‘07 spaces: there can’t be any truth where there’s no honesty
January 1, 2008 at 7:08 pm | In Music, Space Awards | Leave a CommentTags: Bruce Springsteen, Dropkick Murphys, Mandy Moore, Steve Earle
I hate lists where I have to make practically arbitrary distinctions; the 3rd- through 7th-ranked albums this year are very closely clustered, and I’m sure that recent listening and moods are dictating my preferences more than they should. But faced with a choice between creating flawed lists and not making lists at all, I must accept imperfection!
2007 Space Awards ~ Albums of The Year: Part II
8. Steve Earle – Washington Square Serenade: I touched on Earle’s underratedness in my People of the Year countdown, but the quality of the album must be addressed once more. While I prefer his upbeat country-rock, the almost folk-y stuff works as long as it doesn’t get boring (or depressing). Washington Square Serenade is frequently mellow, but seldom boring, from the eclectic instrumentation on “City of Immigrants” to the finely-executed duet on “Days Aren’t Long Enough.” The really standout tracks, however, would be “Steve’s Hammer (For Pete)” and “Down Here Below,” which seems to be the New Yorker equivalent of Springsteen’s or Mellencamp’s tales of small-town woes.
7. Mandy Moore – Wild Hope: While it occasionally veers into cliched, unoriginal songs of love and anger, Wild Hope is, overall, a reminder that deeply personal lyrics don’t have to be a bad thing. With songs such as “Looking Forward to Looking Back” and “Most of Me,” Moore finds a genuine, thoughtful realm of introspection that evades an infuriating number of “rockers” these days. Rather than overwrought with whining emotion, the album is somewhat subdued in its reflections on a period of sorrow and self-discovery (to summarize the album in Midnight Oil lyrics [high praise!]: “The hardest years, the darkest years/the time and tested heartbreak years: these shall not be forgotten years.”). The only concern is that, if writing such an album proved to be cathartic, it’s questionable if Moore can find the lyrical poignancy for a worthy follow-up.
6. Bruce Springsteen – Magic: Magic really doesn’t have anything that sounds particularly new… and that’s a blessing. The album is very much a throwback to the Springsteen of the 70’s and 80’s, with the powerful, sax-y rock sound of the E Street Band accompanied by meaningful lyrics. While I enjoyed his foray into the works of Pete Seeger, Magic is unequivocally The Boss’ best work since The Rising. It has the sort of sociopolitical commentary one has to expect from Springsteen and his trademark nostalgic, ambiance-creating sound. While “Radio Nowhere” made an excellent first single, I think “Long Walk Home” best captures Springsteen’s seemingly timeless sound and belief in old American values (“The flag flying over the courthouse / Means certain things are set in stone / Who we are, what we’ll do, and what we won’t”).
5. Dropkick Murphys – The Meanest Of Times: As the Murphys’ albums so often do, The Meanest of Times grew on me gradually before I really came to love it. If The Warrior’s Code veered a bit towards a clean, almost more pop-accessible sound, the band definitely returned to a harder, louder sound in the 2007 offering (with the very notable exception of “Flannigan’s Ball,” which is as poppy and catchy [and, to be clear, absolutely tremendous] as anything the band has done). The band still expertly combines fast-paced rock (lyrically, “The State of Massachusetts” seemed an improbable candidate to be played at the Red Sox victory rally) and re-worked traditional songs (including the stirring rendition of “Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya”) into a product that is surprisingly uplifting (such as “Surrender”).
‘07 spaces: a few days down
December 22, 2007 at 8:37 pm | In Space Awards | Leave a CommentTags: Craig Ferguson, John Edwards, Kevin Rudd, Kevin Towers, Mandy Moore, Padres, thick lustrous hair
2007 Space Awards ~ People of The Year: Part IV
10. Kevin Rudd: The first official act by Australia’s new Prime Minister was the signing of the Kyoto Protocol, and came out very strongly in his quest to end Japanese whale hunts. Perhaps less meaningful in the grand scheme of things, but still fun: he is the Best Employer of Peter Garrett Since Midnight Oil Disbanded (The political band never really caught on in the US, outside of “Beds Are Burning,” but its lead singer is now Australia’s Minister for the Environment, Heritage, and the Arts).
9. Craig Ferguson: The events of the past week have me questioning how tolerant I should be of the Spears family, but I see Ferguson’s serious monologue last spring as less of a defense of Britney and more of an offensive strike against a tabloid media that does not merely sensationalize and lower our culture, but seems to go so far as revelling in watching disturbed stars suffer serious breakdowns. In the Best Arbitrary Line-Drawing of the year, Ferguson noted that humor should generally be used to mock those in power, rather than kicking those already down. Whether or not one agrees with him regarding Spears, his frank discussion of his own past was still a rather brave, classy moment that seems too rare in our popular culture.
8. Mandy Moore: The year’s Best Musical Shock was the one-time pop star who collaborated with the likes of Rachael Yamagata and sang a version of “Umbrella” that actually made me forget how bad Rihanna’s original is. It is both appalling and remarkable that in a musical mainstream seemingly dominated by whining, melodramatic men, Moore’s poignant and mature lyricism, with the genuine emotionality and humanity lacking in myriad cookie-cutter bands, was largely overlooked.
7. John Edwards: While his campaign has inexplicably faltered – perhaps damned from the start as a white male running against Obama and Clinton – I refuse to give up hope for the most qualified and principled of the viable candidates. While I’m used to the idea of rooting for the least objectionable politician, that Edwards has a legitimate longshot of a chance at coming back is something of a blessing (I am aware of a certain National Enquirer article currently causing some doubt, but refuse to take it seriously or give it more than a passing mention unless given good reason to do so). He is also the Best Candidate for Voters With Thick, Lustrous Hair, which is just an extra reason for me to like him.
6. Kevin Towers: Not only is the general manager of the Padres my Best Legible Autograph Signer (perhaps because, in such an unheralded position, he has not suffered signature fatigue), but he may also be the most shrewd GM in the game. As well as his knack for assembling bargain bullpens, Towers recently helped the Padres lock up ace Jake Peavy to a contract that stands as one of the winter’s best bargains. While he has missed out on a few players lately, he also has not given out a huge mistake of a contract – a trait that seems particularly valuable when his team’s payroll gives little room for error.
any man with a microphone can tell you what he loves the most
August 15, 2007 at 11:53 pm | In Music, Rants, TV, Today's Music Sucks | 2 CommentsTags: Foreigner, How I Met Your Mother, hypothetical awesomeness, Mandy Moore
I’m increasingly getting my news from print sources. Case in point: this article escaped my notice when it was online, but I stumbled across the pertinent story in the new TV Guide. Suffice it to say, “How I Met Your Mother” and Mandy Moore is one of those historically great combinations of media entities. It’s not as though Robert Rodriguez made a movie with a zombified Warren Zevon or Alexis Bledel recorded an album of Foreigner covers, but it’s still wonderful news.
And it provides a positive lead-in for something that’s been bugging me since Sunday night: Moore’s new single. I had no problem with “Extraordinary;” while its unimpressive lyrics made the title ironic, it was catchy enough on the radio that I took the time to sample the album. But “Nothing That You Are” is one of the two worst songs on “Wild Hope,” complete with been-there-a-million-songs-before sentiments voiced by an artist who isn’t even wholeheartedly embracing them (“I hope you burn in Hell… or do I?”). I’m all for subtlety, moderation, and complexity, but “I don’t know what degree of anger I feel” doesn’t really work as a basis for a song.
The current musical zeitgeist seems to favor effeminately-voiced men wailing their feelings, so why do we see an emotion-spewing female artist releasing a single in a style that peaked in the latter half of the 90’s? As always, blatant illogic outrages me. Why go with the most simplistic, unremarkable singles possible? Why not use “Ladies’ Choice,” which could also get Rachael Yamagata’s name out there? “Slummin’ in Paradise” and “Looking Forward to Looking Back” are radio-friendly and not entirely unoriginal. I’m avowedly a pro-upbeat-melodies guy, but even “Gardenia,” which highlights Moore’s vocal ability, would have been a better option.
Our culture, not just the music industry, takes the blame for the plethora of clichéd, corporate, cookie-cutter pansy-sounding artists out there. Specifically, I blame the deluded young people who embrace the “emo” genre and buy into the “indie” hype, even though it’s all pitifully homogenized and unoriginal (I didn’t intend this to turn into one of my anti-today’s-music diatribes, but my ire was raised as I thought about it). But even in a musical landscape that I find pathetically bland, there’s little excuse for dropping the ball this completely. Unless I’m horribly mistaken – which is always possible – “Wild Hope” is going to be an overlooked album, and the next few years will see Panic! At The Disco (or any of their ilk) win multiple Grammys.
Coming soon: a list of my favorite songs by a modern band that doesn’t suck!
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