February stars, floating in the dark. Temporary stars, February stars

The second of my monthly review of musical purchases and downloads for 2009. My look at January can be found here.

February was not a big month for me in terms of new music. I guess my self imposed control on spending to save for my impending trip overseas had something to do with it. Mind you I can see that ban being lifted very soon, around the time I decide that acquiring the entire Robert Palmer catalogue is somehow necessary (and urgent).

It is.

Albums

Eli "The Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves - Roll with Me

Many thanks to my good friend Scott Drummond for putting me on to this sensation. The world can have Miss Winehouse and Miss Stone, I'll keep Mr Reed and his band. It is like a long lost 60s soul album (the production has that warm Stax sound) except they are all new songs and the singer is a white kid in his 20s. Not a dud amongst the eleven tracks and I can't remember the last time I could say that about an album.

U2 - No Line On The Horizon

A 5 line critique on the biggest band in the world and their new album will get lost amongst the masses so let's stick to what you need to know:

- It is their most complete album since Achtung Baby
- Don't mistake it for being a classic like Achtung Baby, let's say it is very good
- It does not have the immediacy of All That You Can't Leave Behind (their last good album) but will eventually be seen as a superior effort
- The only low point of the album is the trio of songs in the middle and one of those is the first single 'Get On Your Boots'
- The rest is brilliant

Singles/EP's

Bob Dylan - Visions Of Johanna

This really is a story for another time and place. The only thing I will say on the matter is that I'm a man that makes mistakes but I'm a man with good intentions.

On a completely separate note, here is a cover of the tune by BRMC.

Too soon?

Can we all agree that 8 years down the track, the most outrageous piece of overreacting from what occurred on September 11 didn't come from the Bush administration? Rather the humour lies in the list compiled by Clear Channel of songs deemed as 'lyrically questionable' to be played on their radio network in light of the tragedy of 9/11.

Here is the list for those of you that want to stroll down memory lane and have a good chuckle.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, puts Benatar in the corner.

Here's my selected highlight from the list. Peter Gabriel you are a genius:

I've found grace inside a sound. I've found grace, it's all that i've found

For those of you who haven't committed copyright infringement and shied away from acquiring No Line On The Horizon I give you the following:

But she's got the wheel and I've got nothing except what I have on

"It's hard to say you love someone, and it's hard to say you don't" - My favourite line in popular music.

I had to say goodbye to Miss January, she had a hold on my mind for so long

In an attempt to keep on top of my musical purchases/downloads throughout 2009 (and not suffer the same fate as last year) I have decided to maintain a monthly review so that I can better appreciate the new arrivals to my already bloated iPod. That way I can avoid scrolling through my collection with a bemused look on my face, wondering where the devil that came from?*

Albums

Q-Tip - The Renaissance

Q-Tip came from a hot tip courtesy of my main man David Affran. A cool breezy hip-hop record that sits well with the summer here in Oz. His drawl is not for everyone but it gels with the jazzy production and is a nice foil to guests like Raphael Saddiq and Norah Jones. The most satisfying release from the rap genre since Lupe Fiasco's The Cool.

The Clash - London Calling

Let's get one thing clear: I didn't just discover The Clash. After years of working in a record store and listening to albums for free, there are many things that I am only getting around to purchasing now. Nothing more needs to be said about London Calling but I must give props to The Marquis Of Lorne who were playing it one Saturday night, reminding me that it was absent from my collection.

Minty Fresh Beats - Jaydiohead

I'll admit I haven't given this its due attention, I downloaded it off the back of the great Coldplay/Jay-Z mixtape last year. I shall endeavour to give you an update next month.

Otis Redding - Definitive Soul Collection

Another one missing from the collection though I had a handful of Otis tracks already. Soul is my weakness and if I was ever narrow-minded enough to stick to the one genre then this would be it. Currently I can't stop playing 'That's How Strong My Love Is'.

Bruce Springsteen - Working On A Dream

No one gets a free pass, not even my hero The Boss. A frustrating album that shows flashes of greatness (the bonus track 'The Wrestler') but ultimately suffers from clunky lyrics and production (please cut ties with Brendan O'Brien). Opener 'Outlaw Pete' is musically solid but ultimately sounds like The Killers attempting to do Springsteen. And is it just me or can you imagine 'Queen Of The Supermarket' appearing in a forthcoming Flight Of The Conchords episode?

Company Of Strangers - Company Of Strangers

Acquired through nefarious means, this is simply early 90s Oz nostalgia. The singles from this one off project were gold. In particular 'Motor City (I Get Lost)' where Daryl Braithwaite steals the song from James Reyne by simply belting out the refrain "Oh lay some Aretha on me!"

Singles/EP's

Bic Runga - Winning Arrow

A gorgeous track from a few years ago that I have only now got around to purchasing.



Coldplay - Viva La Vida (Thin White Duke Mix)

A free download from their website. Nice, without ever usurping the original. Waiting for the Thin White Duke treatment on Joe Satriani's 'If I Could Fly'.

Del Shannon - Callin' Out My Name

From his posthumous 1991 album Rock On! released a year after he took his own life. His voice was still as strong as it was back in 1961.

Huey Lewis & The News - Walking On A Thin Line

I awoke one morning to this stuck in my head. I had to purchase, I just had to.




U2 - Get On Your Boots

The first salvo from No Line On The Horizon. This is fun without trying ever trying to be profound. It amazes me how they can remain relevant.

*Best purchase from iTunes whilst under the influence ever!

I haven't really absorbed that one yet: Why 2008 was the musical year of meh

DVDs and CDs
Originally uploaded by Canton Public Library (MI)

Someone or something was to blame for my lack of enthusiasm for music in 2008 but I am reluctant to point the finger.

The easy thing would be to blame the iPod because it is a defenseless object that can't fire back at me. Unless Steve Jobs knows something I don't.

Last year I bought 24 new release albums. Adding in singles, EPs, albums I didn't pay for and the now popular 'Exclusive Track Not On The Album' (for artists that no longer have singles to facilitate B-Sides) and I had somewhere in the vicinity of 400 new songs on my iPod for the year.

Considering I no longer work in music, that isn't too shabby an effort (a new album every fortnight on average). Keep in mind this doesn't count some excellent back catalogue pickups that I either bought (You don't own Van Morrison's double live set 'It's Too Late To Stop Now'? What are you doing here?) or were kindly loaned to me (Gracias to Senor Gillespie for Springsteen's Tracks).

My problem, as shallow as it is, was that I never gave myself the time to listen to it all and I fear that some great music was missed or at least not appreciated enough.

Due to the ease of switching to different tracks on the iPod, I often fell into periods of listening to old favourites that I had owned for years. As such, the new albums that I should have been thrashing were being neglected as I loaded up Whiskeytown's Pneumonia for like the millionth time.

I'll admit some purchases were duds (a solo Jakob Dylan album is as dull as you would imagine it to be) but on a whole I picked up albums that I knew I would like...eventually.

Here then are a few albums I really need to give a second chance:


Counting Crows - Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings:

I'm a Crows fan for life so my opinion will be subjective. I enjoyed the album but not to the scale of Hard Candy or Recovering The Satellites. Was it that the songs weren't as immediate? I remember my fading interest on side 2 of 1999s This Desert Life but that was pre-iPod so I would listen to the album from start to finish no matter what. Something I may need to do again with this album.


Bloc Party - Intimacy:

I have already spoken about this album elsewhere but now, post-purchase, I am at a loss to know what to make of it. It feels disjointed at times and brilliant at others ('Talons' is a great song). To me it feels like a reactionary move to criticism leveled at them after A Weekend In The City, an album I quite enjoyed. I think the band has immense talent but they need to go to ground for a while and think about what type of band they want to be. Not what everyone else wants them to be.


Michael Franti & Spearhead - All Rebel Rockers:

I am not a fan of reggae. This is something my friends are very much aware of and it is a subject I will explore much further at a later date. Franti's albums all have some level of reggae/dancehall in them but this one has by far the most. Yet that isn't what has stopped me from enjoying it. I think Franti is best enjoyed in warmer climates and this was his first album released since I moved to chilly Melbourne. Now it is summer I think it is time to give All Rebel Rockers its due.


Martha Wainwright - I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too:

This album suffered from the old chestnut 'great first single that artificially increases expectations' syndrome. 'Comin' Tonight' set the scene for a brilliant set of songs that delicately straddled critical and commercial success. Sadly that was not the case. Maybe in a renewed light I can appreciate the album without comparing it to its shining opening salvo. Does win the award for best album title though.

We liked the same music - we liked the same bands

When a 12 track album contains no less than 7 Top 10 U.S. singles, you know the album tracks are going to be quality.

The song 'Bobby Jean' from Born In The U.S.A. wasn't a single but the tune probably means more to a fan of The Boss than any of the others on that monster album. The casual listener assumes it is another tale of a girl leaving a boy but it is actually about Springsteen dealing with the departure of his right hand man, his 'Blood Brother', Little Stevie from the band.

Yesterday I said goodbye to my good friend David who starts the next journey of his life in Toronto. David is an immensely talented musician and his heartfelt songs on love and life should sit comfortably with a North American audience in front of him.

So to my own 'Blood Brother' - Good luck and goodbye. This one's for you Mr Gillespie: