MOG - chaucer's Posts

Songs I Dig: "The Lonesome River" - Ralph Stanley with Bob Dylan

chaucer — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 15:36:55 GMT

It's always good to hear Dylan step out from behind his own material and explore the songs of others. Here he teams up with Ralph Stanley on "The Lonesome River." Dylan and Stanley singing together can only be described as haunting - two voices reaching through time from the beginning of creation.

Songs I Dig: "Niki Hoeky" - P. J. Proby

chaucer — Sat, 26 May 2007 16:56:11 GMT

It's been far too long since I last posted on MOG - a fact I regret and blame on my work. In order to remedy this, I'm challenging myself to post more frequently. And I figure the best way for me to do that is to share songs that I enjoy and think others should hear. I make no claims about the enduring legacy or hipness of these - I just like 'em.

I'm starting things off with a track by P.J. Proby. Proby found some success in the sixties, mainly in England and mainly as a Tom Jones type singer. But there is more to him than that, as "Niki Hoeky" proves. A great slice of southern-funky-ness.

And here's a fun P.J. Proby fact: In 1968 he recorded an album called Three Week Hero, notable mainly because it marks the first time all four (future) members of Led Zeppelin palyed together on a record.

Farther Along - Pete Kleinow

chaucer — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 22:28:02 GMT

"Sneeky" Pete Kleinow, pedal steel guitarist and member of The Flying Burrito Brothers, died from complications of Alzheimer's desease on Saturday.

You can read the story here.

Let's all put on our favorite Burrito Brothers song and remember this wonderful musician.

I'll Put the Kettle On. . .

chaucer — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 03:48:41 GMT

It's been nearly a year since it's release, but I've found myself listening to Ray Davies' Other People's Lives quite a bit lately. I gave it numerous listens upon its release, but it somehow got lost in the shuffle of all the music released last year. I'm glad I've rediscovered it.

It is great to hear new material from Davies, and his songwriting is as sharp as ever. Certainly an under-rated songwriter. His observations of normal people leading their normal lives is acute, remarkable, and at times stunning. The one complaint I have, and it's a small one, is that without Dave and the other members of the Kinks along for the ride, the music doesn't quite possess as much personality and idiosyncracy as we've come to expect from Ray. The session musicians do a great job - it's just it is a bit too polished. Like I said, a minor complaint.

I didn't rediscover this album until after I made my Favorites of 2006 list (which you can check out over at Neumu), but this one belongs on it. Give it a listen, especially "Thanksgiving Day."

Ole! Tarantula, Indeed

chaucer — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 23:46:58 GMT

I've only listened to it once through, but I think Robyn Hitchcock's new cd, Ole! Tarantula, will quickly become one of my favorite new releases. I always find Hitchcock to be an oddly compeling artist, with his distinct voice and often weird-ass lyrics.

This one is much more of a rock record than his last album, 2004's Spooked. This time around Hitchcock enlists The Venus 3 to serve as his backing band, a group made up of Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, and Bill Rieflin, or, as Hitchcock describes them, "3/4s of the Minus 5 and half of R.E.M." Together they create a strong collection songs (sorry, that's all I can manage after listening to it only once!). The final song on the cd, "N.Y. Doll" is a moving tribute to Arthur Kane, former bassist for The New York Dolls.

Check out Ole! Tarantula, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Oxford Town, Oxford Town. . .

chaucer — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 15:31:10 GMT

Everybody's got their head bowed down. . .

All right moggers, I need your help. I'm heading to Oxford, MS in a week and a half and want some recommendations for places to eat, bars to frequent, etc. You know, secrets to the hidden Oxford, the town behind all the glitz and glamor of William Faulkner, the alluring mythology of Yoknapatawpha, and the ubiquitous presence of John Grisham (does he still live there?).

So, don't be shy. Send 'em my way.

Cds worth your time

chaucer — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 23:04:43 GMT

If you haven't checked this releases out yet, do so. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Chris Smither - Leave the Light On

Ray Lamontagne - Till the Sun Turns Black

Old Crow Medicine Show - Big Iron World

The Who still ROCK!

chaucer — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 02:40:19 GMT

So, I headed up to Baltimore over the weekend to catch the Virgin Festival, and, I must say, it was a pretty damn good show. The highlight of the festival was, of course, seeing The Who (The Two?) perform. Roger Daltry and Pete Townsend still have what it takes. I was a little wary about seeing them - afraid they might disappoint - but my fears were unfounded. They played a blistering set, hitting their stride right out of the gates. Roger was in fine voice, and Pete played the hell out of his guitar. They simply sounded fantastic. And they looked like they were having a great time, too. It was one of the more joyous musical experiences I've had, watching these legends who haven't missed a step, backed by a great group of musicians, and surrounded by a crowd (of all ages) that was clearly digging every note and chord. Good times, indeed.

Roger Daltry doing what he does best

Other highlights of the day for me included The Drive-By Truckers, The New Pornogrpahers, The Raconteurs, and The Flaming Lips.

The folks a Virgin did a bang-up job of organizing the event and keeping everything running smoothly. Hopefully, they'll come back to the States again next year.

Just Thinking of a Series of Dreams

chaucer — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 21:40:55 GMT

Google Video has a collection of rare and never-before-seen Bob Dylan videos, including unreleased footage from Don't Look Back, the "Jokerman" and "Series of Dreams" videos, and some live performaces. Go check it out!

At the Ballpark with Dylan

chaucer — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 19:28:31 GMT

I dropped in on Bob Dylan's show at Ernie Shore field in Winston-Salem, NC last night, and, despite what the dude over at the Winston-Salem Journal says, it was a great show. As I've said before in a previous post, Dylan's current band doesn't hold a candle to the lineup that included Charlie Sexton and Larry Campbell, but Denny Freeman, Stu Kimball, and Donnie Herron are starting to grow on me. They keep getting tighter with each show, and they certainly bring a different sound than Sexton and Campbell did. I particullarly like Herron's contributions on pedal steel and lap steel guitar - it adds a whole new dimension to the music. Tony Garnier and Geroge Recille, the backbone of the band, are simply great.

The sound at the minor league ballpark was fantastic, and the band was tight and in a nice groove. Dylan kicked things off with "Maggie's Farm," which is the norm these days, before moving into "The Times They Are a Changin'," "Lonesome Day Blues," and "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine." Next up was a lovely rendition of "Boots of Spanish Leather" that was gentle and tender. Another stellar performance came shortly after with a wonderful version on "Shelter From the Storm." It was the first time I heard this number performed live, and Dylan and the boys did the song justice. Blistering versions of "Highway 61 Revisited," "Like a Rolling Stone," and "All Along the Watchtower" rounded out the night.

Dylan was in fine voice, singing clearly and pushing his phrasing through some interesting twists and turns. The dude from the Winston-Salem Journal found Dylan's voice to be the most objectionable thing about the show, calling it "pinched," "hoarse," and "phlegmatic." Ultimately, the reporter considers Dylan to be "awful as a live performer." I don't give his criticism much merit, considering that Dylan is a remarkable live performer, who manages to give an energetic, compelling performace just about every time he steps on stage these days. I'd put money on Dylan and his band holding their own, if not outshining, just about any other band out there. And it seems to me that complaining about his voice is a rather weak critique, and not very original or even relevant. Yeah, it is rough and unpolished. But it's that very quality, the wildness and rawness and limitations, of Dylan's voice that make it so compelling and ultimately beautiful. Dylan's voice is human in all it's frailties and weaknesses, and that profoundly human dimension adds so much power and depth to his songs. In a world where beauty is equivalent with flawlessness and polish, a surface lacking any depth or individuality, Dylan's voice reminds us that beauty can be ragged, frightening, and harrowing. At his finest, Dylan's singing approaches the sublime, at least in the Romantic sense of the word - a terrifying, often painful, encounter with beauty that suspends rational thought.

I can't wait for the release of the new album.

New Thermals Album

chaucer — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 16:57:24 GMT

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in The Flag and carrying The Cross" - Sinclair Lewis

The words of Sinclair Lewis are the jumping off point for The Thermals' latest release The Body, The Blood, The Machine, due out August 22 on Subpop. The album offers a vision of the US as a fascist Christian state and explores what life would be like under such conditions - the control, the hypocrisy, the need to escape the oppression. Fun, fun.

This is the first I've heard of the Thermals, so I can't really comment on how it stacks up against their other releases, but this is some thrilling, kick-ass music. And I'm certainly going to check out their other stuff after hearing this. You can hear A Pillar of Salt, from the new album, over at the band's myspace page.

"She was the perfect three-minute song on the radio"

chaucer — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 23:39:55 GMT

There's a pretty good chance that you've never heard of Jeffrey Dean Foster. Unless, of course, you're familiar with one of the bands he's been in over the past twenty-odd years (The Right Profile, The Carneys, The Pinetops). Hailing from Winston-Salem, NC - on the western edge of the fertile crescent that is the North Carolina music scene - Foster sprung from the same ground that produced the standard bearers of the North Carolina indie scene of the early-mid-80's, Let's Active and the dB's. He's well versed in the indie rock, jangle pop, and touches of Americana that nourish a lot of the music that comes out of the region. Of course, as with most labels, those don't do much to truly capture his music.

Back in December, Foster released his first solo record, Million Star Hotel. There's nothing earth-shattering or revolutionary about the album. It just happens to be a near perfect collection of songs - beautifully written and gorgeously produced, expertly performed, moving, and full of richness and depth. I haven't stopped playing it since I first heard it a few days ago. There's a feeling of yearning and hope, of bitter-sweet melancholy that runs throughout the songs, perfect for the dwindling days of summer when we look back with fondness and a hint of regret on the promises that hovered on the horizon just a few short months ago. Some of my facorite tracks so far are "Lily of the Highway," "The Summer of the Son of Sam," 'Little Priest," "Lost in My Own Town."

Foster has stood on the brink of a major breakthrough numerous times - both The Right Profile and The Carneys signed record deals with Arista and Warner-Chappell, respectively, only to watch it all fall apart due to the vagaries of the record industry and personal differences. Despite their deals, neither band ever saw the relase of an album. To see record deals slip away and to be so close to a wider audience and stardom on so many occasions would cause many musicians to throw in the towel. But Foster has continued to push ahead, writing and recording remarkable music that goes largely unheard. The result of all that hard work is Million Star Hotel.

Check out Jeffrey Dean Foster's website to hear some of his music. Emusic has Million Star Hotel for download. Go spend some time with it.

Glorious Noise

chaucer — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 16:48:09 GMT

Listening to Alejandro Escovedo's records does nothing to prepare you for the experience of his live shows. Someone should have told a few of the folks who showed up last night at the Triad Stage for Alejandro's show. I think they were expecting a nice, charming evening with a singer/songwriter. What they got instead was an onslaught of glorious noise that shook the foundations of the soul.

On his records, Alejandro's music is a lush, beautiful creation, highlighted by strings. Sure, he knows how to kick out the stops with rock songs, and regularly does on his records, but they seem a little reigned in, a little controlled. Live, however, Alejandro rips his songs open, releasing the screams and howls that lurk beneath their surface. He deconstructs them, turning them into tone poems of feedback, fuzz, white noise, and portentious rumblings. The fury with which he and his band (Hector Muñoz - drums, David Pulkingham - guitar, Mark Andes - drums, Susan Voelz - violin, Brian Standefer - cello, and Bruce Salmon - keyboards) attacked the songs was frightening at times, and the music they created was loud, beautiful, harrowing, and primal. There's no way I can describe in words the sound that swirled around the theater last night. I can say that Alejandro and his band can give Sonic Youth a run for their money any day of the week and teach them a thing or two. This was not just noise for noise's sake; it was a meticulously orchestrated assault full of pain, beauty, anger, acceptance, defeat, and, most importantly, joy and survival.

They opened the show with a raucous version of "Put You Down" that nearly shook apart the theater. It was a performance more suited to the finale of the show, with Voelz breaking several strings on her bow and Alejandro windmilling at his guitar like a possessed Pete Townshend. After, the crowd leapt to their feet and gave a standing ovation that lasted a good five minutes. And that was just the first song. They kept up the intesity by pushing "Arizona," "Dear Head on the Wall," "Everybody Loves Me," and "Sex Beat" (and a few others I can't recall at the moment) to the the very edge of collapse. And right when I thought they couldn't push themselves, the songs, or even the audience, much further without risking complete destruction, Alejandro turned on a dime and hushed the crowd with a gorgeous rendition of "Rosalie." After a touching story about his father, who passed away in the midst of his own recent medical crisis, Alejandro played "Evita's Lullaby" -a song drawn from the experience. The emotion that poured forth threatened to undo Alejandro as he sang; an incredibly moving performance.

And the evening continued in a similar vein, alternating between the splendor of controlled chaos and the understated tenderness of vulnerability, loss, love, and redemption. My favorite moment was during the encore, when Alejandro returned to the stage with only Pulkinham, Voelz, and Standefer and gave a brilliant and touching rendition of Ian Hunter's "I Wish I Was Your Mother."

If Alejandro Escovedo is playing anywhere near you, go and see him. You will be reminded of the power of music and why you love it so much.

The Decemberists Return

chaucer — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 14:43:22 GMT

This might be old news to many of you by now, but nonetheless. . .

The Decemberists' have announced that their new album, The Crane Wife, will be released on October 3. It will be their first release for Capitol Records, who they recently signed with after a very successful relationship with Kill Rock Stars. Should be interesting to see how, if at all, the switch will influence the music.

In other Decembersits news, the band has posted a stripped down, short demo version of The Tain on their myspace page, which you find here.

The Real Nitty Gritty

chaucer — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 18:56:16 GMT

Went to the Southern Culture on the Skids show last night, and, to nobody's surprise, the gang put on a great show. I think the more campy/kitschy aspects of the group (y'know, throwing fried chicken at the audience, inviting the dude in the Mexican wrestling mask up on stage to dance) often overshadow just how musically accomplished these guys are. RIck Miller is a phenomenal guitar player in the swamp/surf/rockabilly vein, and Mary Huff (bass) and Dave Hartman (drums) are a tight and sympathetic rhythm duo. When all cylinders click together, as they did last night, SCOTS simply blow the roof off the joint and offer up some wild, raucous music. Of course, the flying pieces of fried chicken just make the night that much more enjoyable!

A pleasant surpise of the night was the opening act, a local group called The Malamondos, who create what they call Psycho-a-Go-Go music - a blend of surf, spy, and punk rock. Great, rollicking, fun wierdness. Check out their website here and their myspace page here .

blegh

chaucer — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 02:49:48 GMT

Tore my place apart tonight looking for my copy of Roger Waters' Amused to Death. I think I might have sold it. I'm a fookin' idiot.

You Know You've Been Spending Too Much Time on Mog. . .

chaucer — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:48:55 GMT

. . . when you start having mog related dreams. Yep. I had one last night. Nothing creepy, mind you. I dreamed about a giant mog pool party. Every one of my favorite moggers was there (looking just like they do in their mog photo - which was a little odd at first, but I eventually got used to it), as well as tons of other moggers whose pages I've visited or who have commented on my posts.

It was one hell of a party.

Hell Yeah

chaucer — Sat, 08 Jul 2006 15:45:14 GMT

Bob Dylan is set to release his 32nd (is that number right? I thought it might be the 30th) studio album, Modern Times (which also happens to be the title of a 1936 Chaplin film) on August 29. Information is scarce, but according to a recent Observer article, the first song mentions Alicia Keys. So it's got that going for it, which is nice. You can check out the Observer article here.

And here is the unofficial track list, from Wikipedia:

1. Thunder on the Mountain 2. Spirit on the Water 3. Rollin' and Tumblin' 4. When the Deal Goes Down 5. Someday Baby 6. Workinman's Blues 7. Beyond the Horizon 8. Nettie Moore 9. The Levee's Gonna Break 10. Ain't Talkin'

It's time to get excited.

Insert Melville Reference Here

chaucer — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 21:46:05 GMT

White Whale's debut album, WWI, will be released July 25th on Merge. Their music contains a soupçon of Arcade Fire, as well as a bit of the storytelling flair of The Decemberists, with a more straight-up rock sound. Check out some of their tracks at their myspace page - White Whale

Un Chien Andalusia

chaucer — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 20:49:32 GMT

Don't know what it is, but I can't get enough of "Debaser" lately. I've been playing it over and over and over and over. . .

The Boxing Mirror

chaucer — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 20:13:40 GMT

If you haven't heard Alejandro Escovedo's new one, The Boxing Mirror, do yourself a favor and go listen to it. Beautiful, heartfelt, and rockin' music. Go see him live, too.

Once you've listened a few dozen times, you can head on over to neumu and read Jennifer Kelly's piece about Alejandro and my review of The Boxing Mirror (I'm not above the occasional shameless plug!).

A shift in the way we experience music?

chaucer — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 17:54:14 GMT

I teach English at the local university, and while I mostly teach literature and composition, I have recently been teaching a course that focuses on how popular music creates images and myths of America and how those images/myths question, challenge, and revise those found in historical/literary texts (stay with me, I promise this post won't be as boring as all that might lead you to believe). One of the more intersting things I've noticed while teaching this class is the way my students (primarily freshmen in their late teens to early twenties) listen to and experience music. They rarely, if ever, listen to albums (cds, records, whatever you want to call them) from beginning to end. This, of course, is not too surprising, since the rise of music downloading sites and advances in technology make it easy to pick and choose individual songs to listen to. Playing music on a computer or mp3 player allows us to create our own playlists, and we are no longer confined by the format of albums (a quick look around MOG illustrates this point - seeing a whole album listed in the "Last Songs Played" widget is not the norm).

All of this is great. I have no problem with this new way of listening to music; hell, I love it. What I have noticed, however, is that younger people (read my students) - especially those who are growing up with this technology - tend to think about music in terms of individual songs and lose sight of the fact that artists often create albums organized around a certain theme or set of ideas/opinions. The idea that albums can be viewed like novels, which, through their constituent parts, create a text that explores a central idea or set of ideas is pretty foreign to my students. Where most of us here on MOG would readily admit that music is both a form of entertainment and a means of entering into larger conversations/debates about the world we live in, music, to my students, is almost solely about entertainment and escape with virtually no social, political, etc. dimension to it. The majority of them admit to not paying attention to lyrics when they listen to music, focusing instead on the beats or melody. There are, of course, exceptions to this characterization, but by and large I think it is true.

I understand that everyone experiences music differently, and that I can't expect others to be interested in music in the same way I am. Maybe the majority of people approach music as only entertainment and always have. Maybe I'm just in the minority of folks who look to music for something more. Somehow, though, I doubt that. I'm not suggesting that this shift that I perceive is bad or wrong. I simply find it interesting to observe the ways we experience and relate to music and how those experiences are constantly changing.

Thoughts?

Hold Me Closer Tony Danza; or, Cameron Crowe Has a Superpower

chaucer — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 10:42:54 GMT

Recently I watched Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown, a mess of a movie which is nowhere near indicative of Crowe's ability. There is, however, a moment in the movie which is vintage Crowe, and it confirms my theory that he has a kick-ass superpower. It comes somewhere in the middle of the film, when the hero (played with near-complete ineptitude by Orlando Bloom) is back in Kentucky for the funeral of his father. At a certain point, quietly at first but with growing intensity, an Elton John song emerges and completely hijacks the movie - "My Father's Gun" from Tumbleweed Connection. It's not that the song perfectly captures the emotions of the main character or fits perfectly into that precise moment of the film, although it does these things. The song just sounds so freakin' good. Like "pulls-you-out-of-the-stupor-this-movie-has-put-you-in-and-energizes-you" good. In fact, it's the only moment of the movie that has really stayed with me.

And this, I believe, is Crowe's superpower - he can take an Elton John song and use it in a way that not only serves an important purpose within the film but also transcends the film itself and makes you hear Elton John as if for the first time. Think of the scene in Almost Famous where the band, and the audience, is brought together by "Tiny Dancer." The moment is so perfect, and the song sounds so amazing, that you sit up and say, "Holy crap, Elton John really made some great music." Which is easy to forget, especially as John's musical output has steadily declined over the past decade or two. This is exactly what happened to me while watching Elizabethtown. I don't consider myself an Elton John fan, really. And yet, because of this moment in the movie, I hunted down Tumbleweed Connection. It's a great album, with none of the Elton John antics that have become so cliched. Just damn fine music.

You could probably extend my theory of Crowe's superpower to all music; he does put a lot of thought into the music he uses for his films, and you can feel his love and respect for music in nearly every movie he's made (and, of course, there's the fact that he used to be a music journalist). But there is something unique about the way he uses Elton John's music. It's a pretty cool superpower to have, all things considered.

Theme Time Radio Hour

chaucer — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 10:17:37 GMT

If you haven't listened to Dylan's "Theme Time Radio Hour" show on XM Radio, do yourself a solid and check it out. Each week Dylan spins an eclectic mix of music centered on a particular theme. Recent themes include: mothers, baseball, drinking, coffee, and jail. As great as the music is, perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of the show is Dylan's banter between the songs. Ever wonder what "Mama Said Knock You Out" sounds like spoken by Dylan? Want to know Dylan's recipe for a mint julep? Stop by the Abernathy Building and find out.

You can find the first five shows archived here.

Hallelujah Sirens

chaucer — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 10:50:19 GMT

E-music has Hallelujah Sirens, the new album from Brooklyn's Dirty on Purpose, for download in advance of its release later this month. Dirty on Purpose create great messy, hazy rock songs that balance sonic rumblings with the harmonies of keyboardist Erika Foster and drummer Doug Marvin. Definitely worth spending some time with. So hurry on over and give it a listen, and while you're there you can download their EP Sleep Late for a Better Tomorrow.

Gene Pitney can be in my dream if I can be in his dream. . .

chaucer — Wed, 17 May 2006 11:00:04 GMT

Usually, I do my best not to subject others to detailed retellings of my dreams. Mostly because I think dreams are only interesting to those who dreamed them. I'm willing to bet that anytime someone says, "I had the most bizarre dream last night," and then begins to relate that dream, everyone else in the roon is quitely thinking, "Oh god, please don't tell your dream. I don't care about your dream!"

But, I'm going to make an exception here. Because, seriously? This one is really pretty strange.

So, in the dream my father reveals to me that he is related to Gene Pitney, the singer/songwriter who was big in the sixties (he sang the title song to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, but it never actually appeared in the film). That's strange enough, but then my father pulls out this old Gene Pitney record, autographed by the man himself. In addition to containing songs by Pitney, the record also contains songs by Sly and the Family Stone, Randy Newman, Dusty Springfield, and, perhaps most bizarre of all, Jellyfish. The dream continues with me playing the record, only to watch it melt during the second side.

What would Freud say about this, I wonder?

My father, as far as I know, is not related to Gene Pitney, nor did he ever own a Gene Pitney record. Apart from "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," I've never really heard anything by Gene Pitney. It turns out he died just last month. Gene Pitney, not my father.

Dylan at Davidson

chaucer — Wed, 03 May 2006 10:34:22 GMT

I caught Bob Dylan's show at Davidson College last night, and it was a fantastic performance (you can check out the set list here). The last time I saw him was back in 2004 in Milwaukee (you know, because Wisconsin is such a short drive from North Carolina), and he was just breaking in guitarist Freddy Koella at the time; the band didn't seem quite as tight because of that. This time around, though, guitarists Stu Kimball and Denny Freeman were in pretty tight synch with Dylan, and the whole group sounded great. Although, I miss Charlie Sexton and Larry Campbell, alas. . .

Highlights for me included: the new arrangment of "Cold Irons Bound," "I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met), "Positively 4th Stree" and "Every Grain of Sand." - the last two I'd never heard performed before. "All Along the Watchtower," of course, rocked especially hard. Dylan and the boys also did a great version of "Masters of War," which, thanks to Dylan's age and experience, has transformed from an angry screed into a prophetic warning.

All in all, a great show.

Shakey makes a statement

chaucer — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 16:37:18 GMT

I just finished listening to the stream of Neil Young's new album - Living With War. It's a raw and emotionally charged set of songs: patriotic, questioning, hopeful, critical, angry, sorrowful. This mix of emotion is probably the album's strength, and certainly one of the goals Young was hoping to achieve.

I'm not sure I like the choir he uses on most of the songs, but that could change with more listens. It certainly gives the songs a popular voice - Neil Young isn't the only one feeling this way. Nothing illustrates this fact more clearly than the end of "Let's Impeach the President" - recorded live - where, at the end, the choir breaks into cheers and applause. It's not a scripted moment, but a spontaneous release of emotion.

It will be interesting is to see how well this album stands up over time. Once the immediacy of the situation is gone, once the war in Iraq is over, once the Bush administration is gone, will it still resonate? Can the album transcend the circumstances of its creation? It's possible that this will become the document that captures and preserves of this whole period in American history, the text people turn to years down the road in order to get a better understanding of how the American people felt about these events. Who knows?

Whatever the case may be, it is certainly worth a listen or two, or three, or . . .

Disclaimers and whatnot. . .

chaucer — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 10:00:19 GMT

All right, I'm tired of waiting to get my MOG page working correctly before I start posting. Needless to say, I have much more music than the Meat Puppets. It just happens to be the only artist MOG is indexing at the moment. I'm working on that. Hope to get it all worked out soon. Oh, and I do listen to music, it's just that I can't get MOG and my iTunes player to coordinate yet. In spite of all that, I'm happy to be Mogging! Woohoo!