I Shit Music

So on the way back from a friggin’ horrid gig in Saratoga last night, I came across the modern dilemma of what music on my iPod could both satisfy the needed subversive expansion for my currently half-withered soul and likewise entertain the 60 year-old Deadhead riding shotgun. The Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. album proved to be too much of a discussive workout, despite my need to listen to it daily (more to come on that soon). So I turned to the modern standard: Radiohead. I had just uploaded the new King of Limbs – From the Basement Sessions and I thought it would be perfect. You know, a good old rhythmic assault is fun for everyone, and he’d have to dig it since it’s live and thus a step-up automatically in any old Deadhead’s book. The response I got was at first obnoxious, and I contemplated just caving and putting on The Allman Brothers, but then it became so absurdly hilarious I had to continue. Here’s some highlights that both frustrated and amused me.

“So, there’s just some sort of loop machine going right?”

“This guy’s supposed to be so good at guitar, but there isn’t even any guitar on this song!”

“It sounds a lot like U2 – you know, drones with Bono scatting on top. Skee-bop, whiiiiiir, the suuuun, how’s that song go?”

“By listening to this, you know who would sound perfect to collaborate with Radiohead….Mickey Hart”

“Laaaaaah, laaaaaaah, (whistle of high harmony) laaaaah”

“I saw em on TV once, and the guitarists were on the ground twisting knobs all over the place – it was wild!”

“What, Radiohead released a new album this year? I can’t believe I didn’t know that.”

Bless you Mr. Charlie, your fragmented views of modern music are both refreshing and ignorant all at the same time. You are a treasure my friend. Look for “Part 2: All the Different Shit He Thinks My Morning Jacket’s Circuital sounds like”

Other than the 500 un-answered emails in my inbox, I really have to rave about the power of taking a fortnight hiatus from the Internet. Although once I remembered I’m trying to rock a daily music blog, reality once again showeth her bitter face. So with a ton of great music happening right now that I need to catch up on in literary form, I thought I’d start by posting the link to my latest album review of Arabia Mountain by the Black Lips. Ok, if you don’t know the Lips, no not those Lips, these Lips – no not that Black Something band, this Black something band. Anyway, if you don’t know the motherfuckin’ Black Lips, then you must understand that this decade-old Georgian group are the heart and soul of early-punk rock-redemption. Sure, it doesn’t look good on a trophy, but every band that thinks they can be the next Strokes is blind to the fact that they’re souls have already been claimed and squandered by the Black Lips.

Originally known more for their completely absurd punk attitudes that were known to reach near G.G. Allen levels in regard of on-stage genitalia and body waste, the past few years and albums have seen the Lips mature into a climatic musical equality of that outrageous attitude. Arabia Mountain is truly a timeless album that could have been admired at any point in the past 5 decades, and much in the same mentality as Dr. Dog, this band has not reverted to sounds of rock’s past, but rather picked up the disregarded pieces of rock’s soul. Here’s a snip of my review and a link to the full thing:

“But the reason for fewer antics these days is that after 12 years of legendary moments that already exist in the pantheon of epic rock and roll scripture‚ the Black Lips have become really‚ really‚ fucking good. Arabia Mountain‚ the Atlanta‚ Georgians’ third record for Vice Records‚ completes a succession of tightening form for the band‚ and finds their garage-punk‚ rock-smash sound unified into a timeless album that lies somewhere between The Modern Lovers and Iggy & The Stooges’ Raw Power. 16 tracks deep and without a moment of drag‚ sometimes it’s easy to tell these were the guys who got bored quickly in high school.”   http://www.stateofmindmusic.com/entry/1295/Black-Lips—Arabia-Mountain/

Here’s a clip of they’re epic encore from the Heaven Club in London in 2008:

And here’s the cut of one of faves off the new album: “Time”: