The Rise and Fall of Emotion-Wave

Through my formative years it seemed like music was getting more and more emotional, completely out of control.  It affected so many different styles of music and I thought it would never end.  I was born in 1987, and I would say this lasted at least from 1988 to 2005.  I have been wanting to address this topic for a while now and I have the outline a bit clearer now.  I will be pretty harsh on a lot of artists, though some of them I actually like to some extent.  After all, music should be emotional... but there is a limit.  I remember one day in Summer 2005 when that limit was reached, and not just in my opinion.

(The opposite effect, with the shift from the likes of The Smiths and the Cure to the anti-grunge of Britpop was considered as part of this article, but then I remembered that British music hasn't been worth writing about in almost 20 years.)

Part I:  Forming

It can be hard to point out where this all began.  The most obvious argument is the rise of grunge as it is one of those few movements to affect the mainstream and the underground equally.  This is understandable, especially with songs like "Jeremy" being some of the biggest hits of the era.  However, if you look at Nevermind it's pretty balanced emotionally.  It's much more emotional than Poison which was a change for sure, but feelings weren't everything.

Now take how the ultimate - and worst - party band, The Red Hot Chili Peppers breaks out of the marginalized thrash-funk scene and into every home with "Under The Bridge."  When the band who recorded "Party on Your Pussy" and "Fight Like a Brave" has a hit like that, there is no doubt the trend is already in motion.  Another massive 1991 hit that bridges the gap in mainstream and underground rock is "Losing My Religion," by R.E.M..  This song can't be ignored, and is certainly a far cry from "Dr. Feelgood," but actually the rise of underground rock had little to do with the change of pace, it was merely in the right place at the right time.  After all, this is the music that evolved from The Butthole Surfers, Meat Puppets, and Beat Happening.  Additionally, Hüsker Dü's move to the majors did little to intensify the emotion of American rock music.

Dü's, and to a lesser extent, The Replacement's, attempts to reach the mainstream with their emotional brand of American Underground mirrors the actual truth in the larger shift as it was metal's change of mood that really did it.  Perhaps it was the death of this guy...

Cliff Burton, metal skuzz.

His death brought it on, but Metallica's album ...And Justice For All, particularly the hit single "One" that brought the often macho (mainstream), often snarky and ironic (underground), rock scene to weepy boy intensity.  This propelled Metallica into a snowballing success that only grew with their self-titled album highlighted by the hits "The Unforgiven" and "Nothing Else Matters."  When America accepted "sensitive" metal heads it opened the floodgates for all kinds of emotional masturbation in rock music.  If Metallica is not enough of an example, just look at the roughly 140 minutes that make up Guns 'N' Roses' Use Your Illusion project.  "November Rain" was another smash, but it's not the only heartbreaking epic and Axl Rose's sensitive balladeer persona predates even Eddie Vedder's, though hailing from the world seemingly least likely to embrace it.

Part II:  Eddie Vedder Syndrome

Sure, Nevermind had its moments like "Lithium" and "On a Plain," but no one would deny that humor and irony were a huge part of what made Kurt Cobain great.  Not so with San Diego transplant Eddie Vedder.  If you're looking for comedy in Pearl Jam, your search will conclude with Jeff Ament's hat collection.

I believe, there is no need for me to dissect Pearl Jam's debut and its lyrical focus on incest, school shootings, and schizophrenia, or even talk about how intense Vedder is all the time, or even more how - despite what I will say at the conclusion of this article his Ukulele Songs album might actually be the peak of this wave.  What I do need to reinforce is that all these songs, most significantly "Black," were rock radio staples of the era.  Any savvy aspiring rock star aiming to be as big as Zeppelin while playing venues like the Viper Room and the Roxy could tell which way the wind was blowing and quickly dropped songs like "Unskinny Bop" and "Girls, Girls, Girls," in favor of "Counting Blue Cars" and "Sister."

If you were playing rock in the 90s, got airplay, and still sucked you could bet your singer was imitating Vedder, in both vocals and lyrics.  I could go on and on about the kind of dreck that was perpetrated by bands like Seven Mary Three (now country), Days of the New (do you even remember?) and Collective Soul... but I'll keep it to Everclear and Creed.

Though not as much influenced by Pearl Jam, Everclear was the ultimate post-grunge band.  They had the roots in the Northwest and even a sense of humor, but frontman Art Alexakis built his whole image on his willingness to discuss his daddy issues.  While no fan of fathers myself, it is a well-known fact that nothing is less inspired than discussing this topic exclusively.  The fact that America allowed this approach (which was even more repetitive in sound than in subject matter) proved not only that the rock audience was incredibly accepting of this over-emotional garbage, but that it was starving for more and more.

And that is exactly what we got with the Tallahassee, Florida band Creed.  If you are unaware, Creed's first album, which made up a huge portion of every "edge station" playlist for 1998, looks like this:

Creed - My Own Prison (1997)

It sounds like that too: a man standing in a fetal position in an abandoned house with no shirt on.  He is wearing shoes, though.  I'll spare everyone else the reminder of what this album, and its follow-ups Human Clay and Weathered sounded like, but this ungodly quartet brought Praisefest intensity to the inescapable masses.  If the most pompous, tattooed junior pastor in the world put all his holy energy and limited intelligence into imitating Eddie Vedder it would sound almost this bad - and almost as emotional.  No matter what bassist Brian Marshall says, it's not as good as Pearl Jam.

I wish my article ended here.

Part III:  No One Is Safe

This is all rock, alt rock for rock fans who love Pearl Jam and believe that sensitivity is a good thing, that it is okay for a man to cry, for a man to stick up for women's rights.  It was the 90s and it had its good points.

Woodstock 99 would paint the picture of a different kind of audience:  destructive, misogynistic, and just plain dangerous with their Family Values Tours and their - you guessed it!  Anger Management Tours.

So let us not forget that anger is a valid emotion as we look at how nü-metal and Eminem were no less a part of this trend than Thursday and Connor Oberst.  Similar to post-grunge I will keep it simple and not pontificate about the heart-wrenching rap-rock of P.O.D., or talk about how even Limp Bizkit released "Rearranged."   I won't even go on about the existence of Linkin Park, but in this case only because it has already been done so well here, or maybe I'll place them in the emo section.  They have more in common with those bands anyway.  So instead I'll focus on the leaders: Korn and Eminem.

To keep things chronological, I'll start with the Bakersfield quintet.  Like all the others in this subsection, anger is their principle emotion.  However, the band's tendency to remain deliberately serious keeps it more consistently emotional than "The Nookie" or "Break Stuff."  I don't need to give much evidence other than these images:

1999

and of course, their video that graphically depicts domestic abuse:

...hard to believe that happened, isn't it?

So, as rap rock became as emotional as the wussies its fans take pride in terrorizing, the natural next step was hip-hop itself - just in time for the arrival of the most legendary white rapper of all time.

While Eminem's sense of humor and endorsement from Dr. Dre may have broken him to the world with hits like "My Name Is" and "Role Model," it was a shock when his follow-up arrived looking like this:

The album containing "The Real Slim Shady"

This album was, and still is, heralded as a masterpiece.  But, this reputation is built less on the MC's ability to rhyme in a creative rhythm or the musicianship of the production, but rather its bludgeoning emotional force.  In true fashion of the times its aggressive, violent emotions are balanced with tracks of a weepier tone, subjecting yet another audience to the belief that artistry is defined by full-frontal emotional nudity.  It would not be the last time a Michigan artist would build his reputation this way.

Part IV:  Short For "Emotional"

Hip-hop is not for everybody, and at the turn of the millennium bands like Creed and the Foo Fighters weren't gut-wrenching enough for a mainstream rock audience that wanted song like "The Way I Am," but with some guitars and harmonies.  That's when Emo stepped in.

I don't have to go through the whole story of Emo that began in the 80s in Washington, DC, then traveled to the other Washington with Sunny Day Real Estate, and then invented itself again with Weezer's Pinkerton a whole five years before the not-particularly-emotional Jimmy Eat World started scoring mislabeled hits.  I don't have to because it's not worthy.  It's only worthy of one sentence.  A run-on sentence, at that.

The real story began a few months later when no teenager in America could escape Dashboard Confessional and "Screaming Infidelities," because somehow many of their peers loved it.  Then there was Thursday, Saves the Day, Taking Back Sunday and so many more.  As rock's popularity continued to wane nu-metal was out, and garage-revival proved unable to connect for long.  By 2003 success was hopeless if you did not jump on the emo bandwagon.  Far removed bands like pop-punk brats Sum 41 rode the wave with "Still Waiting" and fantasy prog-nerds Coheed and Cambria owe their whole career to the emo label.  Before long emo, and its offshoot screamo, became an enduring subculture that has become one of the most maligned globally.  In the US circa 2002, though, it was just the norm.  Even the jocks rocked out to Finch, and even goofballs who knew better were still getting floppy haircuts because it was the only way to get girls.

Emo male

Emo female

The look of emo became synonymous with the music and seeing it let the spectator make no mistake about a person's likelihood to express excessive emotion at any time.  This fashion allowed the intense feeling of the time to manifest itself beyond the radio and MTV and into the public eye wherever the affected went.  In other words, full cultural penetration.  The good part was that any savvy observer would know the breaking point was on its way.

Part V:  Emotion Beyond Comprehension

The militant hardcore types may argue for a clearer and narrower definition of emo, but many, including its fans, saw it in vaguer terms.  Most often these terms included Bright Eyes.  Sometimes, they even included Elliott Smith.  Anyone with an ear for music would be unable to hear what musically these artists had in common with My Chemical Romance or Cursive, or even Mineral, but they certainly fit in line with my argument.

After all, Elliott Smith did commit a very brutal suicide in 2003 after creating the final word in sad music, the works that all sad music shall be compared to for the rest of time.  As for Bright Eyes, he sounded like this in 2005 and I think that keeps with the gradual increase.

Another album came out in 2005 though, one that may have made a bigger impact than any artist I have mentioned after Eminem.  After several records featuring both avante-garde experimentation and a more symphonic take on the Elliott Smith sound, Sufjan Stevens broke into the greater consciousness with Come On Feel the Illinoise, a record as torturously long as the titles to most of its tracks.  His banjo may have charmed some folkier cuts like "Decatur," but this 74-minute album revolves around the most uninspired dreck to pull at the naive heartstrings of college freshmen.  Look no further than the autotune of "John Wayne Gacy Jr." and the half-assed sad childhood lyrics of both of the aforementioned songs to remember how bad it got.  About a year later he released an even longer album of outtakes.  People also loved that.

In truth, the emotional content of the album may not be much worse than its predecessors, but its breakthrough represents the peak of this miserable wave.  In 2005, the coolest thing a sap with a guitar could do was cover "Romulus" or "The Dress Looks Nice On You," and many of those people heard this album first.  Plus "Chicago" is utter garbage.  No one wants a world like that, and living in it exclusively was no fun.

Part VI:  The End?

At least it ended there.  Though Stevens' next album debuted at number 7, it was a real change of pace and his angel-winged figure has not been as visible since "Chicago" became a staple for movie trailers.

Around the same time a new wave of Canadian bands took over the "indie" rock fan base that the previously-mentioned singer-songwriters enjoyed.  Unfortunately Arcade Fire was one of them and this mysteriously-acclaimed (I still can't forgive Bowie) band took over where this movement left off.  We all know what happened next when it comes to this group, but even with enough members to be several groups, they are just one... and even I will admit the lyrics are better.

The indie rock audience remained fickle and went through many phases including animal bands, chillwave, and seapunk, along with so many other sounds.  By now, nothing can be clearly defined, and most will tell you that Sufjan Stevens, The Arcade Fire, and anyone else with more emotion than Deerhunter just isn't cool.

But then again, not everyone is a hipster.  Some people listen to the radio, and gone are all the artists mentioned above, gone is a pop star's need to compete with a heartfelt semi-underground, and it doesn't even seem like Eminem is all that angry anymore.  But, there is one final point about this era and that is, of course, Kanye West.

Clearly, West is a troubled guy and does not have any hesitation when it comes to talking about it.  Why should he?  He's just one man.  But where did it all begin?  He became a household name right at the peak of this emotional movement and some of the most talked-about tracks were "Through the Wire" and "Last Call."  The former is a literally pained vocal not unlike the worst of screamo, and the latter an intense life story - more similar to Elliott Smith than ghetto noir.  Would West have broken through so easily at this time with anything else, such as an album comprised exclusively of his lighter tracks?  I would argue that his rise would have been a little less meteoric.

With so much fanfare surrounding the rise of this movement, it is surprising to see how few noticed when it went away.  The reasons why it happened are as nebulous as its disappearance and therefore it is nearly impossible to predict if it will ever happen again.  Even though many of these artists and their fans got carried away at times, there are worse things that could happen, but I'm still glad it's over.

A Tribute to Will Stratton

A little late on this but, last Friday was a pretty exciting event.  It was the tribute to Will Stratton coupled with the release of the album available for purchase that also goes to his Medical fund.

It was a pretty fantastic sow held at Spin in Manhattan - a large basement ping-pong club.  I wish I wrote this earlier so I could remember it better.

First there was Beat Radio.  That was a two-man group.  Not usually into that kind of thing, but it was cool.  Next you had Kid in the Attic who I had previously seen at a rooftop show with pow wow! and Crazy Pills on Andrea's birthday.  It's just one woman in a red hat and this was certainly a better venue for her than a drunken Bushwick party.  Both artists are on the tribute album and make pretty cool contributions.

Aaron Roche was the next to perform, an older guy and collaborator of R. Stevie Moore's.  Naturally that piqued my interest and his set, though long awaited from the set-up time was pretty awesome.  It started really quiet and then got louder as he had two young female vocalists with him for harmonies that reminded me of a more successful version of what the Dirty Projectors try to do.  With mostly pre-recorded backing and high intensity, his set reminded the most of John Maus.

The Next two sets were more personal by New York friends Jesse Rifkin and Trevor Wilson.  Both of them are on the tribute album as well, and by then things got so emotionally taxing that I couldn't even pay much attention to Wilson's set, though it was clearly a continuation of Rifkin's with a lot of delicate beauty.  You should look into both artists.

Will closed the set himself which was an unexpected treat, up to some point, and though he was underrehearsed, I doubt I've seen him play better.  It was overwhelming.  There were only three songs in his set but it was the highlight despite some great competition.  He is looking surprisingly healthy and in good spirits, so we all have a lot more to look forward to from Will.  His next album is entitled Gray Lodge Wisdom and will be quite a change of pace, and I personally have very high hopes for it.  A demo of its title track (sure to change a lot) is included in yesterday's article's package.

Photo by Mike Raynes

Photo by Jeff Nasareno

Well, there goes my policy of not reviewing friend's shows, but I have to push the BENEFIT ALBUM and how you should buy it.  I was asked to include a couple tracks and I chose Jesse Rifkin and David Garland's.  The former because it is quite a radical reinterpretation of an old favorite differing from either artist's usual sound, and the latter because of that artist's connection to Connie Converse and the Documentary my wonderful girlfriend Andrea is making about her.

Well, here are those TWO TRACKS, but you really should just buy the album, probably several times.

Anyway, my mind has stopped functioning, rather it's malfunctioning and I should probably stop.

Friends

So the last series was really self-centered, but this whole time it was all with the intention of putting out a collection of songs by my friends.  Most of the are the fascinating characters mentioned in my previous articles.  I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by geniuses my whole life, most of them musicians, and many of them collaborators.  Though some may be over or under-represented in this set, I tried not to have any favorites, I merely wanted all the major projects represented.  Alameda and Basking Ridge probably make up the majority of the lot, but people I know from college (the bridge to all, I suppose) and LA are in there too.  Now for the long explanation int eh only order that makes any sense:  Alphabetical...

Colin O'Brien-Lux is a Maryland-bred performance artist in Los Angeles who has been active in many communities in the city and is perhaps best-known for his Winter 2012 clown show Everybody Nose Nothing Means Anything And I'm Very Worried, which unfortunately coincided with Super River's debut.  Not to discuss my own band too much, but the connection is a major one as Jesse Johnstone did the engineering on the EP Angel Will You Marry Me? from which both these tracks are taken and played drums on one song.  Other drums were played by Miles Marsico and bass came from Andrew Lewis, who played in Skin Rat.  Last I know he was performing as Grandma in a very atmospheric and intimate way that should not be missed.  "Scarf" is one of the most powerful tracks I have heard in a while.

The Darflers is a project led by Alex "Flash Gilmore" Hatatsis that has also featured fromer Funbeatles/Sunfighter Marty Skeels and local legend (and portrayer of Nagatoku in "Gundam Driver") Chris Arnold.  The band had an emphasis on power-pop with green musician Halatsis skillfully pulling off both bass and vocals.  Not much has been heard since, but Halatsis is now in a band with Big/Ewox member Alyssa Polizzi before her move to LA.  "Best Boy" comes from the Spencer's Girl EP, and "Another Lonely Girl" is a demo with lyrics penned by yours truly.  One of my two appearances in this set.

Flash Gilmore & the Funbeatles was Alameda's greatest band, band certainly the greatest live act of 2012.  With firm roots in The Comfy Men, they were comprised of frontman Flash Gilmore, drummer Jerry Ramone, bassist Mick James and guitarists Hazel James and The Glove.  Their uniformed and choreographed shows were a rare spectacle featuring both phenomenal originals and classic covers.  They released the record Debauchery Playground, named after their closing track - the first composed for the project shortly before disbanding in late Spring of 2011.  Unfortunately, the album was recorded months before and the band's playing and songs had improved much in that time, but that's only an issue if you were lucky enough to witness these later shows.  It still stands as one of the best rock records of its time and "The Top" and "Here It Comes" are hardly enough to hear by this unbelievable combo.

Kidz was a project led by Sam Deutsch (who will be explained in more detail shortly) with a collaborator named Mike.  "Move Yo' Body" is a fantastic piece of 90s dance music that shows just how much the artist who cut his teeth in Hurtu/the Shears/Love Athena can do.

The Last Nights was the brief reunification of Funbeatles Alex Halatsis, Paul Igaz, and Arran Rogerson who made a worthy (even by their standards) debut with an improvised set in May 2012.  Before the Hawaii exodus they played a few shows and recorded Dig This from which these two tracks come.  "Dany James" is about the inspirational Oakland artist.  Sadly other classic tracks "Virtual Tibet" and "Guided by C-Mac" remain unrecorded to my knowledge.

Love Warrior was a solo project from Arran Rogerson after the disbanding of the Funbeatles and recorded the album DMZ, a power-pop album mostly about masturbation.

Also from Alameda is One Tribe, the project of Hawaii native Tony O'Toole.  A spiritual figure in the Alameda scene, Tony was the subject of one of the Funbeatles' earliest songs and has been catalyst to much musical growth (in both directions) with most of the Alameda musicians.  Music For My Friends was an ambitious project for him, but turned out to be a success.  It is the source of the atmospheric instrumental "John" and the cover of "30 Century Man," with guest vocals from Alex Halatsis.  "What a Strange Day" is a demo I rather like as well.

pow wow! is the project of Basking Ridge originals Jeff and Eddie Nazareno with roots going back arguably about ten years, or 26, depending on the perspective.  Last year they released the refreshing Don't Stop To Look with a five-member lineup providing big arrangements, tons of hooks, and beautiful harmonies.  The first two tracks are here, but the whole thing is about as good.  The band has had varying levels of notoriety throughout it its career, and their album, one of the finest of 2012 still needs its due.  Unfortunately their future is a bit uncertain, but there is no doubt its members will go onto creating more great music.

Sunfighter is the primary band of former Funbeatles Arran and Sam Rogerson.  They both play guitar and sing and split songwriting duties.  Sweet Machine was another great and overlooked album of 2012 full of catchy guitar rock that evokes all the best stuff and is quite creative in its songcraft.  They toured the West Coast last summer with rhythm section Fed Martinez (drummer in Rogerson's past groups Life on Mars? and others) and Eamon O'Conner, playing with Super River in two instances.  Here are two of my favorites from that record.

SWade is the former alias of Sam Deutsch, one of the most talented and unpredictable artists I know in any regard.  That made selecting tracks from him very difficult.  He can write great classic pop songs, experimental pieces, piano ballads and just about everything in between.  Lately his focus has been on Dark R&B, though with plenty of breaks in between.  He is currently using the name 50 Grand Sam and working on an EP, but just released the song "Hollywood" yesterday which you can purchase on iTunes, and I implore that you do.  These two are different though - "Could This Mean Space?" is an experimental synth pop that is as edgy as it is catchy, and "A Best Friend's Love" is a funny folk-rock demo.  Just two of my favorites among a whole lot.

Volcano Divers is Liam Carroll, from Liberty Corner, not Basking Ridge if you can believe that.  First appearing in this blog as Batwolf's butler Dr. Alphonzo Vengeance (yes, we had a doctor for a Butler), he has recorded a lot of noise-pop in this form and here are a couple of my faves.

Will Stratton is another old friend from Basking Ridge.  His real name is Will Lulofs and he was a member of Batwolf, the Tangles, and previously Time Well Spent.  He is recovering from Testicular Cancer and planning to return u-time to New York in October.   There will will be more about that in an upcoming article.  Last Friday was his benefit show, featuring a closing performance by the man himself in accompaniment of the BENEFIT ALBUM which I will also discuss in more detail.  Having the most professional career of all (four albums released on real labels) it was also hard to choose material from him, especially considering how much of it has Basking Ridge references.  However I chose one from his first, another from his second, and a demo of the title track for the next.  I am sure it will change a lot before the album is released, but I like this version.  I also used to like the demo version of "You're a Real Thing" more, but that has changed.

As mentioned before, Zero the Astronaut is Alex Adler's solo project after Ways ceased to be.  With so much material he started narrowing it down and went into the studio to record a debut single of "Solitude" and "Misery City."  He played all the instruments except the bass on "Solitude" which, not surprisingly was me.  The songs show both his sides - heavy and complex and soft and stoney, but both have a great deal of raw emotion.  Adler is an excellent songwriter who is firmly in the tradition of the best American rock of the 80s and 90s who has a lot of potential, particularly in his ability to not fear the obvious.

DOWNLOAD: THE BEST OF FRIENDS

I hope you enjoy all these tracks and artists as much as I do.

Have YOU Been to Stockholm?

Unfortunately, this month will continue to sag in posts as this weekend I will be going up North. The main reason is that for a second week in a row I will be attending a California region's second best music festival: Party in the Pines in Big Sur. I am pretty amped to not only see Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti again, but also to see a band I have wanted to for over three and a half years - Dungen.

A few months back I posted their follow-up to this album, and indisputable masterpiece. This one, originally released in 2002 made its way to the US in 2005 and in my experience stands up more than any of the following albums do. Hopefully the group's set won't rely too much on that stuff. More seventies-style psych-rock here, and quite a bit more pop-oriented than the harder, trippier Ta Det Lugnt. The album, which's translated title is "City Walks" kicks off with catchy title track that keeps your ears glues as much as the follow-up's "Panda" does. Urban tribute "Har du vart' i Stockholm?" makes it a solid one-two punch that makes the album as great a tribute to the band's home city as classics like Midnite Vultures and Marquee Moon did for Beck and Television, respectively ...and all without understanding the language!

Whereas later efforts show Gustav Ejstes trying to recapture the mastery of Ta Det Lugnt, this album is the sound of him honing his craft in creating the best vintage-style psychedelia, nay music of this decade while displaying his multi-instrumental virtuosity. His way with folkier European arrangements is remarkable as well with "Sol och Regn" being a fiddle and flute instrumental on par with the bonus disc included in the reissue of the follow-up. It is one of the album's finest tracks. Like most other music of the present half of the decade, forget about Dungen's later work - this is the next stop for them. Either way, though I am expecting a life-changing performance from the crew this weekend, and this should give anyone else who will be joining me similar expectations.


Dungen - Stadsvandringar (2002)

Will You Play With Me?

To call Bülent Ortaçgil (pronounced Boo-lent Or-tach-geel) the Turkish Cat Stevens would be an oversimplification, but it is a good indicator of what to expect from this album.

About two and a half years ago my friend Will gave me the track "Suna Abla," which within about a week was played over a hundred times (that being from whenever I finally got around to listening to it.) Naturally, I had some trouble acquiring any more of the artists work until I was lucky enough to find an actual CD copy of this at Amoeba in Berkley (notably, I also found a vinyl copy at Amoeba in Hollywood which I somewhat regret not buying.) After that purchase the same kind of obsessive rotation occured because this album is a masterpiece. Every tracks is a hypnotic winner which more than just language to distinguish it from English language folk of the same era. Unlike some of his later work made years later after his return to chemistry the arrangements are very simple usually just with acousitc guitar, and some piano and bass. Some *heavier* tracks like the wonderful "Olmalı Mı Olmamalı Mı" and "Şık Latife" do add a bit of a change of pace. Despite the exotic language Ortaçgil conveys not only remarkably powerful emotion but a rare kind of childlike innocence in both vocals and instruments. Simply put this is an album of transcendant beauty, even if you are for some reason put off by music in other languages. Along with the others previously mentioned, the title track and "Dört Kisili Düs" are just otherworldly gorgeousity. The album is brilliantly structured with bookend tracks that pull you in and in most cases leave you ready for yet another spin.


Bülent Ortaçgil - Benimle Oynar Mısın (1974)

In other news, Jeff Hanson, one of the few recent artists that I like died recently. It was some kind of freak accident - I don't know what, that occurred in his apartment. He was only 31. I recommend his self-titled second album from 2005. Maybe I will put it up later.

Take It Easy, Jon and Miriam

This weekend I was away in Nashville (the greatest!!!) for a wedding for a friend of mine. His taste, to an extent, was reflected in what I listened to in the car, and this is one of the best examples.

It had been a few years since I had really spun this one, but at first it was a massive part of not only my life, but that of the people around me. It is one of the best psychedelic records of this decade, far and away and should not be missed by any fans of rock 'n' roll (granted I would think many of the readers here have it already, but I should take no chances here).

Dungen is a Swedish "group," though their records are made almost entirely by Gustav Ejstes who clearly excels in every instrument, composition, and in the art of sound recording. It is a pretty great album for any occasion as it can get loud and fast and also have moments of transcendently beautiful psychedelia. Some of the best exaples of Dungen's sound here are the rockin' opener "Panda," the catchy folk-rocker "Festival," and the gorgeous "Det Du Tänker Idag Är Du Imorn." What really sets the band apart is the use of Swedish lyrics, as almost every other group to acheive crossover success from that nation has used mostly English. One flaw of the Ejstes', however, is that the sound is not the most original, but at least it serves as a good anchor and I can firmly state that fans of other exotic psychedelia like Ghost, Amon Düül II, and Erkin Koray should not miss out.

Also included is a mostly instrumental bonus disc which really fits in with the rest of the album, most notably on "Jämna Plågor."


Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt (2004)

In other news, though, Jay Bennett, formerly of Wilco died on the 24th. The cause has not been announced, he brought a lot to the band and his influence is best heard on 1999's Summer Teeth.

Jay at his peak during the recording of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

Cor, Baby, This is Really Free!

Here is an artist I'd been meaning to check out for a while and this video totally sold me on him just last night. I guess to compare him to anything (if you haven't watched the video yet) I would say a crazier Billy Bragg, though the same could not be said for frequent collaborator Wild Willy Barratt. He looks more like a Southern rocker, IMO. Perhaps needlessly to say, what I like most about John Otway is his theatricality, fearlessness, and just-plain-weirdness. I have not had the time to absorb the below compilation yet, but of course I love the song fromt he video, which is quite different from the version seen. "Beware of the Flowers" was also a hit in the UK, and so far I am feeling the rest of this comp. "Headbutts," more of a comedy act, was also pretty well known-and earned the duo a sponsorshit from Shure microphones, which of course, was well-deserved.


John Otway - Greatest Hits (2002)