Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy

Warren Zevon – Excitable Boy
Asylum, 1978
Acquired: Love Garden Shotgun Room, Used, 2008
Price: $1

Warren Zevon perpetually sounds like an old man, and it works to his advantage. I knew this was his, you know, “Classic” record and for $1, I think it's pretty much a steal. This is a fantastic record and triggers the sensors in my brain that have a firm fondness for Harry Nilsson. AND it's got “Werewolves of London” on it, which has always been a jam for me since I was a kid. I listened to Zevon's final record (before his death in 2003), The Wind, at work the other day and while I didn't like it much on an aesthetic level, I thought it was pretty awesome. There's something about looking death in the face and saying “well, bring it on” that makes that record really powerful. And getting all your famous friends to pitch in, it's almost like a tribute to yourself before you're actually dead. A way to go out on top, sort of. But Excitable Boy, fuck this is a good record. I mean, the title track pulls of a sax solo and the only other person that pulls off sax solos (for me, at least) is Springsteen. “Accidentally Like a Martyr” is one of the best songs I'd never heard until just now, when I listened to this record. It's like the song you hear in a movie during some huge, transformative moment and you're like “Who the hell is this?” It captures heartbreak without being melodramatic. There's something so matter of fact about it that captures the feeling perfectly. That “what the hell do I do now” feeling after someone's gone. Honestly, this song feels like a touchstone for Jason Molina, and come to think of it, I remember him doing a cover of “Werewolves of London” at one point, so that makes sense. But yeah, this is like classic rock for nerds without muscles and trans ams, and that is helping me love the shit out of this record. And closing with the righteous jam “Lawyers, Guns and Money,” well, you can't really go wrong.

End of Y

A through X = $2411
Y = $91
A through X + Y = $2502

ALMOST THERE! Or, almost done with the LPs. All that's left is one Z, which should be up today, a handful of comps and the LPs I got for Christmas that I've been saving for the very end. And then the real fun begins with the 7"s. I'd love to start putting up MP3s of some of these, because there are some amazing songs coming up, but given that blogger has been DESTROYING any blogs that so much as BREATHE on an MP3, I better not.

Hopefully it doesn't take me 2 weeks to get to the 7''s though, busy times around the office (i.e. my living room, where I am currently sitting)! Lots of Pitch stuff, lots of regular work stuff at the CD Tradpost, lots of comix drawing, lots of playing actual music and writing actual songs for the first time in months. AND, I've been secretly buying records again. It's a cruel mistress, Love Garden. They recently obtained a massive collection of all the kinds of records I hope to find there some day, and I simply avoided the place for a couple of weeks to keep myself from doing something stupid. Finally, I went in to survey the damage and see if there were any scraps to pick up and blew about $20 in two days. Not bad, considering my track record (See: $2502 so far...), but still, money doesn't grow on trees like it used to (see: my student loan days, which I now realize were foolish, very, very foolish). However, I've decided the best way to satisfy my desire to own records is to stick almost exclusively to 7"s. They're more fun to listen to, and I really love b-sides. And Love Garden is VERY good at making me second-guess my budget. Like, I bought the 7" for Teenage Fanclub's "The Concept," one of my favorite songs of all time. It was the shortened version, lacking the guitar solo that I get sick of about a minute and a half before the song ends, BUT the next day I saw that they had the same single on 12"! And I ALMOST BOUGHT IT...and I might still buy it. Goddamnit. Not to mention a Sarah Records single by one of my favorite Sarah bands that I really should have bought by now but am fighting!

Anyway, it's been busy and I've been poor. Naturally, when I finally started to have some spending cash I slipped on some black ice on the front stairs and destroyed my laptop screen which, thanks to my buddy Andrew, only ended up setting me back $160 but still! Funny, though, the laptop broke my fall and now it's bent. As in, I put a disc in and it spits it right back out because the goddamned disc drive is dented! It works, so there.

AND THERE ARE 8 MILLION SHOWS THIS WEEK. Is anyone going to Surfer Blood at the Reeps on Saturday? I only just realized it's the same night as the Kid Congo Powers show across the street at the Jackpot and I REALLY WANT TO GO TO THAT and I'm pretty sure most cool people will be at that show. But Surfer Blood = getting paid to write about, so that's where my heart lies. That, and their debut LP Astrocoast is the jam. Should have a Gut Feeling reev of that up soon, come to think of it! AND the rating system has been expanded...or will be, as soon as I ink the drawings for "Real Goddamn Good" and "Hella Fuckin' Good," or whatever they are.

For no reason, here is a picture of what the dog is doing right now, inspired by this afternoon's reading of Dave Eggers' short story "After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned," which is told from the point of view of a dog.

Neil Young - Harvest

Neil Young – Harvest
Reprise, 1972
Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2007
Price: $7

I like Harvest more than After the Goldrush (ok, they each have their own merits that I am falling in love with) but I'm still not sold on Neil Young. I think he's a great songwriter, and but sometimes I think covers of his songs are better than his. Like St. Etienne's “Only Love Can Break Your Heart,” which was my introduction to the song and once I heard Young's version, I was a little let down. Mostly, I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about because I feel like I'm going to get really into Neil Young once I turn 27, but right now I'm still too much into mid-90s indie rock guitar solos. I do love the use of the London Symphony Orchestra on “A Man Needs a Maid” (but I don't like how the Orchestra makes “There's a World” sound like a song from a Disney movie). There's such a grandiosity to that song that really, really works for me. “Heart of Gold” is probably my favorite Neil Young song because it's the one I've heard the most, probably on the jukebox at Harbour Lights. “Out on the Weekend,” “Old Man,” and “The Needle and the Damage Done” also slay. You know, maybe I just want more guitar solos with Neil Young. Like “Like a Hurricaine.” That's probably my favorite Neil Young song, and it's mostly because of how badass and end-of-the-world the guitars sound. I forgot how good “The Needle and the Damage Done” was, and I can't remember why, but I got REALLY into this song a few months ago...or someone's cover of it.

Neil Young - After the Gold Rush

Neil Young – After the Gold Rush
Reprise, 1970
Acquired: Love Garden Shotgun Room, Used, 2008
Price: $1

I don't know why, but I've never really given Neil Young a shot until very, VERY recently. Mostly, I just thought he sounded like an old woman and yeah, his melodies are great, his guitar solos are wicked, and that cover of “Cortez the Killer” that Built to Spill does led me to seek out Zuma, but yeah, something never grabbed me. Something still doesn't grab me. But I do enjoy listening to his records, and anytime he comes on the radio it's a pleasant surprise. And I love Magnolia Electric Co., who have clearly been VERY influenced by Mr. Young (why, just read any music review of that band and his name is sure to pop up). Ok, so what I know now is that I should listen to more Neil Young because I really don't, and this is necessary. At the store today, I was looking for the greatest hits collection we had, but I remember I hard-sold it to someone for some reason, all “oh, Neil Young is great” and now I realize I could have spent so much more time with that CD! Honestly, the only song I don't like here is the cover, “Oh, Lonesome Me,” which just pales in comparison to Young's own songwriting on this record, so it makes sense. I was wondering why it sounded corny. But “Don't Let it Bring You Down” follows up and that track fucking slays. Basically, this is like some shitty band I found, signed to my major label, and have ignored for a while but eventually, they'll start paying off and I'll be rolling in cash. In this case, Cash is understanding why people love Neil Young and loving him myself because, yeah, this is pretty good. And my favorite parti s how “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” should sound cheesy and lame but it's so fucking affecting it breaks my heart a little. And you contrast that with the pseudo-southern rock of “When You Dance I Can Really Love” it really makes this album kind of epic.

Why I Hate Going to Shows In Lawrence: Reason #1

Apparently, there's an unwritten law that once an artist drops into the “hushed” range, you are allowed to talk over the music. It spreads like a forest fire too. First it's the people somewhere behind you in the back where people usually talk, but then it moves to the people directly behind you. Then the people right next to you, and then the people right in front of you who are standing two feet away from the person who's singing. And then it sounds like some sort of art piece. Put a really quite singer-songwriter on stage and see how long it takes for people to drown out his music. I know concerts are very much a social gathering kind of thing, but maybe I'm just old school in believing that when someone is playing REALLY quietly you either a.) go outside if you want to talk and you're not into it or b.) watch just as quietly as the person is playing.
So anyway, if you haven't gathered this is what happened at the show at the Jackpot last night. I've always given Lawrence shit for being a town that prefers chatter over music, but there have been shows when audiences have behaved themselves. I remember the Kings of Convenience show years ago, the one where Feist opened and no one had ever heard her and everyone in the jam packed Bottleneck was absolutely still and quiet with the exception of a few “holy shit, she's amazing”s. I don't think it should be selective though. Maybe that's why the Chomp Womp kids play so loud. I mean, that's not the reason I know, but at least no one can physically talk through their sets. That's why I always wanted to play loud in the Kite Tails, because once we played a slower song I could hear the people talking, and I could see the people talking, and it didn't really bother me very much but I did try to make my face contort into a “Bob Dylan singing 'Idiot Wind'” kind of disposition.
We were never as quiet as Blakey Bear though, and I've never, ever been part of such a disrespectful audience. God, I sound like someone's mom...or a nun. But really, I always thought there were rules of common courtesy but apparently no on gives a fuck because at one point, EVERYONE was talking and talking louder and I literally couldn't hear a damn thing Blake was singing. So I left and went outside and just sat. And then I went back in, hoping things had changed and of course it had just gotten louder. It's like, everyone WANTS to talk, but it's not OK until the people next to you are and then well, what's the point of coming to a show if you just want to talk and you don't want to watch the bands? Even if it's not your thing, you can go outside and have a cigarette or go sit in the back. It was embarassing.
I don't know if I can say the same for KC, but I've generally had a better time at shows there. At least during Low everyone sat on the floor and it was totally quiet, so quiet that I could get upset about the a-hole behind me snapping pictures the whole time. It's funny, too, because Jenny and I saw Blake play at Wonder Fair a few weeks ago and it was packed and dead silent throughout his set. Although, everyone there was at least 25 or older, so maybe that's the thing. You put college kids in a bar where they actively go to see bands, and they will talk over the bands. I'm just downright amazed that people would pay to go to a show and then talk through it. And then probably go home and blog about it. Maybe I don't notice these things as much because this was the first show I WASN'T covering for the Pitch since like, October. The first one I'd actually paid to get into, to go and see some newish local bands and just watch music without taking notes and without over analyzing anything. And we ended up leaving after Blake's set because if you stand around too many assholes for too long, you're bound to become one of them.

Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth

Young Marble Giants – Colossal Youth
Rough Trade, 1980 (Domino Reissue)
Acquired: Love Garden, New, 2007
Price: $18

I am always amazed that this came out in 1980, because it still sounds so goddamned fresh. Maybe that's the way of timeless things. This record turned THIRTY this month. THIRTY YEARS OLD! And it's still one of the most unique records out there. Bass, clicks/whistles, scattered guitars, gnarly synths, borderline corny drum machine beats from the Moxham brothers and the lovely, unadorned vocals of Alison Statton. It's amazing how a record so sparse can sound so epic. And poppy, too! Melodies on “Include Me Out” and “Eating Noddemix” get lodged in your brain. Honestly, I feel like there are a million bands out there trying to do this and you know what, no one can. Not at all. Lawrence's own Fortuning had a very VERY clear Young Marble Giants jones, and though they soldiered on with the noblest of efforts, they underestimated that you need to have someone with a decent voice if you're going to pull off this spare new wavey pop stuff. Alison Statton doesn't sound classically trained by any means, but there's a big difference between not being a “real” singer and being tone deaf. Maybe that's the big irony, that all the great singers in the world aren't real singers, but since that is true, real singers are now people who don't spend hours learning octaves or whatever. What's that Silver Jews line, “All my favorite singers couldn't sing.” Anyway, off track, this is a masterpiece if only because no one has been able to replicate this sound but many have tried and Young Marble Giants are still influencing the pants off of countless young bands.

Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid Of You and I Will Beat Your Ass

Yo La Tengo – I Am Not Afraid of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
Matador, 2006
Acquired: Love Garden, New, 2006
Price: $20

Despite coming out four years ago, this record looks, feels, and sounds like something from Yo La Tengo's heyday in the mid 90s. Or maybe their heyday never ended and it's an ongoing process. Last year's Popular Songs proved this. I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass, which is maybe one of the best album titles ever, starts with a repetitive, krauty 10 minute jam that recalls a band of twentysomethings, not fortysomethings. I guess if you're young at heart, right? Anyway, I often think this record is way too long but all of the songs are good so I can't gripe too much. It's got the badass noise-rock jams, goofy perfect pop like “Beanbag Chair” and just plain goofy like “Mr. Tough” yet these songs are infinitly listenable. There's the sweet sensitive stuff, like the gorgeous “Black Flowers” and classic sad stuff like the Georgia sung “I Feel Like Going Home.” There's sexy jams like “The Room Got Heavy” and well, that's the first half of the album. The second half is where I kind of stop paying attention, but I think I'll just leave the second disc on the turntable for a while and listen to it until the record gets rounded out. Same thing happened with Wilco's Being There, in which the second disco worked its way into my heart a good couple of years after the first blew my mind. But yeah, there's so much going on here and so much diversity that it's hard to call this anything but real fuckin' good.

Cool acoustic vid of "Pass the Hatchet I Think I'm Goodkind"

Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out

Yo La Tengo – And Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
Matador, 2000
Acquired: Love Garden, New, 2006
Price: $20

On any given day this is my favorite Yo La Tengo album. 13 years after the primordial New Wave Hot Dogs, this finds the band becoming even more comfortable with themselves. In a world where hype is king and the bands you love start sucking on a prety constant basis, Yo La Tengo is, well, a constant. I really don't think they've put out a bad record. I mean, Summer Sun wasn't that well received but I think it's great (“Season of the Shark” and “Little Eyes” totally sell that thing though). This isn't as noisy or upbeat-summertime-pop as I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One but the subtlties, the gorgeous downbeat nature of it all. If I had to peg it, this is my #1 record to listen to on summer nights. Notably, long drives on summer nights.

I mean, there's just such a transcendent beauty to all of this. Tracks like “Our Way to Fall” and “Last Days of Disco” recall nostalgia but also a sense of serenity. The percussion is airy, the guitars sort of floating in space. The songs drift along and the record is a tonal masterpiece. One that is throughly consistent. Well, consistent in the way it moves. That's not to say that all the songs are these slow, gorgeous ballads. There's their cover of “You Can Have it All,” which is pretty much destined for any mixtape ever, and the one standout noise-rock jam on the record, the sublime “Cherry Chapstick.” Ung, every fucking song on this record is so fucking good I don't even know how to express the wonderful feelings I get listening to this record. “Tears are in Your Eyes” is on right now and I'm thinking this is the saddest song I've ever heard. And I mean that in a good way. It takes a lot to write a song that's truly sad and makes your heart feel strained, like it's being squeezed. In closing, I'll state that I'm amazed that this is ten years old. It sounds so fresh, so classic!


Camp Yo La Tengo style!!

Yo La Tengo - New Wave Hot Dogs

Yo La Tengo – New Wave Hot Dogs
Coyote/Twintone, 1987
Acquired: Uncommon Objects, Austin, TX, Used, 2008
Price: $25

I didn't know if this was worth $25 but didn't want to take the chance that I was missing out on a steal. I think $25 is a damn good price for Yo La Tengo's second full length. And record geek bullshit aside, it's a damn good record! Jangly, almost slightly twangy Ira & co. with a lot of punk spirit! Lots of noisy guitar solo breakdowns that would become subdued on later records and then return in full force. Although I guess you could argue that the noisy guitar freakouts are a YLT staple and that they never left. I just saw them at the Granada a few weeks ago and the guitar freakouts were rampant to the point of near annoyance. This record is pre-McNew on bass and slightly ballsier. AND Chris FUCKING Stamey plays guitar on the track “No Water,” which was probably pretty rad for them. It's a pretty noise-rocky effort with hints of the tenderness (see: the standout, and slightly alt-country tinged “Lost in Bessemer”) that would eventually shape such masterpieces as I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One and And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out.


Here's "Did I Tell You," which I'm pretty sure they played at the Granada last month!

End of X

A through W=$2397
X=$14
A through W + X =$2411

Almost there! In honor of the Xs being over, check out the latest Xiu Xiu video for the title track off of Dear God, I Hate Myself. Be warned, it involves lots of...vomiting. I'm not even kidding. Very fitting, though!