08/22 – 08/26:

Bob Dylan, New Morning

Inspired to listen to this by The Big Lebowski, wherein, as you probably know, the song “The Man In Me” is featured twice to great effect. I love New Morning. It’s an odd album from an odd period for Dylan. It would seem he was really struggling to figure out what he wanted to do post-crash, pre-divorce. New Morning was preceded by a new folk album out of the blue, a country album, and an infamous and reviled cover album/rarities collection. All this is right after his most famous work. He seemed to be casting about, and would continue to seem that way on a few more records before being galvanized by heartache on Blood On The Tracks. But not being one of his instant classics doesn’t diminish New Morning at all. It has a playful, relaxed atmosphere, the sense of just making music for the fun of making music rarely heard on anything he did before 2001. The songs can be quietly moving (“Time Passes Slowly,” “Father Of Night”), it can be rocking (“New Morning,” “One More Weekend”), it can be downright funny (“Day of the Locusts,” Went to See The Gypsy ”), but most of the time, it coasts along on a playful vibe. You can hear him smiling as he sings “Winterlude,” the scatted backing vocals and crazy lyrics of “If Dogs Run Free” are clearly a lot of fun to make. It’s just a good time to listen to.

Bob Dylan, “Day of the Locusts”


Marvin Gaye, What's Going On?

I don’t quite remember what got me on it, but I kinda went on a Marvin Gaye binge this week. I listened to everything I own, including this, one of his most famous works. It’s cliche to say something like this, but it’s tragic how the criticisms and questions leveled at society on this album are still so relevant. Marvin’s concerns about everything from the economy to a broken political system and even the environment are all still unanswered decades on. But the genius, of course, is that all these heavy topics are considered in lush, funky, imminently danceable songs that blend together seamlessly as the album progresses. If that great music gets you thinking along the way, it’s a win-win situation.

Marvin Gaye, “What’s Happening, Brother?”


Paul Weller, Wake Up the Nation

Three of my favorite songwriters in a row. Paul Weller, of course, is the main writer, voice & guitar behind The Jam and Style Council, and in the early 90s, he began a solo career that has been long and meandering, flirting with a variety of different sounds and styles. This is his most recent solo work, a bit of a return to his earliest days. Fiery, political, mostly uptempo, it’s the kind of album he hadn’t really committed to in decades (Though he flirted with a similar vibe back on As Is Now in 2005). And it’s a fun listen.

Paul Weller, “Moonshine”


Portishead, Dummy

Ah, Portishead. Fond memories. When their concert film came out, it was on constant rotation in a friend’s apartment for what seemed like months. But that was years after this, their debut. The moody, mysterious feel of this album is really unstoppable. Even after hearing it countless times, I still get pulled in. The way it all seems to ebb and flow, from moments of quiet vulnerability to moments of power and back, right up to the amazing emotional moment in “Glory Box” (You know the one!), it’s a satisfying experience.

Portishead, “Glory Box”


Lacuna Coil, Unleashed Memories

The second album from the goth/metal/whatever-they-are group. I like it, but not as much as albums 1 & 3. But I’ll take it any day over what they’re doing these days. Boy-oh-boy... It’s hard when a band makes such a left turn. But back on this album, they were still doing the tightrope walk between aggressive riffs and more ethereal melodies, a model Evanscence would do a shameless, bland copy of and become a huge success with just a few years later.

Lacuna Coil, “Wave Of Anguish”


Boy Crisis, Tulipomania

Once upon a time, the future Kool AD of Das Racist almost made his way into the mainstream music biz as the singer for a dance-rock band called Boy Crisis. Founded at the same art college where he met his Das Racist co-conspirator Heems, Boy Crisis has the sound of a band like, say, Franz Ferdinand, but even then, Victor’s lyrics were humorous and unique, and really make the group stand out. Their record deal never quite worked out, and Victor ended up being a rapper, but for awhile there, things were looking very different for him.

Boy Crisis, “The Fountain of Youth”



The Dirty Shame, Smog Cutter Love Story

Before there was Electric Six, there was The Wildbunch. While members have come and gone from Dick Valentine’s bands over the years, his style and songwriting have remained recognizable and the difference between The Wildbunch and Electric Six, style-wise, is negligible. But for a brief period, The Wildbunch ended, and unsure of where things were going, Valentine recorded an album as The Dirty Shame. It’s considerably gloomier than The Wildbunch or Electric Six, although future E6 song “Vengeance And Fashion” makes its first appearance here. It’s rather fascinating to hear Valentine’s absurdist style poured into sad songs. Not that all of them are sad, but... well, most of them are. It’s a strange listen, and an interesting bridge in his career.

The Dirty Shame, “Chinese Restaurant”



Yup.
---D