song of the day: nada surf "beautiful beat"

Nada Surf's latest CD, Lucky, is yet another masterstroke from a band that has gone from 90's Weezer-wannabe's to one of the more dependable indie acts in the country...okay, the world.

My favorite track on Lucky is the wonderfully upbeat, yet wistful "Beautiful Beat". Not since Lennon's "Help!" has a song walked both sides of the fence so perfectly, between pop song and an outright plea for assistance during trying times.

What I've come to admire most about the band is their complete lack of pretense. While everyone else on the indie scene seems so overly concerned with looking the part - which often consists of trying really hard to not look like you're trying really hard - Nada Surf seem to be doing what comes natural, being themselves.

On the new record, singer/songwriter Matthew Caws seems to have moved on from the somewhat angular themes and characters that populated 2003's The Weight Is A Gift to take on a more direct, less guarded approach (although I admit that "Always Love" was pretty direct). It's a really mature record that one hopes will make Nada Surf absolutely huge, but that's probably not something the band even wants at this point. Why bring on the hassles that come with that level of success? They've caved out a decent niche that no doubt allows them a great deal of freedom from the work-a-day world.



BUY THE CD

So, without further delay, today's song of the day:

Nada Surf - Beautiful Beat (acoustic)

trent gives fans "the slip"

The prolific-as-of-late Trent Reznor has made his new album, "The Slip" available for free download, coinciding (no doubt intentionally) with his summer tour.

For those who prefer physical product, word has it the album will see proper CD release in July.

Personal faves at the moment are the ethereal "Light In The Sky", the "Ministry-esque "Letting You", and streamlined groove of "Discipline".

own a piece of junk, er, rock history

Recording console on which Van Halen's "5150" (among others) was recorded is up for auction at eBay. Opening bid is $5,150 (get it?), with a Buy It Now rrice of $51,500.00 (nice try).

Obviously, this board was state-of-the-art in its day, but seems to be in at least a minor state-of-disrepair (much like Eddie, yuk yuk).



LINK

Here's an outtake from Van Halen's sessions for 5150; a little ditty called "I Want Some Action".

guilty pleasure: "tonight and the rest of my life"

Truth be told, I have little use for ballads these days, whether they be of the power, love, or soul variety.

Personally, I blame Celine Dion for the overblown, melismatic direction that most love ballads took in the 90's, from whence they have yet to return, but every once in a great while, a ballad comes along that grabs me.

One such song is Nina Gordon's "Tonight And The Rest of My Life".

You may remember her as the singer in Veruca Salt; they of "Seether" fame in the early 90's, charging out of Chicago alongside Liz Phair and pioneering the alterna-rock explosion that would see major label A&R scouts scouring Chicago clubs looking for the next big thing.



She, of course, had a bitter falling out with co-founder Louise Post after the ambitious, but commercially-disappointing Eight Arms To Hold You and embarked on a solo career that, if anything, has suffered from a lack of ambition and/or direction.

Her debut effort, Tonight And The Rest of My Life, is nothing if not a terribly disjointed affair, seeing Gordon trying to keep one foot in the contemporary pop world while, at the same time, not quite willing to step out of the alternative arena.

Thus, the title cut is, by far, the most focused song on the album.

The first time I heard the song, I don't know that I had one of those moments where I pull the car over and just listen, but the first time I actually paid attention to the song, I literally thought it was about the most perfect thing there ever was.

For starters, any hint of the "girly whine" (a phrase coined by an ex-girlfriend who was inherently annoyed by Gordon's Veruca Salt voice) she seems to fall back on when singing the more alternative material is nowhere to be found. Instead, her understated, yet confident voice shines in this lower register. The lyrics, while nothing earth-shattering, aren't your typical too-sappy-for-Hallmark fare for which likes of Diane Warren and Desmond Child have earned their place in hell either.



In fact, upon reading the lyrics, one is left to wonder what the song is actually about. To me, it has always stood as a beautiful evocation of a woman in love, taking stock in the very feeling of "being in love", and doing so without coming across as, dare I say it, needy:

Down to the earth I fell with dripping wings
heavy things won't fly
and the sky might catch on fire
and burn the axis of the world that's why
I prefer a sunless sky
to the glittering and stinging in my eyes

I feel so light
this is all I want to feel tonight
I feel so light
tonight and the rest of my life
tonight and the rest of my life

The song, of course, was a Top 10 smash on the Adult Top 40, but did not crossover to find its rightful place at (or near) the top of the pop charts. The album from which it came also peaked at a rather dismal #123 on the Top 200 Albums chart and it would be another six years before Gordon would release a follow-up effort.

To these ears, however, "Tonight And The Rest of My Life" stands as her crowning achievement, for which she should be quite proud.


BUY THE CD

Nina Gordon - Tonight And For The Rest Of My Life (mp3)

chicago observation of the day

Some crazy-ass people would rather risk their life than miss their bus.

There were busses in L.A., of course, but, since returning to Chitown, I have seen at least a dozen different people run directly into traffic - I mean haul-ass at top speed right out in front of speeding cars and trucks, with zero regard for their own well-being, turning the street into a life-size version of Frogger rather than wait another five or ten minutes for the next bus to come.

Sigh.

mudcrutch

(photo by SonomaPicMan)

With the release of their self-titled debut album, Gainesville's Mudcrutch realize a dream that has been some four decades in the making. Of course, the dream did get sidelined for a spell as the band's singer/bassist, lead guitarist, and keyboardist were busy in another band that managed to make a bit of a name for itself.

Time, of course, does funny things to a man and one of those "things" is make him look back on the shoula-been's and coulda-been's of his life and say to himself, "Fuck it, I'm making it happen."



And, thus, we find Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, and Benmont Tench reuniting with fellow Mudcrutch'ers Tom Leadon and Randall Marsh to record their first proper full-length album at a time when the industry seems to be telling us that "the album" has gone the way of the dinosaur.

The music contained on the album is also of a genre that most would have you believe has become extinct, but that's the great thing about Petty and Co. - they just don't give a shit. Petty, who has never backed down from a challenge (case in point his skirmish with Shelter Records to free himself from a one-sided contract and, an album later, his feud with MCA over them using his album to roll out increased album pricing), is in fine form throughout this album. In fact, he wears each song like a comfortable leather jacket, ragged in all of its glory, each wrinkle and blemish a memory worn like a badge of honor.

Those expecting it to sound like the Heartbreakers may wanna adjust their preconceptions, though. While Petty's voice is instantly recognizable, the songs are rootsier than anything Petty has done before, Wilburys and latter-day Heartbreaker albums included. It isn't a jarring difference, of course, but one worth mentioning.

Also, whereas his best work with the Heartbreakers was perfect for radio formats of the day, the songs on this record aren't so much radio-ready singles as slices of Americana that don't so much knock you on your ass on first listen, but, rather, sneak up on you when you least expect it.

If I were to use one word to sum up this album, it would be "consistency". The songs, while covering a lot of ground, share a unified thread that makes it an easy listen from beginning to end. There is a story being told here, children, and Petty has become a master at the deceptibvely subtle textures, twists and turns found herein.



My rating: 8 out of 10

Live cuts:

Rainy Day Women #12 and 35

Six Days On The Road

iron man...a one man show

Today, the much-ballyhooed Iron man opens in theatres across this great land of ours and, aside from the fan-boys who reflexively see every comic-book-turned-action-flick on opening day, we regular folks tend to also come out in droves. It seems there is a sense of obligation to see the film that is the result of months of previews, bus posters, billboards and the like.

I, of course, caught a screening of the film just before leaving L.A. and found "Iron Man" to live up to the hype. It isn't the greatest movie ever made, but unlike most other such "summer blockbusters", it did not tout itself as something it wasn't (**COUGH** Spiderman **COUGH**).

As promised, it was "The Robert Downey Jr. Show" from beginning to end and those few scenes that he wasn't in only made you more anxious for his return. Some might consider that a flaw in the script - an inability to create other interesting characters - but that would be missing the point. Unlike the Spiderman trilogy that suffered from mis-casting of epic proportions (seriously, Macauley Culkin would have been a better choice - as Spidey, or Mary Jane for that matter) that revealed serious flaws in the entire premise, Downey's portrayal of Tony Stark was loaded with personality. He didn't need to be Iron Man to completely enjoy his presence on the screen.

Tobey Maguire, on the other hand? Blank as a goddamn fart without a mask over his head.

Now, if I were to complain about the flick, I'd say only that CGI is bogus and that the minute that you find yourself watching what is really nothing more than a cartoon, it pulls you right out of the movie, for you find yourself not involved in what is taking place on-screen, but how the scene must have been filmed. You imagine Downey Jr. and others acting to a green-screen, with the rest to be filled in later and it can't help but ruin the magic of the moment.

Aside from that, there are fine, if not remarkable, performances from Terrence Howard (who is great in everything, it seems) and Jeff Bridges, and director Jon Favreau's skill at capturing basic human interaction in compelling ways is fast becoming his forte.

My rating: 8.5 out of 10

baby mama - wtf?

Your average Rotten Tomatoes movie critic...

...has a huge crush on Tina Fey. How else to explain why her new film, "Baby Mama" has managed to eek out an overall 60% rating on the site? I mean, the movie is a complete sack of shit and, were it not for Fey's involvement, it would be getting flogged relentlessly. I'm talking single-digits, not the above-average sixty-percent rating it currently has.



The overall fascination that your nerdier types (i.e., anyone with that much free time to see so many movies a week/month/year) have with Ms. Fey is not unusual, or unwarranted. She's reasonably cute and those glasses only seem to accentuate that underlying sexiness that so many respond to with full-on puppy crushes. Women pick up on this too and, thus, she has become a role model for intelligent, non-"textbook pretty" women everywhere: smart, witty, and cute enough for most guys to call "fuckable" (a word Webster's Dictionary still fails to recognize, damn them).



But, seriously, anyone giving the thumbs up that garbage heap should be ashamed.

ashlee...why?

There are two questions that have plagued me as of late?

1. Why didn't Ashlee Simpson just disappear into the abyss after her ridiculous SNL fiasco?



2. Who continues to care about this no-talent enough to warrant two more albums, film roles, and constant by-the-minute coverage in the check-out mags?

A couple years ago, she was just Jessica's homelier sister. Now, with a nose job, an ever-changing hair color, and what I presume are some fake boobs (not that I've looked, but whatever), she's all over the TV, as if she's "somebody" promoting "something worthwhile". The truth is she's just Jessica's kid sister releasing yet another album of ProTooled pop to an audience of people who would never be caught dead admitting they buy such crap. For fuck's sake, America.



Thankfully, the Flight Of The Conchords CD beat her out for first-week sales, but still.

it's a home run!

Back when I was living in L.A., I read some article from who-knows-where that touted Home Run Inn Pizza frozen pizza as the shiz-nizzle. I checked the stores in L.A., but couldn't find any such frozen pizza and committed the info to memory. Upon my arrival in the Windy City, I found the brand at the local Dominick's grocery store and figured, hey, let's give it a try.

Now, see, here's the thing. I've tried a ton of different frozen pizzas and the one thing they've all managed to do is TASTE LIKE CARDBOARD. These Home Run Inn frozen pizzas knocked me on my ass, though. I went with the Peepperoni & Sausage flavor and found there to be an abundance of both found therein. Truth be told, I gave the pepperonis to my dog, leaving more than enough sausage for me to enjoy.

So, hey, if you're looking for a super-tasty, reasonably prices, no-frills frozen pizza that DOESN'T TASTE LIKE CARDBOARD, Home Run Inn is the way to go!

My rating: 9 outta 10, baby.

sweet home chicago

Okay, I admit it. I ran out of steam a couple/few months ago. L.A. finally sucked the last pint of life out of me and I found myself cutting short my initial self-promise to stick it out through August.

I came to realize that I wasn't staying in L.A. because I liked living there. I was living there because I was simply afraid to admit that we'd grown apart. Sure, L.A. had once held so much promise, plus it had the sun, the beaches, the music industry, but her faults (the San Andreas, for starters, yuk yuk) had long outweighed her benefits. She'd become the proverbial whore fucking anything that moved and I was the chucklehead who was too blind to see it. A crude metaphor, I know, but its the only one that fits.

It was silly of me to have put up with it for so long because, in doing so, I made my wonderful angel of a girlfriend put up with it too. She had hated L.A. long before she knew me, moved away, then sucked it up and moved back to a town she loathed just to be with me. Only now do I really see and appreciate the sacrifice she'd been making all that time while my love affair with L.A. came to a grinding, screeching, fiery halt.

(Strangely enough, the film "Crash" is on the TV behind me as a type. if ever there was a film to make you not like living in Los Angeles...)

We, of course, had a big blow up - both of us having had more than we could stand of this "life" we'd allowed our life together to become - and I can't help feel 110% to blame for putting her through hell. Today, while driving down Belmont Avenue, I flipped off a shoe store just because it had "L.A." in the title. ;P

So, yeah, I'm home for the first time in almost fifteen years and, as I reacquaint myself with a city I have loved from afar for far too long, I'll be sharing my experiences with all of you. Also, if any of you know of any great places I just have to see for myself - restaurants, clubs, you name it - by all means, let me know.

I'll also continue to blog about the music I love, just with more of a Chicago-centric slant.

Butch Walker Is Free, Praise Jesus!! :P

From Butch Walker's MySpace blog:

"Speaking of 'records', let's talk about that for a bit.

I feel a little silly and ol' school by calling them that, but I am a romantic, and need that sense of comfort. That said, I am always up for doing something new and different. I don't think I will release (my next solo record, Sycamore Meadows) as an actual CD. Those are kinda becoming the new cassettes anyways.

I guess I get tired of working so hard to really make a great collection of songs, then putting them all onto one record, dealing with artwork, yada yada... All for them to never find their way into ¾ of the stores in the world (I saw them in plenty of stores, Butch, gathering dust. Ed.) What the fuck is that all about?

Wouldn't it be easier on you, me and your brains if I just made the songs available to buy on my website?

Maybe even follow the genius of Radiohead and give folks some monetary options for acquiring the songs? I like it.. I never made a damn dime off of some record company putting it out (I guess advances don't count? Ed.). They are the ones who made sure to fuck it up anyways, so I would rather just cut them out - wow... Who woulda thought it would come to saying this? Praise!!! From now on, I deal with you personally, cool? This will be fun. And easy (spoken with all of the overconfidence of someone who has never done it. Ed.). Just like my 11th grade cheerleader girlfriend. Oops... That's one's gonna come back to get me."

And from an article circulating this week:

"Viva la freedom from cubicle music!" Walker declares in an official announcement going out tomorrow. "The record business is f---ed, but not for bands. It's the most exciting, positive time for music, as rock and roll and indie pop have gone completely back underground. And to see artists be able to release albums whenever they want, for whatever they want, and not have to fear sending in their cover art, only to have the art department airbrush off the singer's mustache (in fear of not selling to a certain demographic or f---ing statistic) is wonderful. Essentially, everything they have or haven't done in the past, I will purposely do the opposite... And probably make my first paycheck (Still trying to float the "I've never seen a dime" bit? Work, it, Holmes. Ed.)."



Having dug Butch's work with Marvelous 3, let me first sat that Marvelous 3's "Ready Sex Go" was a nice record. Seriously, I've played the CD for buddies who are into that type of stuff but have never heard of the band and, by the time we're half way through the first tune ("Little Head"), they've all expressed complete amazement at how great the record is, why the fuck they've never heard of it and, dude, can they borrow it. Without exception.

When the band broke up and Butch released his first solo album, I was really, really psyched to hear the results. My hunch about M3 was that they were much like Material Issue (actually, I've long known that the M3 guys were fans of the Ush, but I digress) in that it was basically Butch's show and they were the dedicated foot soldiers that accompanied him into battle, so to speak. At some point, realizing he was writing the tunes, producing the records, being the front man, he figured, "Fuck, I can go into battle by myself."

The bummer was that the best track on "Left of Self-Centered" was the parody "Rock Vocal Power", with "My Way" being the only real standout song. The rest of the material, while over-ambitiously performed and produced, was not really as chock-full of "holy fuck!" moments as I'd hoped.



Being that, at that point, Butch was one of those guys whose albums I would buy sight-unseen, I picked up "Letters", his first record under a new pact with Epic. It was so obvious that Butch thought "Mixtape" was the song that would put him over the top. While Epic never quite flexed any muscle to do so, Butch did everything he could to make sure that song was the emphasis track on the album. The only problem was that it wasn't really that great a song. At best, it was one of those songs that would have been a third single off the Verve Pipe record that had "The Freshman" on it, or whatever. In truth, the best song he had in his possession at the time, "Last Plane Out", didn't even make the album (unless you count the Japanese version). Instead, it was included on his "Heartwork" EP, which was only sold through the Sony online store and at live shows and, sigh, also had not one, but two goddamned versions of "Mixtape" on it.

While "Letters" did seem to have a couple nice moments on it - mainly "Uncomfortably Numb" and "Best Thing You Never Had" - the rest of the album alternated between half-baked toss-offs ("Race Cars And Goth Rock") and overly emotive attempts to tug at the tear ducts ("Joan" - about a girl prone to abusive relationships, and "Thank You Note", about a friend of his who died of cancer). In addition, "Lights Out" was a derivative slice of glam that went right by my ears, but was obviously the basis for Butch's foray into the "glam slam" that was "The Rise And Fall Of Butch Walker & The Lets Go Out Tonites".

By "glam slam", of course, I mean "one of the worst records of 2006". I guess it should come as no surprise to anyone that an album with song titles such as "Oooh...Aaaah", "Paid To Get Excited", "Song Without A Chorus", and "Too Famous To Get Fully Dressed" was either recorded live at The Standard, or just a really, really bad attempt to make light of, well, having more money and acclaim than you deserve or know what to do with.

You just knew Butch thought it was the shit, though, pulling in Avril to star in the video for "Bethamphetamine", but even her star power couldn't erase the fact that the song was a complete and total dud.

The guy's writing "hits" for the likes of Avril, Pink and Bowling For Soup (!) and that's the song he decides to put the money on? Double-you-tee-eff.

After spinning the CD a few times, it dawned on me that Butch had become high on his own fumes.



Meanwhile, he began displaying equally poor choices in outside projects, teaming up with fellow tat-hound Tommy Lee to write the theme for "Tommy Lee Goes To College" and then involving himself in "Rock Star: Supernova". While he plays down his part in that trainwreck, the truth is he co-wrote ten of the album's eleven steaming piles.

At the time, I actually thought to myself that he must be living in L.A. these days because his every move was starting to resemble that of someone trying to maintain "the lifestyle", renting some house out in Malibu, the whole nine yards. I shit you not.

Hearing Butch complain about never seeing a dime from the sale of his albums doesn't negate the fact that he obviously cashed the advance checks. Thus, his sudden celebration of independence rings a tad hollow to me. This is a guy who, perhaps more than anyone, has benefited from the complete ineptitude of the major label system and has milked it for all it is worth.

My hunch is that Butch's decision to take his solo career underground wasn't completely his own idea (in other words, he didn't jump, he was pushed...or about to be) and he'll no doubt balance his newfound independence by taking on any and all major label projects that come his way in order to maintain the lifestyle to which he has become accustomed.

Dude could certainly use a producer, though.

Butch Walker - Crazy (Gnarls Barkley cover, live)

Petty At SB XLII

With the first half score resembling a pitchers duel more than a battle between two high-powered offenses, the arrival of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers at halftime brought a welcome break to the millions who sat glued to their TV's.

With past years bringing wardrobe malfunction and phallic gestures, it was quite a departure to see a band that not only performed live, but did so free from outrageous spectacle. Truth be told, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers have never had to rely on schtick and, honestly, they're one of the few remaining bands these days confident enough in their own abilities to do so.

Petty, of course, is a national treasure, but Mike Campbell is the unsung hero of this great band and his fretwork during this all-too-brief four-song set was a lesson in serving the song, but, at the same time, placing a very identifiable stamp on songs that are as vibrant as the day they were written.

Of course, if I wasn't already plenty excited about the band's summer tour, the band's stellar Super Bowl performance merely added fuel on the fire. Goodbye tax return. :)

American Girl
I Won't Back Down
Free Fallin'
Running Down A Dream

The Year In Rock: 1978

Although released in late 1977, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack would be impossible to ignore for much of 1978, with the Bee Gees’ “Night Fever” and “Stayin’ Alive”, as well as Yvonne Elliman’s “If I Can’t Have You”, all reaching #1. At several points during the first half of ‘78, the soundtrack album was selling over 1 million units a week


On the country music side, Kenny Rogers released his career-defining album, “The Gambler, which has gone on to sell over 35 million copies.


Cheap Trick release their third album, “Heaven Tonight”, which, while only managing a #48 chart showing, is notable for containing the studio version of “Surrender” (itself peaking at #62) and becoming the first album for the band to be certified Gold.

Van Halen release their self-titled debut album and, in a matter of weeks, reshape the way a generation of guitarists approach their instrument. Tracks like “Running With The Devil”, “Jamie’s Cryin’”, and “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love” received heavy AOR radio airplay, but the band’s cover of the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me”, would actually break the Top 40, peaking at #36. The album has sold approximately fifteen million copies to date.


Boston band The Cars release their self-titled debut album. “Just What I Needed” and “My Best Friend’s Girl” become Top 40 hits for the band, propelling the album into the Top 20. The album has sold almost ten million copies in the US to date. [Check out this cool live version of "Good Times Roll".]

Journey release their fourth studio album, “Infinity”. It is most notable for being new singer Steve perry’s recorded debut with the group and for becoming their first commercially-successful release. While neither of the three singles (“Anytime’, “Lights”, and “Wheel in The Sky”) would dent the Top 40, AOR radio play and solid touring would take the album to a peak position of #21.


Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers release their second album, “You’re Gonna Get It”, and enjoy their first taste of Top 40 success. Despite no obvious hit single – although it did include stand-out tracks “I Need To Know” and “Listen To Her Heart” – the album peaks at #23 on the Top 200 Albums chart.


Queen release their seventh album, “Jazz”, featuring such notable anthems as “Fat Bottomed Girls” and “Bicycle Race”. The double A-side single that contains both songs reaches #24 in the US.

Check out Popdose for the full rundown of "The Year In Rock: 1978".