Maximum R&R, etc.
22 reasons why music doesn't suck
by Bob Gulla
Guy Clark
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If I've heard it once, I've heard it every day for the last five
years. "Today's music sucks. There's nothing good out. How come nobody makes
good records?" There's a sense among many music enthusiasts that no one knows
how to write and record good music anymore. But the reality is, at least for my
thirtysomething friends, that music simply doesn't mean as much to them
anymore. They've outgrown the fanaticism they once had, the impulses that urged
them to buy a new 7" the day it came out. They've outgrown the idea of music as
an excitable power, something that could help you through a day. They've
discovered as their responsibilities increase there are more important things
on which to spend money and time. Of course, they won't admit to the fact that
they just can't be bothered taking time to search through the bins, scouring
fanzines for hidden gems, and scanning the web for bands that might help them
see music anew. That would mean they weren't "hip" anymore.
Instead they use excuses; they complain about the state of rock music and how
bands today aren't nearly as good as bands they grew up loving. But what they
really mean is they're disappointed that music doesn't play as important a role
in their lives as it used to. The music that once lit a fire under every
activity, the music that once seemed so indispensible to life, isn't even worth
a trip down to the record store anymore. It's a sobering thought that has
something to do with getting older. Admit it.
This is a long-winded way of saying that this year has, contrary to what many
might think, been another pretty good year for music. The corporate climate
certainly changed over the past year and most young bands' balls are getting
squeezed pretty good when it comes to putting out and distributing records, but
if you look around, make the effort, the music you'll find will still
invigorate and encourage you. Then again, if all you listen to is FM rock radio
and all you watch is MTV, I can see where you'd disagree, but widen the focus a
little and see what comes into view.
The following is a list of independent and independent-minded releases that
slipped into record stores under the radar and pretty much remained there.
While you won't find inspired and highly-noticed efforts like Rage's Battle
of Los Angeles and Stone Temple Pilots' No.4, you will find less
publicized major label releases sprinkled throughout this list, too.
Boo Radleys: Kingsize (The Music Cartel)
The Flaming Lips: Soft Bulletin (Warner Bros.)
Now broken up, Martin Carr and the Boo Radleys made some incredibly inventive
rock and roll over the years and Kingsize, their final attempt at
commercial recognition, is a landmark work of rich, symphonic rock. Ditto for
the Flaming Lips, who may not break up any time soon, but have their sites set
on recording -- by mistake, most likely -- the great American rock album.
Olivia Tremor Control: Black Foliage: Animation Music by the Olivia
Tremor Control (Flydaddy)
What began as a stoned lark among friends now represents some of independent
music's most credible and talented conceptualists. Long live artistic
freedom!
Tom Waits: Mule Variations (Epitaph)
Most everyone who listens to music for a living has voted this one in as a
contender for Record of the Year, which likely doesn't mean much to anyone
outside the journalistic community. But the record is a fine, if obvious, look
at the best aspects of Waits's erudite-barfly songwriting persona.
Jason Falkner: Can You Still Feel? (Elektra)
Matthew Sweet: In Reverse (Volcano)
Joe Henry: Fuse (Mammoth)
This trio of perennially and tragically overlooked pop songwriters could
singlehandedly keep the flame of perfect pop music alive; Falkner with his
taste, Henry with his unique sense of style, and Sweet with his soulful
instincts and visceral feel.
Gomez: Liquid Skin (Virgin)
Youthful and spontaneous, Gomez doesn't spend much time limiting themselves to
the ambiguous parameters of pop music. Rather they allow themselves to be taken
wherever a song demands. The musical freedom they espouse is palpable and the
result is formidable.
Cafe Bleu Presents Who What Where How & When (Modern World
Recordings)
Eighteenth Street Lounge Music Presents Easy Tempo (8th Street
Lounge Music)
Two collections of pop, created on opposite sides of the world -- Cafe
Bleu in Los Angeles, Easy Tempo in Italy -- that provide constant
affirmation that all is not lost in the world of modern and alt.rock. Either of
these -- the latter is a vibrant new lounge comp -- is guaranteed to put a
smile on your face and a (new) song in your heart.
Mountain Heart (Doobie Shea)
Leftover Salmon: The Nashville Sessions (Hollywood)
Hands down, bluegrass is the fastest growing of America's indigenous music
styles, and these two records -- heartstoppingly dexterous, soulfully rendered,
and absolutely beautiful -- are excellent reasons why.
Peter Himmelman: Love Thinketh No Evil (Koch)
Like so many pure songwriters before him, Peter Himmelman is forever doomed to
achieve less than he deserves, but that doesn't stop this gargantuan talent
from making consistently brilliant records, even if he's certain he and a
handful of friends will be the only ones to hear them.
Emperor: Equilibrium IX (Century Media)
Moonspell: The Butterfly Effect (Century Media)
Entombed: Same Difference (Earache)
The best metal is no longer being made on these shores. Emperor, a black metal
juggernaut from Norway, Entombed, a post-grunge powerhouse from Sweden, and
Moonspell, an art-metal bunch out of Lisbon, Portugal made three of the most
stunning loud rock records of the year. For those searching for something more
than the pitbull rock of our not-so-poor American cousins like Korn and Limp
Bizkit, check out this stuff.
Billy Nicholls: Would You Believe (Castle/Sequel)
Ronnie Lane: April Fool (New Millennium Communications)
More proof as to why the Small Faces should be universally acknowledged as
the best ever rock and roll band. On the first disc, they provide back up to
Billy Nicholls, who performs England's answer to Pet Sounds. On the
latter, a double disc out of Japan, they accompany member Ronnie Lane on a
handful of rock's most enduring cuts, including "Itchycoo Park" and "Lazy
Sunday." Expensive imports, but worth it.
Guy Clark: Cold Dog Soup (Sugar Hill)
Many say that Clark is well past his best material, but a listen to this one
might stop the naysayers in their tracks. This stuff is pure folk poetry,
intimate in scope and charming in performance.
Cobra Verde: Nightlife (Motel)
John Petkovic, formerly of the awesome Death of Samantha, is back with the
gang to prove why they're the greatest band ever to set foot out of Cleveland.
Glamorous, evocative, and full-throttle rock.
Sebadoh: The Sebadoh (Sub Pop/ Sire)
I really wanted to write this band off as a done deal, hoping that they'd just
take a hike and come back as a different band. Not so, luckily. This is their
finest album since "Smash Your Head on a Punk Rock" and testament to the band's
newfound songwriting vigor.
Freakwater: End Time (Thrill Jockey)
Rather than prove they're some kind of freak, Appalachian-cum-Hollywood
roots-rock experiment ala Gillian Welch, Janet Beveridge Bean and Catherine Ann
Irwin of Freakwater continue to search the deep backwoods for their true
country roots. They find them again and again on End Time.