Ga Ga Musical Interlude
It's been quite a year for alternative music, at least if you look at the charts. Huge album debuts from Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire, the White Stripes, Wilco, etc. The up-side of internet music sharing? Are people now less likely to actually buy those crappy pop albums, allowing the better rock offerings to climb higher (if not sell more)? Not my expertise. But it certainly seems related.
Luckily, there's actually been some good music this year too. The aforementioned Stripes and Wilco both put out good records. Pitchfork dubbed Wilco's beautifully subdued Sky Blue Sky "dad rock." Fine by me. My ears for the loud stuff ain't what they used to be. In that same vein, I've much enjoyed Patty Griffin's Children Running Through and Ron Sexsmith's Time Being, both of which flatter my desire for smart, tasteful rock & roll that doesn't pitch to the teenybops. (I've also been a little disappointed by Lucinda Williams's West, which drags after the affecting opener/single "Are You All Right?") Is it still "rock & roll" if it is smart and tasteful? The question makes my head hurt. But not as much as rap music does. Damned kids.
The best record I've heard so far this year? No question. Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. Even if you don't know Spoon by name, you've still probably heard them. They appear in lots of commercials and provided pretty much all the music for Stranger Than Fiction (with Will Farrell and Emma Thompson). Requisite rock equation: Cracker + Joe Jackson + Stewart Copeland's drumming ca. 1979. The last three Spoon CDs have all been pretty much perfect. Kill the Moonlight (2003) made them a top line alt rock band and got mammoth reviews, but for my money Gimme Fiction (2005) was even better: precise, staccato, new wave ecstasy. How could something so manicured be so visceral? (Oh, yeah, I'm old. Nearly forgot.) And now Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, which is brainy pop candy. Among other standouts, it includes "The Underdog" (Spoon's best single) and ends with "Black Like Me," maybe their prettiest and vulnerable song. Unfortunately, Mrs. TMcD's mom ears are aging faster than my dad ears, so she finds Spoon too intense, meaning that the Boo and I have to wait until she runs errands to rock out.
What am I missing? Have you guys heard anything good? (I'm still mentally processing the new Josh Rouse and New Porns.)
posted by tenaciousmcd @ 12:17 PM
3 Comments:
"The Mysterious Production of Eggs" by Andrew Bird is the best album of the past five years.
The only thing that even comes close, in my estimation, is an Iron & Wine/Calexico collaboration that resulted in a 7-song EP called "In the Reins."
This year's shining star is the soundtrack to the movie "Once" by Frames frontman Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.
Hey TMcD - how come no love for MTSU and their astounding offensive output against super-hyped Louisville? That deserved a post.
I saw The National here last week. It was a pretty good show, but I don't know if they're "best" or anything.
And that MTSU-UL game--makes me wonder a bit about Louisville's place in the rankings. No offense to the Blue Raiders intended, of course.
I love the one Andrew Bird song I've heard, and I've been itching for the CD but hadn't heard much about it beyond the "went hermit and recorded on a farm" schtick. I like that Iron & Wine EP a lot too, which is about right, b/c I like them in small to medium doses. The National have a really good single, working that Leonard Cohen thing out. I hear good things about the record but don't know if I'd expect them to be great live.
MTSU did have a hell of a run in that UL game. They had 35 points at halftime, scoring a TD every time they touched the ball, even though they trailed. But after years of "moral victories" as a Vandy fan, I tend to avoid trumpetting noble defeats.
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