497: Public Enemy - Yo! Bum Rush The Show

Release Date: January 26, 1987
Label: Def Jam/Columbia

Well, I got bored tonight, and decided to listen to the next album on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time (if you're keeping track, this is the fourth one I've listened to since starting this monumental task).  That would be Public Enemy's debut Yo! Bum Rush The Show.

I'm not the biggest hip hop fan in the world, but I can appreciate a good rap now and then.  I'm a big Beasties fan, I've listened to Straight Outta Compton a handful of times, and I've even heard Public Enemy's Fear of a Black Planet and It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.  When I listen to rap, I typically like it to be clever, not about sex and drugs, and socially conscious.  That rules out almost all rap you hear on the radio.

I especially appreciate 80s rap.  In the 80s, rap was all about rhymes and samples, and rappers were just average kids from a rough neighborhood freestyling about the system holding them down.  And it worked, because they weren't multimillionaires rolling around in nice cars and big mansions.  They really did live in a society where the black kids lived in a dangerous Brooklyn ghetto, and the white people all worked in offices in the Financial District.  This is 1980s New York, and, having lived in black neighborhoods in The Bronx, I find rap about race issues in 1980s New York to be culturally interesting.  Just watch Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing."  It even prominently features Public Enemy's own "Fight The Power."

Now back to Yo! Bum Rush.  This is very 1980s.  The lyrics actually rhyme, and the rhythms are very straightforward.  And of course, they're all about fighting the power:

And those who lack, the odds are stacked
The one who makes the money is white, not black
You might not believe it, but it's like that

Group leader Chuck D has one of the best voices in rap, and he is an expert at vocal inflection and tone.  Check out the track "Rightstarter (Message to a Black Man)."  It's Chuck D at his finest, and an example that every boring, monotone modern rapper should perhaps take a look at.

Don't worry, it's not all serious.  They can boast with the best of them:

Oh yes, I presume it's the tunes - that make us groom
To make all the ladies swoon
But it's also the words from our direction - a goldboy session
Kickin' like Bruce Lee's chinese connection

 This is definitely not for everybody.  If you don't like the socially conscious lyrics, you might get bored of this quickly.  If you hate rap, you'll probably want to shut this off before the first song is over.  But if you have any appreciation for hip-hop whatsoever, or just find black culture in any way fascinating, this is definitely one you should at least listen to once.  It's been called one of the most influential hip hop albums of all time.  I'd say if you liked "Do The Right Thing," you'd like this.  It is, after all, the soundtrack to the slice of society that the movie depicts.

Standout tracks: Sophisticated Bitch, Rightstarter, Yo! Bum Rush The Show

★★★☆

New Release: Chris Thile & Michael Daves - Sleep With One Eye Open

Release Date: May 10, 2011
Label: Nonesuch

Here's a little preview into the future... It is May 9th, and I am listening to an album which does not come out until May 10th.  It's not time travel; for some reason, MOG already has it available to stream.

I decided I wanted to listen to this for a few reasons:

(a) I have a man crush on Chris Thile.  From Nickel Creek, to Punch Brothers, to his more traditional solo work, everything this guy is involved in is good.  Thile is known for his prowess on the mandolin, and his kinda-like-Thom-Yorke-but-less-harsh voice, but his most appealing attribute in my mind is his creativity (and his proclivity for performing bluegrass covers of Radiohead songs is pretty cool, too).  Punch Brothers is one of the most exciting bands around today.

(b) Chris Thile and Michael Daves have a Friday morning time slot on the main stage at Telluride next month.  I figure I ought to familiarize myself with their material, in order to make the show more enjoyable.

(c) I downloaded the free mp3 they offered a few weeks back of their rendition of "My Little Girl in Tennessee," and I quite liked it.

Before I heard the "Little Girl" mp3, I thought this would be a traditional bluegrass band, with a guitar, mandolin, bass, banjo, and maybe a fiddle.  Presumably, Thile and Daves would be the creative force, and hire studio musicians to play the other parts.  I noticed right away that the song is a true duet: it is no more than Thile on mandolin, Daves on guitar, and both singing harmony.  This immediately made the project a little more interesting to me.

A few songs in, I realized that, while this is stylistically similar to traditional bluegrass, there are a few elements that make this somewhat more interesting than your local bluegrass band.  First of all, the arrangements can be very chaotic.  I am more than a little impressed with Daves' guitar playing, and as much as I like Thile, I think the guitar work is what makes this work.  A few songs in, the playing reaches such a blistering pace that you think there's no way they'll be able to hold it together, but amazingly, they do.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have slow, peaceful songs like "Bury Me Beneath The Willow," with relatively sparse, and more disciplined, instrumentation.  Amazingly, at both ends of the spectrum, it doesn't feel like the instrumentation is lacking; the guitar and mandolin do a more than adequate job at creating a sound that is both melodic and percussive.

It should be noted that everything here is essentially a cover; several of the songs are traditional, and several more are originally written by Flatt, Scruggs, and Monroe, among others.  There are no originals; none of Thile's interesting prog-grass inventions.  Just two very talented musicians offering their own interpretations of old bluegrass and traditional standards.  It could be said that this allows them to focus more on the technical aspects of the music, and less on formulating lyrics and melodies.


Rabbit in the Log from Chris Thile & Michael Daves on Vimeo.

An album like this needs to be placed in its proper context to be really appreciated.  This album is not breaking any new ground; it's not a display of songwriting genius; it's virtually impossible to bond with this album on any emotional level.  Where this succeeds is as an exhibition of extraordinary guitar and mandolin technique, and perfectly matched vocal harmonies; and in that light, it is a lot of fun.  There is not a bad cut here (although 16 tracks may be a few too many).  I don't feel that, without it, my collection is lacking something, but I sure as heck enjoy listening to it.

★★★☆

New Release: Blackfield - Welcome To My DNA

Release Date (UK): March 28, 2011
Release Date (US): April 19, 2011
Label: KScope

If you haven't heard of Blackfield, which is probably very likely, they are an art rock collaboration between Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree fame and Israeli rock/pop star Aviv Geffen.  In case you didn't know, I am a huge Steven Wilson fan, and I consider him to be one of the best, most diverse, and most creative musicians of our time.  Blackfield is just one of several projects he has been involved with.

Even if you have heard every song Steven Wilson has ever recorded, you still haven't heard Blackfield.  This music is textured, melodious, and somewhat mellow.  The arrangements are simple; you don't hear the odd rhythms and frenzied dynamics which sometimes proliferate Porcupine Tree's work.

The first album, simply called Blackfield, featured a few tracks written by Wilson, a few by Geffen, and the rest credited to both.  The second, Blackfield II, featured a little less Wilson and a little more Geffen, but Wilson still made a significant contribution (including my favorite track, "Christenings," which was may have been an unused Porcupine Tree song, and partial credits for "Epidemic" and "1,000 People").

When I heard about the new album, Welcome To My DNA, I decided to go the vinyl route and preorder the hand numbered vinyl version limited to 2,000 copies (I got #491).

The first thing I noticed about this album was that Wilson was only credited with writing one song, "Waving."  This struck me as a little concerning; was Blackfield evolving from a Wilson/Geffen collaboration into a project solely owned by Geffen?  I always liked Wilson's work better, and it's not a surprise that "Waving" turned out to be the best track on this album.  What is surprising is that the album is still good.  Maybe Geffen's writing is improving (after the first few listens, I do like "Glass House" and "Far Away").  Maybe the fact that Steven Wilson is still in the producer's chair is holding it together.  Who knows.

The weakest point for Welcome To My DNA?  Easily the lyrics.  Someone needs to confiscate Geffen's pen and never give it back.  I find it hard to believe the guy who wrote the lyrics to "Cloudy Now" also wrote "Go To Hell."  The lyrics to "Go To Hell" are basically this (I don't have the album on hand right now, so I may be misquoting):

F*ck you all, f*ck you.
F*ck you all, f*ck you.
I don't care.

Go to hell, go to hell,
Go to hell, go to hell...

That's deep. (Musically, it's not bad, though)

As with the other Blackfield albums, I consider this to be good, beautifully produced music, but nothing groundbreaking.  Nobody, as far as I'm aware of, creates more richly layered and elegantly textured music than Steven Wilson, and this is not an exception.

Tracklist:

1	Glass House	2:56
2	Go to Hell	3:03
3	Rising of the Tide	3:47
4	Waving	3:54
5	Far Away	2:47
6	Dissolving With the Night	4:06
7	Blood	3:17
8	On the Plane	3:41
9	Oxygen	3:04
10	Zigota	5:04
11	DNA	3:56

★★★☆

500: Eurythmics - Touch

I've been having trouble thinking of new albums to review... The problem is, I've been indiscriminately listening to any and all albums that sound like they'd be even remotely appealing (thanks MOG), and unless something really grabs me, it's hard to make a case for a review... And if I only review albums that grab me, all of my reviews would be three or four stars... And let's face it, that'd be boring.

So, I thought of a new feature.  I recently read through Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and decided it would be cool to go through them, one by one, and listen to them.  Starting at #500.  And I would post my thoughts about each one here.

Of course, this will probably take years to do, and I'll likely give up at about #485.  But we'll see.

I figure I'll skip greatest hits albums and compilations, because, in my opinion, these shouldn't be considered.  We'll see about live albums when I get to one.  And it's also possible I skip a few I really, really do not want to listen to.

And here's #500... Eurythmics - Touch

Release Date: November 26, 1983 
Label: RCA Records

I wrote up that intro during the first track... Which was tolerable.  I typically don't like 80s music, so the fact that this is not driving me insane is promising.  The second track, "Regrets", is...also tolerable?  A little funky, which is nice.

We all know Eurythmics by their smash hit from their previous album, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" (which was famously (or maybe infamously) covered over a decade later by Marilyn Manson).  Eurythmics is a British duo consisting of Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart.  They recorded consistently throughout the 80s, before going into hiatus in the 90s.  They reunited to record one more album in the late 90s, and since have been limited to sporadic appearances.

 As I type this, I'm listening to the first track on this album I don't really care for: "Cool Blue." The funky bass is pretty cool, but the song is upbeat, with a strong dance beat.  I hate dance music.  That, and it has trite lyrics, like the repeated "How can I forget you baby? I'm never gonna give you up."  Ugh.  I hate the 80s.

"Who's That Girl?," the first single from the album (followed by the first and third tracks, "Here Comes The Rain Again" and "Right By Your Side"), is the first real slow song.  Once again, I hate the lyrics, but I kind of like this song.  It's got a nice foot-tapping groove, and it has a tone that really works.  Easily my favorite thus far.

Over half way through this album, and my first impression is that overall, I am pleasantly surprised.  I don't like synth, but it works here.  Part of that is probably because of a healthy dose of funky bass work, which is probably my favorite characteristic of this album.  Lennox's vocals also fit like a glove.  The lyrics are a weak point for me; I don't get the impression that Stewart and Lennox had anything to say.  They were making music for the sake of making music (which is not a bad thing in itself, but if none of the lyrics are making a point, it detracts somewhat from the human aspect of the music).  Unless I'm just missing the underlying message in repeating the lyrics "Don't touch me; don't talk to me about it" over and over.

The last couple tracks I've listened to, "Touch" and "No Fear, No Hate, No Pain (No Broken Hearts)," have been slower and funkier.  The former was a little boring and repetitive; I'm kind of digging the latter.  This is the most dynamic so far, and the added strings (apparently by the British Philharmonic, according to Wikipedia) are really working for me.

"Paint A Rumour" opens up with some really in-your-face synth.  I think the first minute or two was completely devoid of any organic instruments, but after that, the bass guitar and trumpets join the fray.

Tracklist:

1	Here Comes the Rain Again	4:54
2	Regrets	4:43
3	Right By Your Side	4:05
4	Cool Blue	4:48
5	Who's That Girl?	4:46
6	The First Cut	4:44
7	Aqua	4:36
8	No Fear, No Hate, No Pain (No Broken Hearts)	5:24
9	Paint a Rumour	7:30

The 2005 remastered version contains several more tracks, but I won't address those, as they weren't part of the original album.

Overall, I found this album enjoyable, despite its heavily synthesized 80s sound and boring lyrics.  There are a few tracks I'd add to my library, but I don't think I'd often have the patience to listen to this album straight through.

Here's a video, straight from the 80s:


★★★☆

New Release: David Lowery - The Palace Guards

Release Date: February 1, 2011
Label: 429 Records

 I remember the first exposure I had to David Lowery.  It was in the mid-90s, when I was in junior high or so, and just starting to really listen to popular music.  It just so happened that the Cracker song "Low" was a hit at the time, and I happened to really enjoy it.  I would sing along when I heard it on the radio.  For one reason or another, I never purchased Kerosene Hat until much, much later.

Fast forward a decade or so, to summer of 2004 (or maybe it was 2005).  Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers were doing their semi-annual Circus Mexicus show, which I attended in May of that year.  Opening?  Johnny Hickman.  Guitarist from Cracker.  The next summer I saw the same show, except Johnny Hickman and David Lowery were the opening act. And I happened to really enjoy it.  It was only after these shows that I finally decided to further investigate the music of this rock band called Cracker.

Before Cracker, Mr. Lowery was in another rock band called Camper Van Beethoven.  This band was apparently popular on college radio, and they had a minor hit with "Take The Skinheads Bowling."  In the early 90s, Lowery and Hickman formed Cracker, and had a #1 (on the Modern Rock chart) hit with "Teen Angst (What The World Needs Now)."  Then came "Low," after which Cracker sort of faded out into semi-obscurity.

The first album I checked out after seeing Hickman and Lowery was what was at the time their latest release, Greenland.  I *loved* this album.  It is mellow, but not boring, and I really discovered how much I like Lowery's witty lyrics.  He really does seem like a pretty smart guy.  Later on, Cracker released Sunrise In The Land of Milk And Honey, which I didn't like quite as much.  It is definitely a more rock-oriented album than we have seen recently (they did a bluegrass collaboration with the jamgrass band Leftover Salmon, and they released an album of country songs (mostly covers) that were performed on a tour as their alter-egos Ironic Mullet).

A month ago, I learned that Lowery would be releasing his first solo album, The Palace Guards.  Naturally, I purchased it.  This is definitely more mellow than anything we've had from Cracker.  It is more textured, and less guitar-oriented.  The wry lyrics still remain, and I have no idea what most of them are about.

Well, this one is pretty obvious:

All those girls meant nothing to me.
So won't you please take me back? 

On David Lowery's blog, you'll find numerous interesting musings on the meaning of many of these songs. It's interesting that "I Sold The Arabs The Moon," as nonsensical as it seems, actually refers to his experience seeing the Middle East from a helicopter, thinking about how all of civilization was formed there, and was influenced by the fertile crescent.  In David's words:

You get this sense of how small you are. How short your life is in the span of human history. How insignificant your small deeds and actions. At the same time you get a glimpse of the huge yet unseen forces that shape everything we do.... At an altitude like this you can see how the land shaped the people. At an altitude we all become philosophers.

"The Palace Guards" is a little less philosophical, and finds a very timely application today:

What I was getting at is that in my song “The Palace Guards” are a group of superheros who have crossed some sort of line. They’ve gone from being the public’s protectors to being overprotective, secretive and controlling. They’ve turned into Stalkers.

Yes it was intended to be a metaphor about the growing power of government!

Just kidding. It’s just an accident that it happens to work so well as a metaphor. Watching the protests in Egypt you could very well think of Mubarak and the ruling national democratic party as The Palace Guards.

David further explains that while the narrator starts out praising the guards in third person, he switches to first person, revealing that he is actually one of the guards.  He compares this to the conflict of interests inherent in state-run media.

Third person, at the beginning of the song:

The palace guards they’re working hard
They have your best interests at heart
They are making song of great enduring strength and beauty

 And then later:

I love you and cause i do
I hid your passport
I put you on a no fly list 

...maybe it's about our own government, too.

Tracklist:

1	Raise 'Em Up on Honey	4:27
2	The Palace Guards	3:40
3	Deep Oblivion	5:35
4	Ah, You Left Me	3:47
5	Baby, All Those Girls Meant Nothing to Me	4:07
6	I Sold the Arabs the Moon	4:03
7	Marigold	5:29
8	Big Life	4:25
9	Submarine	3:47

This album didn't, by any means, blow me away, but I like it, and I would recommend checking it out.  It really is fresh; Lowery has drummed up something legitimately interesting here.  Besides, it's pretty cheap on Amazon, and many of the tracks can be had for free at Lowery's blog.

Here is a video of the country-infused opening track (I think he was trying to make it as cheesy as possible):


My personal favorite:


★★★☆

Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit - Been Listening

Release Date (UK): June 7, 2010
Release Date (US): October 25, 2010
Label: Transgressive Records

This is one I've been wanting to review for awhile. I've had it since it was released in the US, about five weeks ago. The reason I hadn't gotten to it yet is that I wanted to give it a few listens before forming an opinion on it.

Since I already reviewed their previous album, I'll spare the background information and get right to this album.

Obviously, since I liked A Larum so much, I had been looking forward to this for awhile.  I listened to it right when I got it, and as it turns out...it didn't really grab me.  I couldn't say then and there that this is a solid album, and that you should go out and buy it.

 The album starts off well.  The first track, Kentucky Pill, is a thoughtful, mature folk tune, with a great sound.  Lost and Found is another thoughtful, mature folk tune, with a great tune.  Churlish May, like the first two tunes, has a moderate tempo, but some horns are added to the mix.

Right away, I noticed that this album features a more mature, well-developed sound than its predecessor (which I just pronounced "PREE de sess or" in my head, due to Johnny's English accent).  The songs are very tight, flow very well, and seem to reflect a more poetic and mellowed out Flynn.

The title track is a slow, peaceful folk ballad featuring a very slightly overdriven lead guitar, and vocals that seem to want to be reduced to only a whisper.  It is slow and plodding, but does not drag the way the only plodding song on their previous album, Brown Trout Blues, does.  Flynn has figured out how to write a good slow song.

Barnacled Warship, one of the highlights of the album for me, starts out with what sounds to my untrained ears like a cello (or maybe it's the bottom of a violin's range...who knows), and teases us with some of the awesome harmonies which made A Larum so great, and had more or less eluded us up to this point.  This is a good medium-paced song, but by now it feels someone lively.

Sweet William (Part 2) is another good track.  Livelier yet than the previous track, The Sussex Wit treat us to a cool banjo part, with some strings and horns in the mix.

At this point, they slow it down again, and we get a slow duet with Flynn and fellow London folk musician Laura Marling, called The Water.  Musically, this one is a little drab, albeit beautiful.  It's definitely new territory for Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit.

Howl is a slightly bluesy piece with a bit of angst in the chorus.  I'm torn on this one; in some ways, this is to this album what Brown Trout Blues was on the last, although this is a significantly better song, and a more dynamic one than we're used to from this band.  I think it may have worked better had it followed a more lively song.

The next track, Agnes, is lively, but unlike the lively tracks from the previous album, this actually sounds like a happy song.  While there is nothing wrong with optimistic lyrics, I do kind of miss the juxtaposition of dark lyrics with upbeat music.  Happy lyrics with upbeat music just isn't as cool.

Amazon Love is the slowest song on the whole album, with just a piano carrying most of the instrumental load.  It's an incredibly mellow track; possibly the most mellow on either album.  The Prizefighter And The Heiress also starts out relatively slow, but picks up halfway through, finishing the album on a strong note.

Tracklist:

1	Kentucky Pill	3:52
2	Lost and Found	3:41
3	Churlish May	4:02
4	Been Listening	5:16
5	Barnacled Warship	5:12
6	Sweet William, Pt. 2	5:00
7	The Water	4:12
8	Howl	4:44
9	Agnes	3:40
10	Amazon Love	5:39
11	The Prizefighter and the Heiress	5:06

It should be said that every track here is good.  This album's flaw is not in what it contains, but rather, what it is missing.  Gone is the lighthearted attitude that A Larum seemed to carry.  This is a serious album, rather than a fun one.  The strength of their first album lay in its being a toe-tappingly fun folk record, and this is (with the possible exception of the first track) almost entirely devoid of that element.  This at once leaves me a little disappointed, as I didn't get what I expected to get out of it, but also fairly confident that Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit are more than capable of growing musically, rather than releasing album after album of the same material.

Addendum: The US version comes with the Sweet William EP appended to the end of the album, consisting of these tracks:

1. The Mountain Is Burning
2. Trains
3. Sweet William
4. Drum

I'm not going to review them here; suffice it to say, they lean toward the mellow side.



★★★☆

La Strada - New Home

Release Date: April 20, 2010
Label: Ernest Jenning

Here's one that you might not have heard of.  La Strada is a relatively unknown Brooklyn band formed in 2007.  I'm not sure how I found these guys, but I heard a few tracks, and decided to purchase their album (their catalog consists of New Home, and their self-titled 2009 EP).  Considering the Wikipedia page for "La Strada (band)" points to some defunct Yugoslav band, this must be fairly obscure.

If I had to describe their sound in one phrase, it would be "a more upbeat Death Cab For Cutie."  It would probably be best categorized as Indie Pop/Rock, with a easy-on-the-ears sound, lots of melody, and a good instrumental depth.  One can get a sense of that by investigating the band's lineup:

James Craft - Accordian, Guitar, Lead Vocals
Devon Press - Bass, Guitar, Accordian and Vocals
Ted Lattis - Guitar, Vocals
Brady Miller - Drums, Vocals
Daniel Baer - Violin, Vocals

I have to say, I am actually fairly impressed with this album.  The whole thing was assembled very well, with a great flow that keeps you interested, some well-designed transitions between tracks, and sleek production.  It doesn't give you the feeling that they just threw whatever songs they had written into a box and shook it up (maybe that's what they did, but it doesn't sound that way).   Often times when I listen to what is termed "indie" music, it is too electronic or too lo-fi.  These guys are just a straightforward band who know what they are good at, and make good sounding, straightforward music.

There's really not a bad track on the album.  Most are upbeat, and all of them fully utilize their entire instrumental spectrum, with the strings featuring prominently, and a very clear guitar sound.

Here is the track list:

1	Go Forward	2:58
2	Julia	3:10
3	The Traveler	4:28
4	Wash on By	3:46
5	Baptism	3:11
6	My New Home	4:55
7	Where You Want to Go	2:17
8	There's Only Love	4:14
9	the Mountain Song	5:41
10	the Wedding Song	2:55
11	Shapes in the Sky	3:57
12	Mean That Much	4:04
13	Old Hill	3:32

Alas, this might be their last album.  A couple weeks ago, they announced they are breaking up in December.



★★★☆

Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit - A Larum

Release Date: July 29, 2008
Label: Lost Highway

 There's nothing like a thick British accent.  And nobody has a thicker British accent than Johnny Flynn.

Johnny Flynn (who is credited in acting roles as "Joe Flynn"... I don't know which, if either, is his real name) is relatively new on the scene, arising from the same English folk scene as Noah and the Whale and Mumford & Sons. His first album, A Larum, is title after the Middle English word for "Alarm."  I'm not sure if there is any significance to using a Middle English word for the title, but this album does have a sound that seems to hearken back to times past.  Certain passages have a bit of a Renaissance feel to them.

The album says "Johnny Flynn" on it, but the band is actually "Johnny Flynn and The Sussex Wit."  I don't know why they don't put the full band name; perhaps the label thought it would sell better if it's a "solo" record?  Personally, I think The Sussex Wit sounds cool.

Here is the track list:

1	The Box	3:36
2	The Wrote & The Writ	4:07
3	Tickle Me Pink	3:11
4	Brown Trout Blues	5:02
5	Eyeless in Holloway	4:05
6	Shore to Shore	4:23
7	Cold Bread	3:29
8	Wayne Rooney	4:18
9	Leftovers	4:16
10	Sally	3:35
11	Hong Kong Cemetery	4:51
12	Tunnels	3:08
13	All the Dogs are Lying Down	4:13
14	Shore to Shore (Reprise)	1:27

This is catchy, straightforward English folk rock with catchy tunes and excellent harmonies.  I especially like the use of the banjo in songs like "Eyeless in Holloway."  The lyrics do have a bit of a dark tone, which contrasts nicely with the upbeat melodies:

There's a man at hand, there's a way between
The sinking sand and a crooked dream
And collared off at the modern age of nine
Summoned off for walking down the line.

They lost eyes in old city streets
Where the funeral pyres burned the last of the meek. 

Or:

Monsters in the valley, and shootings in the alley
And people fall flat at every turn.
There is no straight and narrow, offload your wheelbarrow
And pick up your sticks and twigs to burn. 

I can honestly say the only dud here is "Brown Trout Blues."  It drags a little bit.  But the rest of the songs are great.  Definitely check out this one if you like English folk rock.



★★★☆

Sam Bush - Laps In Seven

Release Date: June 13, 2006
Label: Sugar Hill

If you haven't heard of Sam Bush, you probably don't listen to bluegrass music.  Singer, songwriter, and mandolin expert Bush has been redefining bluegrass for decades.  He got his start in the 60s, founded New Grass Revival, and released, to date, eight solo albums, of which Laps In Seven is the seventh.

Sam is also known as the "King of Telluride," because of his streak of 36 straight appearances at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival (out of a possible 37).

The title Laps In Seven came about after Sam noticed that his dog, Ozzie, was seemingly drinking his water in a seven beat pattern.  He made up a tune to go with it, which became the title track, which has a 7/4 time signature (which is rare for bluegrass).

The first album I ever heard which involved Sam Bush was New Grass Revival's 1984 (or was it 1986?) self-titled album.  It became a favorite of mine.  I have also heard the experimental supergroup Strength In Numbers' record, as well as Sam's most recent album, Circles Around You. All were great.

Laps does not have a bad song in the bunch.  It is an eclectic mix of modernized bluegrass covers and his own newgrass.  It starts out pretty subdued, as far as experimenting is concerned, but by the end, we hear electric guitar solos on overdrive ("River Take Me"), saxophones and organs ("White Bird"), and unusual time signatures ("Laps In Seven").

1	The River's Gonna Run (written by Julie Miller, featuring Emmylou Harris)	4:01
2	Bringing in the Georgia Mail (Fred Rose)	3:57
3	The Dolphin Dance	3:14
4	On the Road (John Hartford)	5:00
5	Ridin' That Bluegrass Train (written by Bush, John Pennell, featuring Tim O'Brien)	3:46
6	I Wanna Do Right (written by Bush, Jeff Black, featuring Shaun Murphy)	4:34
7	Where There's a Road (Robbie Fulks)	3:53
8	New Country(Jean Luc Ponty)	4:09
9	Ballad for a Soldier (Leon Russell)	4:35
10	River Take Me (Darrell Scott)	7:11
11	White Bird (David and Linda LaFlamme, featuring Andrea Zonn)	6:00
12	Laps in Seven (Bush, Byron House, Scott Vestal)	5:00

It's very difficult to pick favorites in this bunch.  I do think the album peaks near the end, which is a fresh change from many albums, which start off well and go downhill.  Sam Bush has cemented himself as one of the greatest in the genre, and maybe even all of music.  The only thing better than listening to a Sam Bush album is watching the Sam Bush Band play a 15 minute rendition of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame."

★★★☆

New Release: The Gracious Few

 Release Date: September 14, 2010
Label: Questionable Entertainment

 Anybody remember that old band, Live, from way back in the 90s?  With numerous radio hits (Selling the Drama, I Alone, All Over You, Lightning Crashes, Lakini's Juice, Turn My Head, The Dolphins Cry, just to name a few) spanning three or four solid albums, Live was a 90s mainstay.  What happened to them after The Distance To Here?  I don't know.  I never listened to anything from V on.  I think I heard V on a road trip way back in the day, and thinking it was pedestrian.

Well, apparently what happened, and don't quote me on this (quote Wikipedia instead), is that everybody in the band got sick of the lead singer, Ed.  They said he signed something unilaterally or something, and long story short, they can no longer be on the same stage with him.  So Chad Taylor, Chad Gracey, and Patrick Dahlheimer from Live got together with Kevin Martin and Sean Hennesy from Candlebox, and there you have it.  The Gracious Few.

This supergroup entered the scene with very little fanfare (either that, or I just haven't been paying attention to the correct media outlets).  Linkin Park, Robert Plant, Brandon Flowers, and Weezer all released albums the same day, so it is of little surprise that this one slipped under the radar.  Anyhow, here is the track list (favorites bolded):

1	Appetite	5:17
2	Honest Man	4:13
3	Guilty Fever	3:07
4	The Few	3:55
5	The Rest of You	4:02
6	Crying Time	5:29
7	Silly Thing	4:29
8	Closer	3:27
9	What's Wrong	4:37
10	Tredecim	4:17
11	Nothing But Love	5:28
12	Sing	5:37
13	All I Hear	4:32

My initial impression is that this CD rocks.  It has energy, it has rhythm, it is dynamic.  It is not overly technical, with the guys preferring a good jam over a lightning fast guitar solos.  One should think that, because the band consists of the remnants of Live, that it would be a fairly subdued album, with a few heavy tracks scattered here and there, but mostly mellow.  It is not like that at all... This is bona fide hard rock.  Indeed, this might be the best straight up rock album I've heard this year.  This is the album that demonstrates how good music can be without breaking any new ground.

So, what does this album mean for the future?  I don't know what the Candlebox situation is.  To be honest, I've never really followed that band.  As far as Live is concerned, with The Gracious Few on the job, will anybody be missing Ed and Live?  Ed who?

Here is a video for your fun and enjoyment:


★★★☆