Oats

Why Don’t I Like Spoon?

Posted by Oats

Jan 202010

Ce n’est pas une groupe.

I’m listening to the online stream of Spoon‘s new album, Transference. It’s not bad music, but I have no desire to listen to most of it again. In theory, I should like this band: They sound like a cross between Revolver, Bowie/Eno, Prince, and Jon Brion. But something’s missing. Their music always sounds so flat to me. It’s not lo-fi, but it sounds like a well-made album then dubbed onto a bad Maxell or TDK cassette. Reminds me of my dubbed copy of The Joshua Tree, which was a copy of a copy of a copy. No wonder I never could hear the supposed grandeur of that album.

There’s something else, though. Something unfinished about this music in an unappealing way. It’s like they have hooks, but no melodies.

Anyway, they’re not evil and I don’t hate their fans. I’m just happy with them passing me by. I do wonder if I’ve heard too much music, too much alt/indie/punk-type sounds, so this just sounds old-hat to me.

Feel free to let me know if I’m missing something, if I’m full of crap.

Interview Liars

Posted by Oats

Nov 032009

Hey everyone, let’s name some notable rock folks who almost certainly tell lies frequently when being interviewed. Steely Dan have long mastered the art of turning Q&As into their own personal Marx Brothers routines. I am convinced that Paul Westerberg routinely changes his answers to questions about The Replacements, possibly out of boredom. I bet both PW and the Dan learned their craft by studying Bob Dylan interviews.

Also, who should start lying more when being interviewed? Rollins, yes. The Boss, sure. Paul McCartney, definitely.

(I’ll admit that my interest in this topic is partially due to disenfranchisement with the whole interviewing thing, the idea that you can get an even minor rock star to provide a “teachable moment” by revealing something about themselves and their art. It’s not so much that it’s impossible, but do people care anymore? Maybe some rockers may reveal more of themselves when they’re covering up their tracks.)

Way Weird Albums from Major Labels

Posted by Oats

Sep 152009

Here’s my own personal They Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To gripe. I’m at the point of my life where I mourn the passing of 120 Minutes‘ ’90s heyday, when they showed videos by weirdo bands that had managed to snare major-label contracts.

Arguably, there is no weirder album from this era than Shudder To Think‘s Pony Express Record (Epic), which mixes glam, prog, hardcore, pop, beat poetry, and rock ‘n’ roll, probably in that order. It has a twisted sensibility which gloriously sets it apart from a lot of the painfully earnest rock of that era. Also, this is an album that you have to hear a couple of times to understand. (I actually picked it up in a used bin about 2 years ago.) The album doesn’t present itself as a mass-pleasing easy-to-love hook-fest. You have to meet it on its terms, and I’d argue it’s a rewarding experience.

I bet the above video will piss off a number of you for any number of reasons. (These comments from lead singer Craig Wedren make for a good read.) So tell me about your favorite Way Weird Albums From Major Labels, all the better if, like Pony Express Record, they were perhaps-inevitable commercial failures. Also, am I wrong in thinking these kinds of albums don’t come out anymore?

A few other notes:

1) Shudder To Think reunited a year ago, and have just released a live album, which you can stream for now here.

2) If you can track down their rendition of “The Ballad of Maxwell Demon” from Velvet Goldmine, you can hear the best fake Bowie song ever. Sadly, the version on YouTube is from the film, featuring the band’s backing track, but with that unfortunate lead actor singing lead instead of Wedren.

Great Backsides

Posted by Oats

Jun 302009

I’m listening to Neil Finn‘s first solo album, Try Whistling This, right now. There are fine songs spread all across the disc, but the last five songs are especially strong, and flow especially well together. Can you name other albums save most or all of the strongest songs for the end?

(Incidentally, I believe Neil Finn is one of the best songwriters around, and I will fight you on this.)

The Perfect Storm

Posted by Oats

May 192009

Lately, I’ve been coming across a lot of articles online that attempt to show neophytes and the hippie-averse how to learn to love, or at least approach, The Grateful Dead.

How To Get Into The Grateful Dead

Resonant Frequency #59: Broken Thoughts and Hand-Me-Downs

Dead Reckoning: What Your Favorite Grateful Dead Song Says About You

For some reason, I love to read these articles, even as I remain apprehensive about listening to The Dead. But that’s neither here nor there.

I’m wondering what other artists that could serve as the subject of these kinds of articles. I surmise: Not that many. This is because The Grateful Dead are the Perfect Storm of bands.

The Reasons:

1) They jam. And even beyond that, there is something in the organization of their sound, something about the laid-back-ness perhaps, that easily turns a lot of people off.

2) They have a voluminous catalog, especially with all the bootlegs and whatnot. Steely Dan turn a lot of people off with their jazz chords and tasty licks, but they do not have a legendary live career and tapers’ community.

2) Their fans are hippies. Zappa doesn’t get as much hatred as the Dead, I think partially because people respect his lifelong disdain for hippies.

But I’d love to be proven wrong. Is any other band such a Perfect Storm of love and hate as The Grateful Dead? Did I miss any other aspects of The Dead’s Perfect Storm? Do let me know.

Do The Doors Actually Suck?

Posted by Oats

Apr 102009

Yes, Jim Morrison was a bad poet with a ridiculous persona. Yes, Ray Manzarek is still smugly obsequious nearly 40 years after Jimbo’s death. And yes, that tour with Stewart Copeland and the dude from The Cult is one of the most pathetic attempts to keep a boomer-rock brand on the shelves waaaaayyy past its sell-by date.

But do The Doors suck? Like, is their music that bad? They had a kinda seedy punk-rock intensity about them, like The Velvets. They had jazz and blues chops that, to my ears, are more appealing than those of The Grateful Dead. They managed to convey both of the above in their singles, which are often hella punchy and catchy to boot.

I mean, if you think “Light My Fire” sucks, but “Marquee Moon” is awesome, that’s a little strange, right? You should have some really solid data backing up your statement, I think.

I’m not saying I’m a Doors fan all of a sudden. I just wonder if there’s an objective reason for saying they suck. But more importantly, I’d like to hear what Townspeople really think of The Doors.

Who Is the Second-Most Crucial Member of Talking Heads?

Posted by Oats

Feb 252009

Inspired by a mini-debate in the Cool Pass thread, I’d like to toss this query into the Hall.

A few ground rules:

1) Eno most certainly does not count.

2) No Talking, Just Head, by The Heads, the Byrne-less incarnation of the band, is completely irrelevant.

3) Much as I kind of want to, we should not hold Jerry Harrison‘s production credits for cheesy ’90s alt-rockers like Live and Big Head Todd and the Monsters against him.

4) At the same time, I resolve to not let my undying love for “Genius of Love” by the Tom Tom Club color my opinion.

Tina Weymouth is an obvious choice, even from a purely musical basis. The bass lines to “Psycho Killer” and “Once in a Lifetime” are iconic pop hooks in and of themselves. Me, I’ve always loved a lesser-known one, “Found a Job.” But does her constant head-butting with Byrne add or subtract points?

I feel bad for Harrison, the utility player. People probably credit other people (Byrne, Eno, Adrian Belew) for the best guitar and/or keyboard bits on Talking Heads songs. But they could get pretty atmospheric, and a subtle player like him might have had something to do with that, right? Plus, he co-wrote “Heaven”; that’s got to count for something.

Chris Franz is not the most versatile musician in the world, but I think he was the perfect drummer for this band. He was especially good at keeping the beat grounded, as they got more and more polyrhythmic. Plus, he seems like the most agreeable band member, a personality type they obviously so desperately needed to keep things from totally melting down. Maybe he should’ve joined The Ramones too.

So right now I want to give the edge to Weymouth, but I can be convinced otherwise.

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