This week in music listening, featuring patent-pending two-word reviews:
The Tragically Hip: Now For Plan A - streamlined songs
Robert Pollard: Jack Sells the Cow - good rockers
AC Newman: Shut Down the Streets - mellower pop
Stereolab: Sound-Dust - endless interesting
Funkadelic: Maggot Brain - never better
Jane’s Addiction: The Great Escape Artist - U2 maturity
The Smiths: Meat Is Murder - Marr masterpieces
Showing posts with label robert pollard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label robert pollard. Show all posts
Rock ‘n Roll Confessions
Even though I play rock music critic each week on a podcast with my buddy Jason, that doesn’t mean I don’t have some glaring omissions in my rock ‘n roll resume. Some are just “I never got around to it” admissions, and some are widely appreciated/derided artists or bands that I have not been on the popular side of the opinion fence.
I decided to clear my dirty laundry and just make with the confessions, here goes:
1. I Can’t Stand Bob Dylan. Don’t like the voice, dislike most of the songs I’ve heard, find him annoying as a personality.
2. I Should, But I ‘ve Never Listened To a Pink Floyd Album. Dark Side of the Moon? The Wall? Never listened to them all the way through, just a few songs here and there.
3. They Don’t Get Respect, But I Really Like Tears For Fears. So I’ve dissed Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd, but I’m giving love to Tears For Fears. I’m probably in rock ‘n roll jail for that. Too bad. Great harmonies, fantastic songwriting, unfairly lumped in with lesser pop bands of the same era.
4. I Know I’m Supposed to Bow Down To Their Genius, But I Can’t When It Comes To Robert Pollard, Guided By Voices, and all of his various musical endeavors. 10% of what Bob writes is genius, 90% is either half-baked or self-indulgent. Everyone needs an editor.
5. A Song I Wish I’d Written Is The Good Life by Weezer. Weezer has so many good songs, but this one speaks to me on a personal level. Plus, it’s just a great, smart, pop rock song.
6. My Favorite Crank It And Sing-A-Long In The Car Song Is Birth Ritual by Soundgarden. The best part is, I can’t hear how bad I’m singing when I sing along, because Chris Cornell is so damn loud.
7. A Song I Never Change When It Comes On The Radio Is The Spirit of Radio by Rush. And as my wife Katie will attest, that goes for many Rush songs. Luckily, she’s a good sport and will actually sing along to the “OF SALESMEN!” part in the bridge.
8. A Popular Current Artist/Band Who I’ve Never Actually Heard Is Ke$ha.
9. The One Artist/Band That Can Do No Wrong In My Book Is Greg Dulli. Even Mr. Dulli’s lesser work is still far more interesting than other artists best work.
10. If I Could Be Any Musician For Five Minutes It Would Be Jimi Hendrix at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 playing Wild Thing. Just watch.
Jimi Hendrix - Wild Thing - Monterey '67 from Al Sim on Vimeo.
I decided to clear my dirty laundry and just make with the confessions, here goes:
1. I Can’t Stand Bob Dylan. Don’t like the voice, dislike most of the songs I’ve heard, find him annoying as a personality.
2. I Should, But I ‘ve Never Listened To a Pink Floyd Album. Dark Side of the Moon? The Wall? Never listened to them all the way through, just a few songs here and there.
3. They Don’t Get Respect, But I Really Like Tears For Fears. So I’ve dissed Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd, but I’m giving love to Tears For Fears. I’m probably in rock ‘n roll jail for that. Too bad. Great harmonies, fantastic songwriting, unfairly lumped in with lesser pop bands of the same era.
4. I Know I’m Supposed to Bow Down To Their Genius, But I Can’t When It Comes To Robert Pollard, Guided By Voices, and all of his various musical endeavors. 10% of what Bob writes is genius, 90% is either half-baked or self-indulgent. Everyone needs an editor.
5. A Song I Wish I’d Written Is The Good Life by Weezer. Weezer has so many good songs, but this one speaks to me on a personal level. Plus, it’s just a great, smart, pop rock song.
6. My Favorite Crank It And Sing-A-Long In The Car Song Is Birth Ritual by Soundgarden. The best part is, I can’t hear how bad I’m singing when I sing along, because Chris Cornell is so damn loud.
7. A Song I Never Change When It Comes On The Radio Is The Spirit of Radio by Rush. And as my wife Katie will attest, that goes for many Rush songs. Luckily, she’s a good sport and will actually sing along to the “OF SALESMEN!” part in the bridge.
8. A Popular Current Artist/Band Who I’ve Never Actually Heard Is Ke$ha.
9. The One Artist/Band That Can Do No Wrong In My Book Is Greg Dulli. Even Mr. Dulli’s lesser work is still far more interesting than other artists best work.
10. If I Could Be Any Musician For Five Minutes It Would Be Jimi Hendrix at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 playing Wild Thing. Just watch.
Jimi Hendrix - Wild Thing - Monterey '67 from Al Sim on Vimeo.
This Week In Music: 9/17-9/23
This week in music listening, featuring patent-pending two-word reviews:
Radio 4: Stealing of a Nation – average dancepunk
Ministry: The Last Sucker – pummeling rhythms
FireHouse: Hold Your Fire – plentiful riffs
ZZ Top: La Futura – couple gems
Vandenberg: Vandenberg – quality debut
Rush: Hemispheres – difficult ambition
Stereolab: Refried Ectoplasm (Switched on Vol. 2) – mixed bag
Superdrag: The Fabulous 8-Track Sound of Superdrag – urgent rock
Ben Folds Five: The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind – welcome return
Robert Pollard With Doug Gillard: Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department – matured songwriting
Minus The Bear: Infinity Overhead – better Bear
Radio 4: Stealing of a Nation – average dancepunk
Ministry: The Last Sucker – pummeling rhythms
FireHouse: Hold Your Fire – plentiful riffs
ZZ Top: La Futura – couple gems
Vandenberg: Vandenberg – quality debut
Rush: Hemispheres – difficult ambition
Stereolab: Refried Ectoplasm (Switched on Vol. 2) – mixed bag
Superdrag: The Fabulous 8-Track Sound of Superdrag – urgent rock
Ben Folds Five: The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind – welcome return
Robert Pollard With Doug Gillard: Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department – matured songwriting
Minus The Bear: Infinity Overhead – better Bear
This Week In Music: 9/10-9/16
This week in music listening, featuring patent-pending two-word reviews:
Quasi: When the Going Gets Dark – mixed variety
Rocket From The Crypt: Paint As a Fragrance – quality introduction
Cabaret Voltaire: The Crackdown – dance variant
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion: Orange – flavorful blues
Mudhoney: Under a Billion Suns – sludgy grunge
Robert Pollard: We All Got Out of the Army – more meandering
Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments: No Old Guy Lo-Fi Cry – no go
Jon Brion: Paranorman Soundtrack – playful fun
It Was Made in Northeast Ohio Compilation – time capsule
Trixter: Trixter – catchy pop-metal
Juliana Hatfield: How to Walk Away – mature pop
Nuggets of American College Rock 1987: interesting archive
Sloan: Pretty Together – varied styles
The Twilight Singers: Live in Amsterdam, 11-28-06 – ripping live
Quasi: When the Going Gets Dark – mixed variety
Rocket From The Crypt: Paint As a Fragrance – quality introduction
Cabaret Voltaire: The Crackdown – dance variant
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion: Orange – flavorful blues
Mudhoney: Under a Billion Suns – sludgy grunge
Robert Pollard: We All Got Out of the Army – more meandering
Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments: No Old Guy Lo-Fi Cry – no go
Jon Brion: Paranorman Soundtrack – playful fun
It Was Made in Northeast Ohio Compilation – time capsule
Trixter: Trixter – catchy pop-metal
Juliana Hatfield: How to Walk Away – mature pop
Nuggets of American College Rock 1987: interesting archive
Sloan: Pretty Together – varied styles
The Twilight Singers: Live in Amsterdam, 11-28-06 – ripping live
This Week In Music: 6/25-7/1
This week in music listening, featuring patent-pending two-word reviews:
Butch Walker: Rise & Fall of Butch Walker & The Let’s-Go-Out-Tonites – seventies-ish pop
Van Duren: Idiot Optimism – seventies-ish singer/songwriterism
Pete Townshend: The Iron Man: A Musical – huge mistake
Robert Pollard: Lord of the Birdcage – poetic interpretations
Vandenberg: Heading for a Storm – lightweight metal
Throwing Muses: Throwing Muses – surprising rock
Ryan Smith: Waiting – midwestern PostalService-esque
Rush: Grace Under Pressure – electronic overload
Dead Can Dance: Anastasis – moody darkness
Royal Thunder: Cvi – soulful metal
Genesis: Genesis – Collins best
Butch Walker: Rise & Fall of Butch Walker & The Let’s-Go-Out-Tonites – seventies-ish pop
Van Duren: Idiot Optimism – seventies-ish singer/songwriterism
Pete Townshend: The Iron Man: A Musical – huge mistake
Robert Pollard: Lord of the Birdcage – poetic interpretations
Vandenberg: Heading for a Storm – lightweight metal
Throwing Muses: Throwing Muses – surprising rock
Ryan Smith: Waiting – midwestern PostalService-esque
Rush: Grace Under Pressure – electronic overload
Dead Can Dance: Anastasis – moody darkness
Royal Thunder: Cvi – soulful metal
Genesis: Genesis – Collins best
This Week In Music: 5/14-5/20
This week in music listening, featuring patent-pending two-word reviews:
Robert Pollard: Kid Marine – consistently inconsistent
Queensryche: Hear In The Now Frontier – grungy turn
Drive Like Jehu: Yank Crime – raw aggression
Peter Gabriel: Untitled 3 (Melt) – reduced artiness
Ministry: Early Trax – synth pop
Hot Hot Heat: Make Up the Breakdown – poppy post-punk
The Jeff Healey Band: Feel This – lacking inspiration
R.L. Burnside: Mr Wizard – bluesy weirdness
The Smashing Pumpkins: Siamese Dream (Remastered) – unimpeachable greatness
Blinker The Star: We Draw Lines – melodic candy
Stereolab: Mars Audiac Quintet – drone-y beats
Robert Pollard: Kid Marine – consistently inconsistent
Queensryche: Hear In The Now Frontier – grungy turn
Drive Like Jehu: Yank Crime – raw aggression
Peter Gabriel: Untitled 3 (Melt) – reduced artiness
Ministry: Early Trax – synth pop
Hot Hot Heat: Make Up the Breakdown – poppy post-punk
The Jeff Healey Band: Feel This – lacking inspiration
R.L. Burnside: Mr Wizard – bluesy weirdness
The Smashing Pumpkins: Siamese Dream (Remastered) – unimpeachable greatness
Blinker The Star: We Draw Lines – melodic candy
Stereolab: Mars Audiac Quintet – drone-y beats
This Week In Music (4/30-5/6)
This week in music listening, featuring patent-pending two-word reviews:
Redd Kross: Neurotica – kitsch pop
Ministry: Dark Side of the Spoon – auto pilot
Kix: Blow My Fuse – acceptably derivative
Rush: Feedback – uninspired retreads
Mudhoney: Here Comes Sickness – Best of BBC Recordings – raw bursts
Juliana Hatfield: Bed – quirky pop
Funkadelic: Hardcore Jollies – glorified demos
The Desert Sessions: Volumes 3 & 4 – true stoner
Robert Pollard: The Crawling Distance – psych-rock gems
The Jim Carroll Band: I Write Your Name – new-wave poetry
L.A. Guns: Cocked & Loaded – hair/glam classic
Medicine: Her Highness – blissed-out trippiness
Slaughter: Stick It to Ya – superior musicianship
Stereolab: Margerine Eclipse – groovy Frenchness
Survivor: Greatest Hits – montage heavy
Tindersticks: Can Our Love… – mellow weirdness
Monster Truck 005: Singles – indecipherable noise-rock
Redd Kross: Neurotica – kitsch pop
Ministry: Dark Side of the Spoon – auto pilot
Kix: Blow My Fuse – acceptably derivative
Rush: Feedback – uninspired retreads
Mudhoney: Here Comes Sickness – Best of BBC Recordings – raw bursts
Juliana Hatfield: Bed – quirky pop
Funkadelic: Hardcore Jollies – glorified demos
The Desert Sessions: Volumes 3 & 4 – true stoner
Robert Pollard: The Crawling Distance – psych-rock gems
The Jim Carroll Band: I Write Your Name – new-wave poetry
L.A. Guns: Cocked & Loaded – hair/glam classic
Medicine: Her Highness – blissed-out trippiness
Slaughter: Stick It to Ya – superior musicianship
Stereolab: Margerine Eclipse – groovy Frenchness
Survivor: Greatest Hits – montage heavy
Tindersticks: Can Our Love… – mellow weirdness
Monster Truck 005: Singles – indecipherable noise-rock
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