Sinead O'Connor

Went to the Vic last night to see Sinead doing reggae songs. Sly and Robbie, legends of the scene, were there to create the authentic vibe. The whole thing was this odd combination of subdued and spiritual; the band was great and Sinead's voice still carries the heft of a nation. I think she could have put the microphone down and her voice still would have carried up to the very top of the theater, where we snagged a few seats and let the music wash over us. (Nice thing about the Vic - the sound is good even up in the rafters.) I should note that I have a nice little head cold at the moment, but there was no way I would miss this show, and I left feeling relaxed and just better. I can't think of many concerts that would have such a soothing effect. I don't know enough about reggae to give a fair review to the album on which this tour is based, but I can definitely recommend it for any fan of Sinead.

Mice Parade - Bem-Vinda Vontade

My introduction to Adam Pierce's Mice Parade came by way of the previous album, Obrigado Saudade. I played that album to death; it is a lush, well-paced work that everyone ought to hear. I feel the same way about this new effort. Yes, there are moments that feel derivative; echoes of Brian Eno in "Waterslide", and gestures toward the Sea and Cake and Tortoise on several tracks. But that doesn't detract from the music, in fact it provides a sort of reference point as Pierce drifts off toward melodies and instruments that tend to be broadly lumped under the term "world music". (Note: "World Music" is a record store invention, a catch-all for anything that doesn't fit into the narrow American musi-cultural schema. But I'll use the term, acknowledging that I don't know enough about the music of other cultures to precisely define where a sound originates; I could probably guess with some accuracy but anyone with an ounce of background more than I have would quickly see through it. Anyway...) This is an album that meshes with the world around it; if you play it during a rainstorm the pitter pat will blend in nicely; play it in the midst of relative silence and it will hold up just as well.
Pitchfork gave this album a middling score, mostly on the basis that the vocals detract from the music and seem tacked on; I don't agree. CMJ is a bit more kind.
Overall, this is a solid effort and a rewarding listen.
Rating: full house.

John Vanderslice - New Zealand Pines

golden gate park
we walked our mondays there
safe inside our replica

they have a garden there
where climates of the world
are laid out on a walking tour

you were my proof
you were my wetsuit
I will be okay
if I can keep
the things I love at bay

winter light
falls through south america
onto new zealand pines

ranger locked the gates
I took cover under
the dead wood and fragrant vines

you were my proof
you were my wetsuit
I will be okay
if I can keep
the things I love at bay

***********************

I like this song because it reminds me of my San Francisco trip; the botanical gardens were one of the great pleasures of that visit.

Engineers - s/t

"Come in out of the rain, to a better place," a place where this London-based four piece will construct nuanced melodies that are simultaneously uplifting and sad. Listening to the Engineers is like waking up in a dark room with a bright sliver of sun peeking through the curtains; you could open the curtains all the way and bask in the light but you're too comfortable to get up. They remind me a bit of a mellower Doves, with a dash of Daniel Lanois and a keen sense throughout that their songs would play well with a 70 piece orchestra backing them. Not everyone would like this band, but you can make a reliable conclusion after two minutes at a listening station whether you would enjoy the album all the way through. (Side note: that's an aspect I'll try to include in reviews on occasion; how often has it happened that you hear a bit of a band in the store and then get the CD home and the rest of it disappoints?) Some song samples can be streamed from their releases page; scroll down to the Folly ep and check out "Forgiveness" and "Come in Out of the Rain". Overall, a very consistent, pleasing album.
Rating: flush.

Tracks per day

So I glanced at my audioscrobbler/last fm stats and noticed the number of tracks played since January 2004. Over 40,000. That comes out to about 60 songs per day since then, or roughly 5-6 albums worth of material. Maybe I spend too much time sitting here?

Sun Kil Moon - Tiny Cities

You have to be bold to attempt a record like this. 11 Modest Mouse covers? Seriously? So what does that sound like, anyway? Ian Brock acoustic after a frontal lobotomy, perhaps. At least, that's what I expect the fans of the Mouse to say. And I am a fan of the Mouse, and my curiosity was definitely piqued by this album. Does the former leader of Red House Painters manage to pull off such an audacious stunt? Well, yes and no. If this had been released as a four track ep featuring the best cuts and leaving the rest for one of those Rhino style retrospective compilations, it might have worked. As it stands, we get too much of an interesting idea.
Pitchfork pretty much demolished this record, though I don't agree with Stephen Deusner's appraisals of the individual tracks. The best cut here is "Ocean Breathes Salty", capturing the morbid longing of the protagonist in a way that the original suggests but never really delivers. Other tracks, such as "Jesus Christ was an Only Child", take a similar approach and collapse into a pile of dust. And really, what is a Modest Mouse track without the nervous energy of Brock's voice, the sense that at any moment he will lose control of it and start ranting in a Tourette's reminiscent froth. Kozelek strums a pretty guitar and his intentions are not necessarily bad, but overall this is a mythical effort akin to trying to roll a boulder uphill.
Rating: pair.

Housekeeping

This blog has been dormant for a while. It has existed in forms, sometimes as a place to list favorites, other times as a "now playing" archive. With Last.fm, though, it's easy enough to see what is playing (on my computer, anyway). So, this revived version is going to be a bit more broad, with content composed primarily of reviews and occasional notes on whatever else music related comes to mind.

We can rebuild it... we have the technology... we have the sounds... we have a large supply of green jello to provide sustenance through the long winter nights...