div>Chills every time.</div><div><br /></div><div>9. "Dancehall Domine" (from <b><i>Brill Bruisers</i></b>, 2014)</div><div>"Ooo-oh-oh-ooo-oh-oh-oh"</div><div><br /></div><div>10. "Whiteout Conditions" (from <i><b>Whiteout Conditions</b></i>, 2017)</div><div>Opinion: The best New Pornographers songs feature A.C. Newman and Neko Case trading off lead vocals.</div><div><br /></div><div>11. "Avalanche Alley" (from <i><b>Whiteout Conditions</b></i>, 2017)</div><div>The drums on this sucker!</div><div><br /></div><div>12. "You'll Need a Backseat Driver" (from <b><i>In the Morse Code of Brake Lights</i></b>, 2019)</div><div>"If you're going to travel, never arriving, you'll need a backseat driver."</div><div><br /></div></div></div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-31600349818347932792022-03-20T03:49:00.211-05:002022-05-10T10:34:46.336-05:0012 by Vicious Vicious<p><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features...</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEitVmmaJpdf6D8aGXvVHlLhmNm_8Ad3-BzB0QdFG7cBVXoWLeFOI0bOhvuSng-cCG_BT8lRlkyAjha-603G6aLPMaw3nMHY9BwtTzIqCxjWOED3E3P6YYBRDdRw-H-lVTudL5sOEIY6MWFv0WHxJrIci6Hg0mUuQat50-ZUxwh6nr8znJARz6A=s694" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="694" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEitVmmaJpdf6D8aGXvVHlLhmNm_8Ad3-BzB0QdFG7cBVXoWLeFOI0bOhvuSng-cCG_BT8lRlkyAjha-603G6aLPMaw3nMHY9BwtTzIqCxjWOED3E3P6YYBRDdRw-H-lVTudL5sOEIY6MWFv0WHxJrIci6Hg0mUuQat50-ZUxwh6nr8znJARz6A=w400-h205" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><i>If you need a reference point for the work of Vicious Vicious mastermind Erik Appelwick, the most appropriate would be Beck. Like Mr. Hansen, Minnesota-based Appelwick has the ability to navigate between making you laugh and making you cry and making you want to dance, and embraces genres from country to R& B to folk to pop. </i></p><p><i>I've included songs from the two albums Appelwick did under the name Tropical Depression, because honestly there's not a lot of difference between that and Vicious Vicious. </i><i>I very literally <a href="http://www.paulvallen.com/the-hopefuls--chasing-a-rock--n--roll-dream-in-the-minnesota-music-scene.html" target="_blank">wrote the book</a> on Appelwick, so please feel confident you are hearing from an authority here. </i></p><p><i>If you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen to an alternate version of list <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/8d6f4cccf13f404399b68661cb9b475csune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_mSeWz3YlBt27F43BbuJ5fQ0WM" target="_blank">here</a> (sadly, not all of VV's music is on the service).</i></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">1. "Shake That Ass on the Dance Floor" (from <b><i>Blood + Clover</i></b>, 2003)</div><div style="text-align: left;">A loungy, laconic come-on that cemented Erik's prominence in the early 2000s Twin Cities music scene.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />2. "Here Come Tha Police" (from <i><b>Don't Look So Surprised</b></i>, 2005)</div><div style="text-align: left;">A tale of teenage delinquency set to an irresistible keyboard pulse. <br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">3. "Don't Look So Surprised" (from <i><b>Don't Look So Surprised</b></i>, 2005)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>Don't Look So Surprised</b></i> is a concept album of sorts, telling the story of a doomed romance between the narrator and a elusive-but-entrancing woman named Jenny. This acoustic-guitar-and-piano ballad is the heartbreaking moment where he realizes it's just never going to work.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">4. "Girl, What's Your Name?" (from <b><i>Parade</i></b>, 2007)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Appelwick returns to suave Lothario mode, but the object of his affection is a '70s-style badass villainess. Not-so-fun-fact: This was the last true collaboration between Erik and his original Olympic Hopefuls bandmate Darren Jackson.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">5. "Ho Baby" (from <b><i>Parade</i></b>, 2007)</div><div style="text-align: left;">A disco-styled booty call, but the motivation is less libidinous than it is that our narrator has realized - in the loneliness of a sleepless night - that he actually misses her company.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">6. "Hangin' On" (from <i><b>Vicious Vicious</b></i>, 2012)</div><div style="text-align: left;">The 2012 self-titled album marked a shift in Appelwick's songwriting toward a more layered and dreamy, but less lyrically-direct, approach. However, the hooky guitar figure and gorgeous melody of this tune show his pop instincts remained fully intact.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">7. "Tucson" (from Tropical Depression - <i><b>Tropical Depression</b></i>, 2014)</div><div style="text-align: left;">With the first Tropical Depression album, Appelwick doubled down on what he'd started in 2012. "Tuscon" is vibey, danceable, and enigmatic.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">8. "PCH" (from Tropical Depression - <i><b>Tropical Depression</b></i>, 2014)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Competing synth hooks anchor a tune that is best defined as retro-modern yacht rock.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">9. "Big Talk" (from Tropical Depression - <i><b>Islands</b></i>, 2016)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>Islands </b></i>sounds like an album from 1983 by a band you never heard of that you randomly picked out of a vinyl discount bin and ended up loving to death. "Big Talk" is a great song, but I think of the whole album as being of a piece. If you have a half an hour sometime, check out the album-length video Appelwick put together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IddXa6zA-ew&t=999s</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">10. "Waitress with the Cocaine Blues" (from <i><b>Gravity</b></i>, 2020)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Someone who has been making albums for more than a quarter of a century (Erik's recording career started with a band called The Harvesters in the mid-1990s) shouldn't really be able to surprise you, but this tune, with a ramshackle charm reminiscent of a late-period Beatles b-side, is something genuinely new for him.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">11. "Satellite of Love" (from <i><b>Gravity</b></i>, 2020)</div><div style="text-align: left;">I really don't know why pop musicians have such a fascination with writing about satellites, but it's hard to get mad about it when the result is a song like this duet between Appelwick and his Citrine collaborator Bethany Tate.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">12. "Born to Love" (from <i><b>Paradise</b></i>, 2022)</div><div style="text-align: left;">In my opinion, Erik is at his best when he's being vulnerable, and <i>Paradise </i>is his most emotionally open album since <i><b>Don't Look So Surprised</b>. </i>"Born to Love" is not the album's catchiest song, but it does encapsulate its themes. And I love the way it builds up to a wall of Beach Boyish sound, along with two(!) fuzz guitar solos.</div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-78461245890949473012022-03-13T03:49:00.000-05:002022-03-13T03:49:00.190-05:0012 by Kid Dakota<p><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features...</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oiTnUgiD1_c/YYfmyxLea1I/AAAAAAAAHOk/Yp4E3m9lwN4F3yvKmVVWdz3M2J59Zt1fQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/Kid%2BDakota.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oiTnUgiD1_c/YYfmyxLea1I/AAAAAAAAHOk/Yp4E3m9lwN4F3yvKmVVWdz3M2J59Zt1fQCLcBGAsYHQ/w240-h320/Kid%2BDakota.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Kid Dakota is Darren Jackson, a South Dakota native who made a name for himself in Minneapolis/St. Paul in the early 2000s and continues to put out carefully-constructed albums of deeply-felt songs.</span><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Not to brag or anything, but I literally <a href="http://www.paulvallen.com/the-hopefuls--chasing-a-rock--n--roll-dream-in-the-minnesota-music-scene.html" target="_blank">wrote the book</a> on Kid Dakota, so you should feel pretty good about the validity of my choices here. That said, my tastes are forever skewed toward the pop side of things, so this particular list might underrepresent the more experimental elements of Darren's music.</span><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-style: italic;">If you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/abd3cd4459ea4758a51ababbcda524dasune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_7MrNZv5OS2qcsrdNrwl25Vfud" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span>1. "Crossin' Fingers" (from <i><b>So Pretty</b></i>, 2002)</span></div><div>The music is claustrophobic and dramatic, matching the mindset of the song's cuckolded narrator.</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>2. "Pairin' Off" (from <i><b>So Pretty</b></i>, 2002)</span></div><div><span>This brief acoustic tune is open and sweet as Kid Dakota will ever get.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>3. "Ivan" (from <i><b>The West is the Future</b></i>, 2004)</span></div><div>A barnstormer that touches on many common themes in Darren's music, most prominently a sense of hopelessness in a world full of cruelty: "I might be able to accept the god who made this world / but I can't accept the world that this god made." </div><div><br /></div><div><span>4. "10,000 Lakes" (from <i><b>The West is the Future</b></i>, 2004)</span></div><div><span>Funny is not a word you usually associate with Kid Dakota's music, and this song isn't funny per se, but it does have a few tongue-in-cheek moments that will elicit a chuckle from anyone who's ever spent a winter in Minnesota.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span>5. "Stars" (from <i><b>A Winner's Shadow</b></i>, 2008)</span></div><div><span>A deeply moving song that pairs well with Hum's "Stars." </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>6. "Transfusion" (from <i><b>A Winner's Shadow</b></i>, 2008)</span></div><div><span>A song about the apocryphal stories of an instant cure for drug addicts that involved a full blood transfusion (Keith Richards was rumored to have it done in the '70s to get in proper shape for a Stones tour).</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>7. "Dreaming of the City" (from <i><b>Listen to the Crows as They Take Flight</b></i>, 2011)</span></div><div>Darren started out in a cover band with several country tunes in its repertoire, and you can hear that influence in this thoughtful tune about finding your life circumstances a good distance from where you want them to be.</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>8. "Phantom Pain" (from <i><b>Listen to the Crows as They Take Flight</b></i>, 2011)</span></div><div>A haunting duet with singer-songwriter Haley.</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>9. "Hope" (from <b><i>Denervation</i></b>, 2018)</span></div><div><span>A lovely song written from a not-so-lovely mindset: "Hope is a dangerous thing / When there is nothing to hope for."</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>10. "Keep Coming Back" (from <i><b>Denervation</b></i>, 2018)</span></div><div><span>Darren has more than a couple recovery songs, but this one is probably the most honest. The xylophone (or is it a vibraphone?) on the bridge gets me every time.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>11. "Futurecide" (from <i><b>Age of Roaches</b></i>, 2020)</span></div><div>His grooviest tune outside of the <a href="https://thehopefulsmusic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Hopefuls</a>.</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>12. "Homesick" (from <i><b>Age of Roaches</b></i>, 2020)</span></div></div></div></div></div><div><span>The music is more danceable, but the lyrics are just as bleak as anything on <b><i>The West is the Future</i></b> as they survey the aftermath of an apocalyptic catastrophe.</span></div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-90510423142706815062022-03-06T03:49:00.001-06:002022-05-10T13:28:56.830-05:0012 by Sloan (2006 - 2018)<p><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features...</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdjuoT6INHUpqIBIWpWJLUt-oJ6LkoW1I0sU53u0Du8Ir4ozFP6kEhrjgksKOhDhDGY7esyWy1tSMGlziEBsMgkL1C-9Nlk9h0ceTjo9vAyu_U4RCFdtks_EtwTYxiv9qXB67hVO-2NHTJR3j52TPxICb6i-PmIgBM6goeNZGF9NWhTyA0FYk=s600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdjuoT6INHUpqIBIWpWJLUt-oJ6LkoW1I0sU53u0Du8Ir4ozFP6kEhrjgksKOhDhDGY7esyWy1tSMGlziEBsMgkL1C-9Nlk9h0ceTjo9vAyu_U4RCFdtks_EtwTYxiv9qXB67hVO-2NHTJR3j52TPxICb6i-PmIgBM6goeNZGF9NWhTyA0FYk=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div><i><p><i>Sloan released a compilation of singles called <b>A Sides Win </b>in 2005, so our purpose here is summarize what they've been up to since then (drawn from six albums, two EPs, and smattering of one-offs they've released in the last 17 years). Since each member of Sloan writes and sings, I've made every effort to create a balance of their songs. </i></p></i><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;">If you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/8caeca122ed1405eb2e66d5d59fe0b00sune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_IyosWQBCXZ0VoeV8DrTwicbLS" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. "Can You Figure It Out?" (from <i><b>Never Hear the End of It</b></i>, 2006)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Okay, I'll admit my bias right away. Jay Ferguson is my favorite Sloan member. Songs like this - aching, ultra-melodic, bouncy - are why.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">2. "Set In Motion" (from <i><b>Never Hear the End of It</b></i>, 2006) </div><div style="text-align: left;">Chris Murphy's sequel to 1996's "Autobiography" finds his life story being turned into a movie. He's reluctantly been cast in the lead, but has lost all creative control.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">3. "I've Gotta Try" (from <i><b>Never Hear the End of It</b></i>, 2006)</div><div style="text-align: left;">One of the best moments of every Sloan concert is when Andrew Scott comes out from behind the drums to front the band, Chris takes his place at the kit, Jay hops on bass, and they play a song like this one.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">4. "Burn For It" (from <b>Parallel Play</b>, 2008)<br />This song (by Patrick Pentland) is fire.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">5. "Witch's Wand" (from <i><b>Parallel Play</b></i>, 2008)<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Like all of Jay's best songs, "Witch's Wand" sounds like a tune you'd find on a compilation of lost hits of the '70s.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">6. "Where Are You Now?" (from <i><b>Hit & Run EP</b></i>, 2009)<br />Andrew really brings a circa-1978 Tom Petty energy here.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">7. "The Answer Was You" (from <i><b>The Double Cross</b></i>, 2011)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Harmonies are a hallmark of Sloan's work, but it's always a treat when they share lead vocals, as Chris and Jay do here. (See also "Beverly Terrace" from this same album, where <i><b>all four</b></i> guys trade off singing a line).<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">8. "Unkind" (from <i><b>The Double Cross</b></i>, 2011)<br />Patrick penned this stompy kiss-off. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">9. "Shadow of Love" (from <i><b>The Double Cross</b></i>, 2011)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Chris has an affection for hardcore and punk, and you can hear it in this speedy rocker.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">10. "Keep Swinging (Downtown)" (from <i><b>Commonwealth</b></i>, 2014)</div><div style="text-align: left;">The boys split this double album into fourths and each took a "side." Jay's is fantastic, Andrew's nearly 18-minute tune can't be missed, and Chris contributed some fascinating story songs, but we'll go with the catchy single by Patrick as a representative. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">11. "December 25" (from "Kids Come Back Again At Christmas" single, 2016)<br />A Christmas song in theory, Jay's tune is a story song about a slow-burning love affair that may or may not be about to take off.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">12. "Spin Our Wheels" (from <b><i>12</i></b>, 2018)</div><div style="text-align: left;">This swift, harmony laden song from the band's twelfth album is also about a romance, but from the perspective of having spent many many years together and needing to reaffirm that commitment to one another. </div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-62736206279770808742022-02-06T03:49:00.000-06:002022-02-06T03:49:00.216-06:0012 by Ra Ra Riot<p><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features...</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLwsLHiF5z_jOCM5dR6mC-J2P4MPD4IU09pfOMr9LO3IlZFF2YxosEmeqUgKk2_OXmgfKFzG7vpL2gRqVc272STS_EXsUCSkhbgq7YIt5e6WiwNHw3-FHFUsw6CVk8ZGLYkvGP5wkvikcHEcvTyUsQ1lFQPRkyp4aCL61kWx8PnEC42X66QF0=s502" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="502" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLwsLHiF5z_jOCM5dR6mC-J2P4MPD4IU09pfOMr9LO3IlZFF2YxosEmeqUgKk2_OXmgfKFzG7vpL2gRqVc272STS_EXsUCSkhbgq7YIt5e6WiwNHw3-FHFUsw6CVk8ZGLYkvGP5wkvikcHEcvTyUsQ1lFQPRkyp4aCL61kWx8PnEC42X66QF0=w400-h223" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Influenced equally by '70s AM gold soft rock, Electric Light Orchestra, late '70s/ early '80s new wave, and mid-'80s dance pop, Ra Ra Riot has released five albums, each one as-good-as or better-than the last. </span><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Because of the way they wear their influences, Ra Ra Riot's music creates a disorienting-but-extremely-pleasant nostalgia. So making </span><span style="font-style: italic;">this list was very difficult, especially in having to omit songs such as "Beta Love," "Water," "Suckers," and "This Time of Year."</span><div><p></p><div><i>If you have Amazon Music Prime, you can listen along <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/05a6d39e64c5454aa13a44f529399b65sune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_FerMZ1xWbo7SvTSLhAIf1w4eq" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>1. "Too Too Fast" (from <i><b>The Rhumb Line</b></i>, 2008)</div><div>Combines '80s dance synths with a little bit of the Strokes and a a little bit of the Talking Heads, then stirs until combined.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. "Dying is Fine" (from <i><b>The Rhumb Line</b></i>, 2008)</div><div>Lyrically the chorus borrows from the e.e.cumings poem of the same name. Musically, relies heavily on Rebecca Zeller's violin and Alexandra Lawn's cello.</div><div><br /></div><div>3. "Do You Remember" (from <b><i>The Orchard</i></b>, 2010)</div><div>The ache in Wes Miles' voice on that vocal outro...</div><div><br /></div><div>4. "Too Dramatic" (from <i><b>The Orchard</b></i>, 2010)</div><div>The lyrics are about someone who is too dramatic, but the musical arrangement is just the right amount of dramatic (especially the dancey synth bridge).</div><div><br /></div><div>5. "Boy" (from <i><b>The Orchard</b></i>, 2010)</div><div>Mathieu Santos' bass-playing in this song is just insane.</div><div><br /></div><div>6. "Angel, Please" (from <i><b>Beta Love</b></i>, 2013)</div><div>You know that video where someone put Phoenix's "Listzomania" over scenes from John Hughes movies? It could have just as easily been this song.</div><div><br /></div><div>7. "That Much" (from <i><b>Beta Love</b></i>, 2013)</div><div>The jagged guitar solo dissolving into an electronic screech gets me every time.</div><div><br /></div><div>8. "Bad Times" (from <i><b>Need Your Light</b></i>, 2016)</div><div>That chorus.</div><div><br /></div><div>9. "Call Me Out" (from <i><b>Need Your Light</b></i>, 2016)</div><div>If you wanted to make a case for Miles being one of rock's best and most elastic vocalists, this would be the song to submit for consideration.</div><div><br /></div><div>10. "Dangerous" (from <i><b>Superbloom</b></i>, 2019) </div><div>Perfectly captures what it's like to fall for someone you know is bad news: "It takes so much work but it's worth all the hurt for the couple of times I feel good."</div><div><br /></div><div>11. "Bitter Conversation" (from <b><i>Superbloom</i></b>, 2019)</div><div><div>The band goes full yacht rock, and the results are freaking glorious. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>12. "Backroads" (from <i><b>Superbloom</b></i>, 2019)</div><div>Correction: This is actually where the band goes full yacht rock. Somewhere in Texas, Christopher Cross is smiling.</div></div></div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-8271843698727132712022-01-30T03:49:00.000-06:002022-01-30T03:49:00.226-06:0012 by Rhett Miller<p><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features...</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmgp1q-c_QDCHkPwXziK7ah-KcUedRQvkH6zkA6tjyG4DEX_l1rIbg5PoiYKNjhpR_VtVCmpcyROoaq75e7-ve_9l-BpsfFpGvCCMzxH7xF5OuPuL5HLbBDJQ9d6Wxuv4WCfoAPIxnXmAG0nFR1ub-FDQ8jGDq_9WxgUEynQsjDcmZ4_t1nEo=s483" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="98" data-original-width="483" height="81" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmgp1q-c_QDCHkPwXziK7ah-KcUedRQvkH6zkA6tjyG4DEX_l1rIbg5PoiYKNjhpR_VtVCmpcyROoaq75e7-ve_9l-BpsfFpGvCCMzxH7xF5OuPuL5HLbBDJQ9d6Wxuv4WCfoAPIxnXmAG0nFR1ub-FDQ8jGDq_9WxgUEynQsjDcmZ4_t1nEo=w400-h81" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I wrote about his band, so it's only fair that I write about Rhett Miller's solo output. There are differences between the two, of course, but if you like one, you're pretty much guaranteed to like the other.</span><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Let me just add that I love how Rhett thematically titles his albums - his live album is called <b>The Interpreter</b> - and hate that he messed up the pattern by self-titling his 2009 record.</i></div><div><i><br /></i><div><span style="font-style: italic;">If you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/376d1e2db0144f76a4cc006c37d68a33sune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_VnMSD2pKFj6gjOg2IDC0qE1p5" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>1. "This Is What I Do" (from <i><b>The Instigator</b></i>, 2002)</span></div><div>A statement of purpose told through a very-Jon-Brion pop arrangement.</div><div><br /></div><div><span>2. "Come Around" </span>(from <i><b>The Instigator</b></i>, 2002)</div><div>I know from personal experience that this song hits hard when you're in the middle of a doomed romantic entanglement.</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>3. "Help Me, Suzanne" (</span>from <i><b>The Believer</b></i>, 2006)</div><div>A ray of sunshine in the form of a song.</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>4. "Fireflies" (</span>from <i><b>The Believer</b></i>, 2006)</div><div>A smoky break-up duet with Rachel Yamagata that leans hard into a classic country sound.</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div>5. "Like Love" (from <b><i>Rhett Miller</i></b>, 2009)</div><div>Featuring fantastic performances all around, this tune manages the magic trick of being musically complex while sounding simple and straightforward.</div><div><br /></div><div>6. "Another Girlfriend" (from <b><i>Rhett Miller</i></b>, 2009)</div><div>Shows off Rhett's traditionalist side; this could have been a hit for George Jones circa 1972.</div><div><br /></div><div>7. "Love Grows" (from <i><b>The Dreamer</b></i>, 2012)</div><div>A short and sweet little shuffle.</div><div><br /></div><div>8. "Picture This" (from <b><i>The Dreamer</i></b>, 2012)</div><div>Honestly, having small children never felt like this except for the part about "confusion," but it's a very sweet song nevertheless.</div><div><br /></div><div>9. "Jules" (from <i><b>The Traveler</b></i>, 2015)</div><div>The presence of Black Prairie (featuring members of The Decemberists) brings some musical drama to this ode to a mixed-up love affair.</div><div><br /></div><div>10. "Lucky Star" (from <i><b>The Traveler</b></i>, 2015)</div><div>Not a cover of the Madonna song, but it has pretty much the same sentiment behind it.</div><div><br /></div><div>11. "Total Disaster" (from <i><b>The Messenger</b></i>, 2018)</div><div>A weird combination of 1960s surf rock and 1980s mope rock, and a fine addition to the subcategory of Old '97s / Rhett Miller songs where he details how much of a mess he is.</div><div><br /></div><div>12. "Close Most of the Time" (from <b><i>The Messenger</i></b>, 2018)</div><div>A partial autobiography that jumps through time with vignettes about Rhett's relationship status, mental health, and his cars. Musically, it could be a long-lost Zombies tune.</div></div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-62404658921121395222022-01-23T03:49:00.002-06:002022-01-23T03:49:00.208-06:0012 by Motion City Soundtrack<p><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features...</span></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSc8ihbhekSFhPyLDGyo0jDmQhIs7_EfwqJbfjbTi2P6tyMwJPetmKBjRWxLg7sz2RnKOne-rOpppzjP4erEhhgkR7E-VKpwJSKSdmDeRB1qoWnfpIzdvdOOY3jLsAo4uVSxlU7nsqteT2ZJUM1Mm8zpwkY0saX9yxBdTN7dNoQ3GKp4dhFrY=s3270" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1327" data-original-width="3270" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSc8ihbhekSFhPyLDGyo0jDmQhIs7_EfwqJbfjbTi2P6tyMwJPetmKBjRWxLg7sz2RnKOne-rOpppzjP4erEhhgkR7E-VKpwJSKSdmDeRB1qoWnfpIzdvdOOY3jLsAo4uVSxlU7nsqteT2ZJUM1Mm8zpwkY0saX9yxBdTN7dNoQ3GKp4dhFrY=w400-h163" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>Formed in Minneapolis in the early '00s, Motion City Soundtrack are defined by a caffeinated, keyboard-driven pop punk sound and the funny-but-confessional lyrics of lead singer Justin Courtney Pierre, a combination that made them one of the defining bands of emo's second (or is it third?) wave. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Because the lyrics are so important to the band's appeal, I'll share a favorite line from each tune.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>(And if you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/7bbb816ad8d0464580b55d0ba921a4fesune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_Tt8Q8PukQdBuMPLZiWyYU73da" target="_blank">here</a>.)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div>1. "The Future Freaks Me Out" (from <b><i>I Am the Movie</i></b>, 2003)</div><div><div>"We waste away the days with nicotine and television samples / Of an era we hate to admit we embrace"</div></div><div><br /></div><div>2. "Attractive Today" (from <i><b>Commit This to Memory</b></i>, 2005)</div><div>"And as I gently sip this drink, / I think about my lack of future, / And of all the places I could learn to fall in love"</div><div><br /></div><div>3. "Make Out Kids" (from <i><b>Commit This to Memory</b></i>, 2005)</div><div><div>"Armed with a plethora of insecurities, we keep each other amused"</div></div><div><br /></div><div>4. "Time Turned Fragile" (from <i><b>Commit This to Memory</b></i>, 2005)</div><div><div>"How it got so cold the words just froze / We had to wait 'til summer to find out what was said"</div></div><div><br /></div><div>5. "This Is For Real" (from <i><b>Even If It Kills Me</b></i>, 2007)</div><div><div>"You smoked the demons, gave me back my feelings / Now I am good to go!"</div></div><div><br /></div><div>6. "Where I Belong" (from <i><b>Even If It Kills Me</b></i>, 2007)</div><div><div>"This is where I run out of words / That describe how I'm so damn hurt"</div></div><div><br /></div><div>7. "Even If It Kills Me" (from <i><b>Even If It Kills Me</b></i>, 2007)</div><div><div>"I wonder if I'll ever lose my mind / I tried hard for awhile / But then I kinda gave up"</div></div><div><br /></div><div>8. "A Lifeless Ordinary (Need a Little Help)" (from <i><b>My Dinosaur Life</b></i>, 2010)</div><div><div>"I always knew I had the answer / But I never understood the question"</div></div><div><br /></div><div>9. "Skin and Bones" (from <i><b>My Dinosaur Life</b></i>, 2010)</div><div>"Will we be alright left alone tonight?"</div><div><br /></div><div>10. "The Coma Kid" (from <i><b>Go</b></i>, 2012)</div><div><div>"Always trying to illuminate the past / Questions answered, but the insight never lasts"</div></div><div><br /></div><div>11. "Timelines" (from <i><b>Go</b></i>, 2012)</div><div>"Do you ever wonder how you got to here?"</div><div><br /></div><div>12. "I Can Feel You" (from <i><b>Panic Stations</b></i>, 2015)</div><div>"All this time I've wasted / Waiting for the world to end"</div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-35653692855211522472022-01-16T03:49:00.172-06:002022-01-21T13:01:43.971-06:0012 by Carly Rae Jepsen<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-djm5gbim3jk/YYforj6HuVI/AAAAAAAAHPE/Js9vAc9Z9g00qrDmVomIXHi6srCNSqkkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s807/CRJ.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="807" height="155" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-djm5gbim3jk/YYforj6HuVI/AAAAAAAAHPE/Js9vAc9Z9g00qrDmVomIXHi6srCNSqkkQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h155/CRJ.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Carly Rae Jepsen started out as just another mainstream pop starlet, but with her second album somehow made the shift to hipster-approved pop starlet, all without changing much of anything about her musical approach. So here are 12 tunes to get you dancing, or at least nodding your head in approval.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(If you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/0a2d1b60e327487a8511912ce3868d38sune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_ExbwK99r341DgxkbJ0kKoVykh" target="_blank">here</a>.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1. "Call Me Maybe" (from <i><b>Kiss</b></i>, 2012)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I like the Jimmy Fallon and the Roots toy instrument version best, but either way it's an earworm for the ages. When this song came out my oldest son was a toddler, and he absolutely hated it when I sang it to him. He would clap his tiny hand over my mouth before I could get through a couple of bars.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2. "Tonight I'm Getting Over You (from <i><b>Kiss</b></i>, 2012)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Feel free to correct me on this, but I'm pretty sure that every single one of Carly's songs is about some aspect of romance, and she's very good at exploring all the nooks and crannies of that theme. This peppy tune is about pining over someone while also trying to pretend you're not pining over them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. "Good Time" (from <b><i>Good Time</i></b>, 2012)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Listening to this duet with Owl City is effective substitute for inventing a time machine that will take you ten years into the past. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4. "Emotion" (from <i><b>E-MO-TION</b></i>, 2015)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><b>E-MO-TION</b></i> is the album that won over the hipsters. I said that Carly didn't really change her songwriting approach much from her mainstream beginnings, and that's true in that she kept doing dance songs about love, but as this song (and the album in general) shows, she refined it to a pointed '80s-Madonna-and-Stacey-Q-by-way-of-early-'00s-Kylie-Minogue approach.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">5. "I Really Like You" (from <i><b>E-MO-TION</b></i>, 2015)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I really really really really really like this song!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">6. "When I Needed You" (from <i><b>E-MO-TION</b></i>, 2015)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the big appeals of Carly's music for me is the way it evokes pop music of the '80s without directly aping anything. If you put this on a "Hits of 1987" compilation, I'm guessing most people wouldn't challenge it as being out of place.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">7. "Store" (from <b><i>E-MO-TION Side B</i></b>, 2016)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Store" is like four different songs Frankensteined together. It's starts out as a synth-laden ballad, transitions to hooky pop melody, then into a bratty chanted chorus, then throws in an R & B bridge. It's like a dance pop side 2 of <i><b>Abbey Road</b></i>, all in 3 minutes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">8. "Party For One" (from <b><i>Dedicated</i></b>, 2019)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pop music has a short-but-venerated subset of <a href="http://misclists.blogspot.com/2004/06/#108715321720366386" target="_blank">songs about self-pleasure</a>, and this is a fine addition to that pantheon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">9. "Julien" (from <i><b>Dedicated</b></i>, 2019)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A hooky and lovely ode to the power of saying the name of the person you love.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">10. "Feels Right" (from <b><i>Dedicated</i></b>, 2019)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A collaboration with Electric Guest that's a curious-but-hooky mix of eras, at turns sounding both more contemporary and older than Carly's other songs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">11. "This Is What They Say" (from <b><i>Dedicated Side B</i></b>, 2019)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">See #6. The same sentiment applies.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">12. "Comeback" (from <i><b>Dedicated Side B</b></i>, 2020)</div>This collaboration with Jack Antonoff (who co-wrote and sings harmonies) is a synth ballad that sounds like a love song but is really a break-up tune.<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-12194114159197742232022-01-09T03:49:00.002-06:002022-01-09T03:49:00.196-06:0012 by Jenny Lewis<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xqz9UZWCPIY/YYfoM7-BX2I/AAAAAAAAHOw/tHaYPA9jBnwNiTR-2OERmLd8tIJBCQoagCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Jenny.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1307" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xqz9UZWCPIY/YYfoM7-BX2I/AAAAAAAAHOw/tHaYPA9jBnwNiTR-2OERmLd8tIJBCQoagCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h255/Jenny.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Completely separate from Rilo Kiley, Jenny Lewis has put together an impressive oeuvre that is <i>very </i>difficult to winnow down to just 12 songs (if you include her work with Rilo Kiley, fuhgeddaboudit). But I've made what I feel is a valiant attempt.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Because I admire Jenny's lyrics so much, I'm going to limit my commentary to a favorite couplet from the song.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">(If you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/417e3e7fdd5542d496f50ecd98dcf53asune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_e8KEld8OKdPgqvhiqYIiaTikW" target="_blank">here</a>.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. "Rise Up With Fists!!!" (from <i><b>Rabbit Fur Coat</b></i>, 2005)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"But you can wake up younger, under the knife / And you can wake up sounder, if you get analyzed."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">2. "Melt Your Heart" (from <i><b>Rabbit Fur Coat</b></i>, 2005)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"It's like a valentine from your mother / It's bound to melt your heart."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">3. "Born Secular" (from <i><b>Rabbit Fur Coat</b></i>, 2005)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"God works in mysterious ways / And God gives and then he takes."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">4. "See Fernando" (from <i><b>Acid Tongue</b></i>, 2008)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"Pitch a tent, pop a top / Forget about what you ain't got"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">5. "Acid Tongue" (from <i><b>Acid Tongue</b></i>, 2008)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"To be lonely is a habit, like smoking or taking drugs / And I've quit them both, but man was it rough"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">6. "Straight Edge of the Blade" (from <b><i>I'm Having Fun Now</i></b>, 2010)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"I have never seen a love that was greater / Between two men who couldn't be straighter"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">7. "She's Not Me" (from<i><b> The Voyager</b></i>, 2014)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"But she's not me / She's easy"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">8. "Head Underwater" (from <b><i>The Voyager</i></b>, 2014)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"There's a little bit of magic / Everybody has it"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">9. "The Voyager" (from <i><b>The Voyager</b></i>, 2014)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"When it finally hit me, I didn't cry / 'Cause I was at the 7-Eleven flippin' through the New York Times"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">10. "Do Si Do" (from <i><b>On the Line</b></i>, 2019)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"Turn up the stereo / "Til everything rattles"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">11. "On the Line" (from <i><b>On the Line</b></i>, 2019)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"It used to be Bobby forever, we were together day and night / He left me for a superfan called Caroline"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">12. "Puppy and a Truck" (digital single, 2021)</div><div style="text-align: left;">"My forties are kicking my ass / And serving them to me in a margarita glass."</div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-37741284496482181802022-01-02T03:49:00.006-06:002022-01-21T13:27:13.476-06:0012 by Josh Rouse<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features...</span><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FUEG-AIpbwE/YYfn97CCECI/AAAAAAAAHOs/h915HXHM5mcl3fCizugpLzWx6ZoIh6eAACLcBGAsYHQ/s738/Josh%2BRouse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="738" height="104" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FUEG-AIpbwE/YYfn97CCECI/AAAAAAAAHOs/h915HXHM5mcl3fCizugpLzWx6ZoIh6eAACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h104/Josh%2BRouse.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Very easily confused with Joshua Radin or Josh Ritter, singer-songwriter Josh Rouse has released 13 full-length albums along with several EPs and rarities collections since his 1998 debut. That means reducing his output to only 12 songs is sort of a ridiculous exercise. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And yet, when you're introducing someone who has spent pretty much his entire career under the radar, you've gotta start somewhere.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">(If you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along <a href="https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/acf699cab5d04f3d992bc5805e29f66bsune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_aF5N3fvUvILtKecZTu4m6pzOh" target="_blank">here</a>.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. "Dressed Up Like Nebraska" (from <i><b>Dressed Up Like Nebraska</b></i>, 1998)</div><div style="text-align: left;">This is the sort of dreamy, thoughtful pop music we took for granted in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Perfect for soundtracking that week's episode of <i>Felicity </i>or <i>Dawson's Creek</i>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>2. "Directions" (from <b><i>Home</i></b>, 2000)</div><div>Cameron Crowe used this in his 2001 movie <i>Vanilla Sky</i>. I didn't enjoy the movie, but I did enjoy the soundtrack (sadly this statement applies to all of Cameron Crowe's post-<i>Almost Famous</i> movies).</div><div><br /></div><div>3. "Under Cold Blue Stars" (from <b><i>Under Cold Blue Stars</i></b>, 2002)</div><div>Rouse sets aside his alt-country folk thing to do lounge music, with fantastic results. He's rightly return to that well several more times in subsequent years.</div><div><br /></div><div>4. "Come Back (Light Therapy)" (from <b><i>1972</i></b>, 2003)</div><div>In my opinion <i><b>1972 </b></i>and <b><i>Nashville </i></b>should fight it out for best Josh Rouse albums. You couldn't go wrong with either one as a good introduction to his work. True to the album title, this tune sounds like a lost Al Stewart tune.</div><div><br /></div><div>5. "It's the Night Time" (from <b><i>Nashville</i></b>, 2005)</div><div>This one is also true to the album title, a light country rocker with a great pedal steel backing.</div><div><br /></div><div>6. "It Looks Like Love" (from <b><i>Subtitulo</i></b>, 2006)</div><div>A soaring melody. "And just when you start believin' in it, it looks like love is gonna show its face."</div><div><br /></div><div>7. "London Bridges" (from <b><i>Country Mouse City House</i></b>, 2007)</div><div>It sounds pretty and sweet, but this is actually a savage break-up tune.</div><div><br /></div><div>8. "I Will Live On Islands" (from <i><b>El Turista</b></i>, 2010)</div><div>If you're trying to find a good comparison for Rouse, Paul Simon is a pretty fair one to make, and here Rouse leans completely into it with a <i>Graceland</i>/<i>Rhythm of the Saints</i> style composition.</div><div><br /></div><div>9. "Oh, Look What the Sun Did!" (from <b><i>Josh Rouse and the Long Vacations</i></b>, 2011)</div><div>Shambling, sparse, and lovely. If you'll forgive a snobby rock critic indulgence, it's like Nick Drake collaborating with <i>Ram</i>-era Paul McCartney.</div><div><br /></div><div>10. "A Lot Like Magic" (from <b><i>The Happiness Waltz</i></b>, 2013)</div><div>For me, this album marked a return to form for Rouse, and I think it's far and above his best since <i><b>Nashville</b></i>. Rouse can bend to a few different styles, but it's never a bad move for him to lean into '70s style AM Gold, as he does on this song.</div><div><br /></div><div>11. "New Young" (from <i><b>The Embers of Time</b></i>, 2015)</div><div>The title of this harmonica-and-harmony-laden country lope has to be a play on "Neil Young," right?</div><div><br /></div><div>12. "Businessman" (from <b><i>Love in the Modern Age</i></b>, 2018)</div><div>After listening to all of his Blue Nile albums over and over again, Rouse made the chill-synth <b><i>Love in the Modern Age</i></b>. It's a fantastic piece of work, with a sly sense of humor underlying many of its songs.</div></div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-31478831883487086202021-12-12T03:49:00.001-06:002021-12-12T18:46:05.136-06:0012 from 2021<div style="text-align: left;">Every year since 2003 (coincidentally, the year I started this blog), I've made a compilation of some of my favorite songs of the year. I didn't realize it until just now, but working on all of the "12 by..." and "12 More by..." features clearly influenced me to choose exactly 12 songs for 2021's mix. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here they are...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. Tuns: "Words and Music"<br />2. Weezer: "All My Favorite Songs"</div><div style="text-align: left;">3. They Might Be Giants: "I Can't Remember the Dream"</div><div style="text-align: left;">4. Kings of Convenience: "Angel"</div><div style="text-align: left;">5. ISLA: "12 Bars"</div><div style="text-align: left;">6. Citrine: "Feelings Change"</div><div style="text-align: left;">7. The Suburbs: "Found a Place"</div><div style="text-align: left;">8. Foo Fighters: "Medicine at Midnight"</div><div style="text-align: left;">9. The Killers: "The Getting By"</div><div style="text-align: left;">10. John Mayer: "Last Train Home"</div><div style="text-align: left;">11. Justin Courtney Pierre: "Illumination"</div><div style="text-align: left;">12. Green Day: "Pollyanna"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjU9-Q5K8fq7OtuHfsDx-2a8YIy8DPNd9GD7q_wSwaXCKKO-5eG82qZEUphmeEZHz8qZOLigaUOk7mfrfq_-AFOyJp6tOUxrWnfmTrMqN0c5MRUc1kapof8VrKNSTkXaSWGcVrv7w2ArAXxvdIb3Io2GqrHYE5rN75Jpy6YtuLnhfrjBEfC5ko=s624" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="624" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjU9-Q5K8fq7OtuHfsDx-2a8YIy8DPNd9GD7q_wSwaXCKKO-5eG82qZEUphmeEZHz8qZOLigaUOk7mfrfq_-AFOyJp6tOUxrWnfmTrMqN0c5MRUc1kapof8VrKNSTkXaSWGcVrv7w2ArAXxvdIb3Io2GqrHYE5rN75Jpy6YtuLnhfrjBEfC5ko=w400-h396" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-16041976641024121562021-11-28T03:49:00.002-06:002023-02-04T09:20:58.198-06:0012 More By Weezer<div style="text-align: left;"><i>Sometimes an artist just needs 12 <b>more </b>songs to summarize their career. Case in point...</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XUTAmoCRU_4/YWr3SuC6t2I/AAAAAAAAHNY/oHRO0KjCgdEaiQRl2GeNEr89oR3TnfNQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/weezer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="600" height="215" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XUTAmoCRU_4/YWr3SuC6t2I/AAAAAAAAHNY/oHRO0KjCgdEaiQRl2GeNEr89oR3TnfNQQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h215/weezer.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div>Weezer have released nine new albums in the past twelve years, including four in the last three, which is just insane. They haven't all been great, or even good (<b>Hurley</b>, I'm looking at you), but cherry-picking some of the best tunes from each record creates a picture of a band that's just as fascinating as they were in 1994.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Speaking of that, take a gander at the revised <a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2008/06/12-by-weezer.html" target="_blank">12 By Weezer</a>, which covers the band's first 14 years.</i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" (from <b>Raditude</b>, 2009)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Like many of Weezer's best songs, this one finds Cuomo casting back to the past using very specific details. It's also in the conversation for the catchiest song they've ever done.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">2. "Ruling Me" (from <b>Hurley</b>, 2010) </div><div style="text-align: left;">This one was co-written with Dan Wilson, and the widescreen harmony-laden chorus is exactly what you'd expect when two of the best modern power pop songwriters alive combine their talents.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">3. "Go Away" (from <b>Everything Will Be Alright in the End</b>, 2014)</div><div style="text-align: left;">An earworm duet with Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast calls back to Weezer's fuzzy early days in all the best ways.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>4. "Everybody Needs Salvation" (fan club exclusive, 2015)</div><div>Weezer are one of the few bands who can afford to use really excellent songs as non-album releases. Starting off as an acoustic strummer and shifts into a sludgy rocking chorus. The real appeal is a bridge that builds steadily into A-Ha worthy vocal gymnastics and a too-brief guitar duel.</div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">5. "King of the World" (from <b>The White Album</b>, 2016)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Here Cuomo indulges in a flight of fancy about becoming a monarch, detailing he'd use it all that power to make his girl happy.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">6. "Sweet Mary" (from <b>Pacific Daydream</b>, 2017)</div><div style="text-align: left;">The quickest way to my heart is to put a Beach Boys homage in the climax of your song. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">7. "High as a Kite" (from <b>The Black Album</b>, 2019)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Weezer have a lot of songs that refer to drugs, and this one might or might not be one of those songs. Either way it's about a yearning to transcend. With its a Bacharachian touches and soaring melody, listening to it almost achieves that goal.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">8. "I'm Just Being Honest" (from <b>The Black Album</b>, 2019)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Over a Cars-like arrangement, Cuomo tackles the age old question of whether or not honesty really is the best policy.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">9. "All My Favorite Songs" (from <b>OK Human</b>, 2021)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Speaking of honesty, a bouncy string-backing drives this litany of admissions, e.g. "I love parties, but I don't go, then I feel bad when I stay home"; "I like spacing out when people talk," and "I fall in love with everyone who hates me."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">10. "Grapes of Wrath" (from <b>OK Human</b>, 2021)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Essentially a commercial for Audible, but us bookworms don't often get songs namechecking works by Virginia Woolf, Joseph Heller, and J.R.R. Tolkien. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">11. "I Need Some of That" (from <b>Van Weezer</b>, 2021)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Once again Cuomo looks back on his teen years with affection and specificity. The guitars by turn recall Bryan Adams and hair metal soloing. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">12. "The End of the Game" (from <b>Van Weezer</b>, 2021)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Van Halen-style guitar pyrotechnics show up throughout this break-up tune. Though <b>Van Weezer</b> was recorded prior to October 2020, Eddie Van Halen's death adds an extra layer of meaning and pathos.</div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014084.post-42982762873826023072021-11-24T03:49:00.002-06:002021-11-24T03:49:00.184-06:0012 by Weezer<span style="font-style: italic;">Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features...</span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7rvKDQJm-nA/YWsTb_zHMsI/AAAAAAAAHNo/cR2-D0_ZRCUqer1yHMNmCXxjHzQRWkIXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/weezer%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="800" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7rvKDQJm-nA/YWsTb_zHMsI/AAAAAAAAHNo/cR2-D0_ZRCUqer1yHMNmCXxjHzQRWkIXgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h211/weezer%2B2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-style: italic;">I decided to take an unconventional route for this 12 by, and pretend Weezer have already released a "greatest hits." Here's what I think that would look like: </span></div><div><span><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span><i>1) "Buddy Holly", 2) "Undone - the Sweater Song", 3) "My Name Is Jonas", 4) "The Good Life", 5) "El Scorcho", 6) "Hash Pipe", 7) "Island in the Sun", 8) "Dope Nose", 9) "Keep Fishin'", 10) "Beverly Hills", 11) "We Are All On Drugs", 12) "Pork and Beans". </i></span></div><div><span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's a different take:</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span>1. "<span>Say It Ain't So" </span>(from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Weezer</span>, 1994) </span></div><div><span>A little bit heavy, a little bit catchy, quiet-loud dynamics. So basically, it's Pixies lite. The song is interesting lyrically because it's basically nonsense until the "Dear daddy..." bridge, which lets out a torrent of emotion. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>2. "<span>No One Else"</span> (from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Weezer</span>, 1994) </span></div><div><span>The sentiment is a little too controlling for comfort, ("I want a girl who will laugh for no one else / When I'm away she puts her make-up on the shelf/ When I'm away she never leaves the house") but anyone who has ever been romantically jealous will understand. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>3. "<span>In the Garage" </span>(from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Weezer</span>, 1994) </span></div><div><span>Sort of a '90s version of The Beach Boys' "<span>In My Room</span>." Cuomo nostalgically remembers his garage as a haven from the trials of adolescence, with KISS posters, X-Men comics, and 12-sided die. So, yes, the nerd thing isn't a put-on. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>4. "<span>Mykel & Carli"</span> (from the "<span>Undone - the Sweater Song" </span>single, 1994) </span></div><div><span>Mykel and Carli Allen were Weezer superfans who gave the band unwavering support in their early days. In 1997, while driving home from a Weezer concert, they were killed in a car accident. Though this song was written before their death, it is creepily prescient ("Till the school bus came / and took my friends away") and serves as a fitting tribute. Jimmy Eat World's beautiful "Hear You Me" is also about the sisters.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>5. "Why Bother?" (from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pinkerton</span>, 1996) </span></div><div>A rumbling, punky challenge to the idea that "'tis better to have loved and lost than to never have loved before."</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>6.<span> "Pink Triangle"</span> (from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pinkerton</span>, 1996) </span></div><div><span>A sweet little story song where the narrator realizes the object of his affection is gay. Rather than play it for laughs or derision, he instead focuses on his own pain and lets the funny lines come naturally: "If everyone's a little queer / Can't she be a little straight?" </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div>7. "I Just Threw Out the Love of my Dreams" (from "The Good Life" single, 1997)</div><div>The fact that Rachel Haden takes lead vocals on this makes it perhaps closer to the Rentals than Weezer, but it's such a good tune, I don't care. It hails from Cuomo's abandoned rock opera <b>Songs from the Black Hole</b>.</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>8.<span> "Don't Let Go"</span> (from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Weezer</span>, 2001) </span></div><div><span>Energized, sugary power pop.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>9. "Teenage Victory Song" (from the "Hash Pipe" single, 2001)</span></div><div><span>The Green Album had a ton of good b-sides, all in the same vein as their parent album. Besides being catchy as hell, "Teenage Victory Song" is a bit more deeply felt than some of the lyrically superficial songs on the Green Album.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span></span><span>10. "Slob" (from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Maladriot</span>, 2002) </span></div><div><span>I'm really not a fan of Maladroit, but I dig this song, a key piece in my "<a href="http://3min49sec.blogspot.com/2021/04/why-weezer-is-definitive-gen-x-band.html" target="_blank">Weezer is the definitive Generation X band</a>" theory.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span></span><span>11. <span>"This Is Such a Pity"</span> (from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Make Believe</span>, 2005) </span></div><div>The band have never sounded more like their mentor Ric Ocasek than on this irresistible bit of new wave revival.</div><div><br /></div><div><span>12.</span><span> "Heart Songs" </span><span>(from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Weezer</span>, 2008)
Cheesy, yes. But I like cheese. And I can't resist an origin story, which this basically is. Cuomo sings about the bands and tunes that have inspired him, ending with the formation of his own band. Some have given Cuomo guff about the line: "Debbie Gibson tell me that you think we're all alone" assuming that he confused her with Tiffany. My hypothesis is that he was referring to the song "<span>Sure"</span> from her 1990 album <span style="font-weight: bold;">Anything Is Possible</span>, which contains the line "Cause we're alone tonight." I'm sticking with that.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div>*</div><div><br /></div><div><i>This entry was revised in 2021. Here's the original 2008 list:</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div><span><i>Weezer have a new album out this week, so what better time to celebrate their virtues? Liking the band is taking more and more justification and explanation, but they're still an intriguing musical force. You'll find this a slightly unconventional list. A conventional Weezer "best of" would probably read something like this: </i></span></div><div><span><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span><i>1) "Buddy Holly" 2) "Undone - the Sweater Song" 3) "My Name Is Jonas" 4) "The Good Life" 5) "El Scorcho" 6) "Hash Pipe" 7) "Island in the Sun" 8) "Dope Nose" 9) "Keep Fishin'" 10) "Beverly Hills" 11) "We Are All On Drugs" 12) "Pork and Beans" </i></span></div><div><span><span><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span><i>1. "<span>Say It Ain't So" </span>(from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Weezer</span>, 1994) </i></span></div><div><span><i>A little bit heavy, a little bit catchy, quiet-loud dynamics. So basically, it's Pixies lite. The song is interesting lyrically because it's basically nonsense until the "Dear daddy..." bridge, which lets out a torrent of emotion. </i></span></div><div><span><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span><i>2. "<span>No One Else"</span> (from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Weezer</span>, 1994) </i></span></div><div><span><i>The sentiment is a little too controlling for comfort, ("I want a girl who will laugh for no one else / When I'm away she puts her make-up on the shelf/ When I'm away she never leaves the house") but anyone who has ever been jealous will understand. </i></span></div><div><span><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span><i>3. "<span>In the Garage" </span>(from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Weezer</span>, 1994) </i></span></div><div><span><i>Sort of a '90s version of The Beach Boys' <span>In My Room</span>. Cuomo nostalgically remembers his garage as a haven from the trials of adolescence, with KISS posters, X-Men comics and 12-sided die. So, yes, the nerd thing isn't a put-on. </i></span></div><div><span><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span><i>4. "<span>Mykel & Carli"</span> (from <span>Undone - the Sweater Song </span>single, 1994) </i></span></div><div><span><i>Mykel and Carli Allen were Weezer superfans who gave the band unwavering support in their early days. In 1997, while driving home from a Weezer concert, they were killed in a car accident. Though this song was written before their death, it is creepily prescient ("Till the school bus came / and took my friends away") and serves as a fitting tribute. </i></span></div><div><span><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span><i>5. "<span>The Good Life"</span> (from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pinkerton</span>, 1996) </i></span></div><div><span><i>Cuomo has made a career of self-realization, and this was the first time it happened. Tired of moping, he realizes "it's time I got back to the good life." However, he didn't really follow his own advice and ended up having to make that same realization at least two more times. </i></span></div><div><span><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span><i>6.<span> "Pink Triangle"</span> (from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pinkerton</span>, 1996) </i></span></div><div><span><i>A sweet little story song where the narrator realizes the object of his affection is gay. Rather than play it for laughs or derision, he instead focuses on his own pain and lets the funny lines come naturally: "If everyone's a little queer / Can't she be a little straight?" </i></span></div><div><span><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span><i>7.<span> "Don't Let Go"</span> (from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Weezer</span>, 2001) </i></span></div><div><span><i>Energized, sugary power pop. </i></span></div><div><span><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span><i>8. "<span>Keep Fishin'" </span>(from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Maladriot</span>, 2002) </i></span></div><div><i><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Maladroit</span> is easily their worst album, but <span>Keep Fishin' </span>survives solely because the video featured the Muppets! You can't deny Kermit in a Weezer shirt.</span> </i></div><div><span><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span><i>9. "<span>Hey Domingo"</span> (dowloaded from weezer.com, 2002) </i></span></div><div><span><i>Following their early-aught comeback, Rivers Cuomo was ridiculously prolific. The band began posting a prodigious number demos online for free download. I have 40 songs from this period that never appeared on an album or b-side, and <span>Hey Domingo</span> is one of them. To call it one of their 12 best songs is a stretch, but it represents couple of things: a) How the band cultivates a strong relationship with their fans and b) How talented Cuomo is; <span>Hey Domingo</span> and many of the other songs have a-list melodies and hooks. </i></span></div><div><span><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span><i>10. "<span>Perfect Situation"</span> (from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Make Believe</span>, 2005) </i></span></div><div><span><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">Make Believe</span> got slagged off by many, but of all their records, I find it to be the closest in spirit to their beloved first one. Here, Cuomo has blown it with another girl, his insecurities enveloping him while the band tries to coax him out of it. </i></span></div><div><span><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span><i>11. "<span>Hold Me"</span> (from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Make Believe</span>, 2003) </i></span></div><div><span><i>Very vulnerable. For whatever reason - the smirk, the glasses - people tend to believe Cuomo is nearly always being ironic or sarcastic. I don't think he is. I like how the song starts out with sweet harmonious lilt and builds into a mid-tempo rocker. </i></span></div><div><span><i><br /></i></span></div><div><i><span>12.</span><span> "Heart Songs" </span><span>(from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Weezer</span>, 2008) </span></i></div><div><span><i>Cheesy, yes. But I like cheese. And I can't resist an origin story, which this basically is. Cuomo sings about the bands and tunes that have inspired him, ending with the formation of his own band. Some have given Cuomo guff about the line: "Debbie Gibson tell me that you think we're all alone" assuming that he confused her with Tiffany. My hypothesis is that he was referring to the song "<span>Sure"</span> from her 1990 album <span style="font-weight: bold;">Anything Is Possible</span>, which contains the line "Cause we're alone tonight." I'm sticking with that.</i></span></div></div>Paul V. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03874486521264396782noreply@blogger.com2