One of the Greatest Songs Ever, or At Least One of the Greatest Build-ups

I am referring to "Raised Eyebrows" by New Jersey's own Feelies.

I must thank my friend and fellow music expert Sam Deutsch on a great comparison between this song and another song that shares the description provided by this entry's title "Here Come the Warm Jets" by Brian Eno. There are some very noticeable differences, but the overall structure - the constant build to a larger, more fluid climax most significantly adding vocals, are quite similar.

The four part song starts off dramatically, rather than building from nothing, the beginning of each part maintains the same energy, tension and volume as it will maintain throughout. The effects on each instrument really give the song its majesty, as on the first few listens it is hard to notice just how stiff the lead guitar is due to its reverb. Coupled with the very clean and loose rhythm guitar the lead provides the tension that makes this almost sugary near-instrumntal so memorable. The drums do live up to the albums title of Crazy Rhythms right from the beginning providing a hypnotic distraction more than keeping time in the first three parts.

The second section of the song, where the lead guitar plays more chords, though just as stiffly begins to tie each instrument together after the first release of rhythm guitar and sticked percussion. After another such break dominated more by an amplifier noise the bass builds the piece even further as all four instruments, with lead guitar playing longer notes with either another track or a well-used delay pedal, begin to really sound as if they are playing together.

After part three, comes one of the most intense releases in rock history a mere echoed double stick-click which commences one of the most fun and energetic rock-outs you're bound to hear, though definitely not the hardest. The tight rhythms section and lead guitar that comes directly from the heart of pop genius makes the first three sections of buildup unquestionably worthwhile, then the vocals come, as abstract, unintelligible, and moving as brilliant music can be, they transmit a feeling of pure joy that knows no language, and therefore no bounds.

In a sense, "Raised Eyebrows" is the best example of how much of the best music from this era was like sugar-coated Velvet Underground, but who could expect any less from one of the few (if only) American Artists on the legendary British label Stiff, home to the likes of Elvis Costello and, more importantly, Nick Lowe?

Simply, this song is perfect.



Up with the Beatles Butcher photo as favorite rock band pics ever.


but, either way, here is the entire album (which is going to be reissued some time soon) itself. Other choice cuts include "The Boy With the Perpetual Nervousness" and "Loveless Love"

The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms (1980)

The Strokes

In many ways, I think the Strokes has been one of the most controversial groups of recent times. Personally, I think they are also one of the best, at least to have emerged within the decade. The Strokes is also one of the few artists I would even compare to Guided by Voices, though they do not even approach that level of greatness. The group does invited this upon themselves, for better or worse by thanking Pollard and company in the liner notes of Is This It and sharing the screen in this fantastic video:



When I make this comparison I often get a strong negative response, even from people who do not have nearly as strong an affinity for Guided by Voices. While the personality of the Strokes differs from Guided by Voices, both bands have the same kind of honesty and genuine love and knowledge of rock music. Most prominently, is the lack of pretension, a statement that I am aware begs for trouble. First, the Strokes are accused to being pretentious, but this is of course, coming from people that seem to forget that New York City breeds arrogance, especially coupled with affluence and youth. Naturally, that attitude is there, but no more than should be assumed under these circumstances. Being older Midwestern drunks GbV gets these accusations more from their music which is often inaccessible. In reality, any close listen to either group will prove that both artists create their music out of a sincere love of the best rock music that has been made since the birth of the genre - whether inaccessible, pretensions, mainstream, artistic, or superficial. Both groups serve as the ultimate culmination of the quality that has been collecting over the years.

When the Strokes were still merely gaining a buzz almost seven years ago accusations of the band being a group of Velvet Underground impersonators circulated even more than fashionable photos of the group. However, when Is This It was finally released the comparison hardly came to mind, at least not any more than artists who had already been regarded as classic like the Raincoats or Talking Heads. What I did hear was everything I liked - traces of Television, the Stooges (to whom my guitar teacher immediately compared after seeing the "Last Nite" video"), and even some of the better indie rock of the time. That record, which I truly believe will stand as the only obvious classic rock of the decade thus far, represents everything great about rock and roll as of 2001 and emits the band's personality to a degree that is almost never heard anymore.

This is not the last you will read of my affinity for the Strokes.

My Introduction

I felt the need to make some kind of impact, to do something productive. I don't like digital media in general, but I think I can get some kind of point across here. I want to talk about music. I am quite knowledgeable, I believe. I typically don't like new music. I am not prejudiced, but most of it doesn't do anything for me, so why not have a young person talk about older music, right? It may be the strongest testament. Actually, "The Testament" was a title I was considering. I am rushing through this whole process at that moment, so it's all kind of sloppy, but I think it may mean a lot that such a title came to mind so quickly.

Basically, I will start off with a mere introduction. I am twenty years old, I am from New Jersey and go to school in Boston, I have been quite knowledgeable for most of my life. I don't really know why, but music has always mattered and I felt that knowing about it was as important as listening to it. Details will probably come up in later entries, so why elaborate now? So as a foundation I will say this: My favorite artists are Guided by Voices, The Beatles (obv), The Olivia Tremor Control, and John Cale. Take that forever its worth, but I think it sums it all pretty well in some senses. I'll go a little further actually, to expand beyond that top four I have to mention the Wipers, Todd Rundgren, Brian Eno, Sparks, the Kinks, and Kino, who, if you are not aware is the be-all and end-all of Soviet rock, akin to all the greats of post-punk and new wave. Lately I've also been into early R.E.M., Nick Lowe, The Tubes, The Mekons, and Bülent Ortaçgil who is a Turkish singer-songwriter comparable to the likes of Donovan, Bob Dylan, and above all, Cat Stevens.

As I said before I am not impressed by much new music, some exceptions include Justice and Jay Reatard. I think that Jens Lekman and Patrick Wolf had a lot of potential, but their recent work has been a bit disappointing. Some recent artists I used to like and now hold some reservations about include Animal Collective and Sufjan Stevens - I am not sure whether they have gone bad or if they were never good to begin with. Either way, that's where I stand with some "key" contemporary artists.

It may seem pointless to go on and on about old music, but it is actually as rich a topic as the contemporary and withing my age group can contain just as much new information. I think about this stuff all the time, and rarely tread water. This may be enlightening. I hope it is.