10 Sure Musical Cures for the Holiday Blues

Perhaps you are like me and find the holiday season the saddest and most soul dead-ening time on the calender. If you aren't, you're lucky and I envy you. But if you are sad like me or just a music lover I offer you 10 secular and non-holiday sounds sure to pull you up out of the mire....









1. Get Yer Boots On: The Best of Slade.


I don't normally condone greatest hits records, but then again, Slade was never an "Album" band. You can have any manner of tragedy befall you and I guarantee....you put on 'Cum on Feel the Noize', crank it to 11 and it will become the best day of your life. Slade put the fun back in music with a capital "F" and are aural prozac. Girls grab the boys!










2. Eat to the Beat-Blondie (1979)


Go directly to track 8, "Slow Motion" and realize that Debbie Harry is my generation's Ronnie Spector. All tears are dried and there are nothing but smiles when you spin this, their masterpiece. By the time you get through "Dreaming", "Atomic" and "Union City Blue" you will hold your head high and have a bounce in your step. When I was in 4th grade someone had a 45 of 'Call Me' and we listened to it at recess. The next day Debbie Harry was on The Muppet Show. All of the sudden I became very interested in the opposite sex and wanted to go to NYC. 5 years later my family and I visited the big apple. It was a basic trip to see the Statue of Liberty (her name is Columbia, by the way) and buildings. But my dad was cool enough to drive our maroon-wood paneled mini van through the west village (because I had been listening non-stop to the Velvet Underground and reading books about Warhol). I'll never forget how big my green eyes got when he passed 315 bowery and I actually saw CBGBs. Thats the sort of thing I need to remember to thank my folks for at Christmas, but moving on...









3. Widow City-The Fiery Furnaces (1997)



I know, I know...I write about this record all the time. However, songs like "My Egyptian Grammer", "Navy Nurse" and especially "Cabaret of the Seven Devils" pull me off the ledge every time. On a personal level it helps that their songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Matthew Friedberger is perhaps the nicest guy in all of rock & roll. We should count ourselves lucky to have the Furnaces making us music. At the senior center where I work during the day a fellow recently showed me a painting of Switzerland he had finished. He counted the mountains in the same cadence as Eleanor...."one...two...three...four..five..six..seven. At that moment I realized that The Fiery Furnces exist on a plane that the rest of us can only hope to tread.











4. Growers of Mushroom-Leaf Hound (1971)


Stop scratching your head and looking through your record collection. You don't have it and you've never heard it. But if you ever find yourself a copy "Freelance Fiend" will be the song that inspires you to tell off your boss or inspires you to start that small business you should have had all along. "Freelance Fiend"'s crotch-thrusting, gutter thumping, fist pumping riff is pretty much all you need on a bad day. Trust me.









5.Fist City-Loretta Lynn (1972)


Of the scads and scores and piles of records Loretta Lynn recorded in the late 60's and early 70's this is the one to get. If you ever find it you will learn, like me, that just hearing Loretta's voice makes you want to go out and hug everybody. Well, almost everybody. Her hardscrabble, heard-it-all voice is like the proverbial voice in the wilderness on a cold winter night.









6. A Date with Elvis-The Cramps


Has anyone ever been sad listening to a Cramps record? Science has proven that the answer is no. Once you learn "What's inside a Girl", where to find "The Hot Pearl Snatch" and the allure of "Cornfed Dames" you too will shed your problems and just smile. Lux Interior and Poison Ivy Rorscach belong in the Rock & Roll hall of fame.











7. Elizabeth Harper-Elizabeth Harper (2003)


It makes me mad that everyone in the world doesn't have this record. You are all missing out and should e-mail her on myspace tommorow, She possesses a face that you would swear was painted by Modigiani which I mention only to spur you to seek out her next live performance. I take solace in her at every listen. Her sweet, strong voice will curl up with you like a favorite blanket and heat up your room like a fireplace.









8. Black Rose-Thin Lizzy (1979)


Yes, Jailbreak is their watershed record but I have always favored this one. Why? Track 4: "Waiting for an Alibi". When the rampant and unrelenting commercialization of this holiday wears me down I know I can come home and bathe in the twin-guitar riff-pornography of "Alibi". Thin Lizzy made pure, undistilled rock and roll and we are all the better for it.











9.Road to Ruin-The Ramones (1978)


Pretty much anything in the Ramones catalog is a pile of smiles, put I always return to this-the first one I ever got. It contains "I Wanna Be Sedated", "I Just Want to Have Something to Do" and the greatest valentine a girl could ever receive "She's The One". Shortly after receiving this my family bought a VCR. The first movie I rented was Rock 'n' Roll High School. I watched it no less than 10 times that weekend, and not only did it fuel my love for the Ramones (the greatest rock and roll band America ever produced) but it inspired my life-long crush on P.J. Soles. Carrie, Halloween and Stripes magnified it. If I ever have a daughter her name will be Riff Randell Trout. If you ever want to cheer me up just shout "Questioningly-ingly!,Questioningly-ingly!" at me.








10.For Those in Love-Dinah Washington (1955)



Put this on at midnight and look out your window. Whether you are surrounded by snow, live in a desert or reside in a swamp, the world will look like the most beautiful place you have ever seen. Put this on when your best girl is over and you'll definitely find out what she bought at Victoria's Secret today. If you are by yourself, You'll feel like Dinah is your girl. If there was one piece of singular beauty I could hold in my hand and give someone, this would be it. A breathtaking, timeless and staggering work of art. This is one of those things that makes you sit down and wonder if it wasn't divine. You will weep and want to buy all of your friends a copy.

So there you go. Merry Christmas, Happy belated Chaunakkah, have a rockin Ramadan, and happy Voodoo Day.

If you are more of a movie person I prescribe Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Sleeper, Rushmore, The Straight Story and Heavy Metal Parking Lot, and anything with Sophia Loren (especially 'Yesterday, Today & Tommorow'). Just knowing you lived on the same planet as her is enough to make you feel pretty good

On December 24 I will be continuing my tradition of listening to the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack all day. It's important to remember that there is always a light on at the Frankenstein place.

finally, on behalf of a certain very special someone out there, I would like you all to watch Platoon.

Magnaphone's obsessions of the week-9/14/07








The Beatles-Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

A whole lot has been written about the Beatles' seminal release Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band this summer (as is its 40th anniversary) and it has inspired me to give some Beatles records another cursory listen (more on that in the future).

As a very young child I was fortunate enough to be raised on a steady diet of the Beatles and selected solo recordings (Lennon's Imagine, Harrison's All Things Must Pass and McCartney's criminally underrated Wild Life.) Their records are such a part of my soundtrack til I was 15 and discovered Dylan and the Velvet Underground that it is hard to write about them objectively. But I will try.

First of all let me dispel one myth many people hold dear and believe about Sgt. Pepper. It is not the first popular psychedelic record. The Beatles themselves hold part of that mantle with 1966's Revolver. Beyond that, by the time this was released Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, the Jimi Hendrix Experience and 13th Floor Elevators had all released records turning listeners on the the joys of pharmacological rock.

One thing many people don't know or understand is the liberal and generous conceit the Beatles gave to being influenced by their peers. See the 'Northern Soul' they were watching the Rolling Stones and the Pretty Things perfect when they recorded "Getting Better". Also the nostalgic Music-hall stylings of the Kinks on "Lovely Rita", and "When I'm Sixty-Four"- probably the greatest Kinks songs Lennon/McCartney ever wrote.

Its legendary now that in the studio where Sgt. Pepper was recorded, rooms away the Pretty Things were recording their own psych masterpiece S. F Sorrow. In another room a little combo who had just changed their name from the Screaming Abdabs to Pink Floyd was perfecting The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. It's a record geeks wet dream that all of them were running around from studio to studio borrow each others instruments and gear. Documented history proves it to be true.

What this record was and is is a triumph of production and care. A six-month project of layering sounds and performances over each other to produce an uncommonly aural experience. To that end Sgt. Pepper and the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds are true innovators. They paved the way for studio production and countless records. From King Crimson to Yes to XTC to Talk Talk to The Verve to Oasis and a million back again.

It carved out something new and made things colorful. Heck, I wish I could have one more listen to this sitting Indian style next to the speaker up in my then high-school age Aunt Pat's super psychedelic room.

Its important to have a record we can all share.









Miles Davis Quintet-Miles Smiles (1966)


Arguably the most exciting record from Miles Davis most exciting quintet. His Second. Its absurd now to the Jazz fan to ever think there was even one day that Miles Davis, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Tony Williams even inhabited the same room. But from 1965 to 1969 they created some of the most incredible (and my favorite) records in Davis' canon: ESP, Nefertiti, and Sorcerer. This record explores and presents what a great Jazz combo is all about. Liquid playing and the sense that the players are communicating with one another with the universal language of music. Sublime.










Tom Tom Club-Tom Tom Club (1981)


This weekend I was watching VH-1's One Hit Wonders and at one point Shatner started to expound on Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love". He was right in theory, its the only single they ever had, but for my money the whole record is a keeper. Recorded as a side project by Talking Heads rhythm section (and spouses) Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz during a layover between the Talking Head' Remain in Light and Speaking in Tongues, they decided to indulge their love of dance music. It's a joyous celebration. There was a time in the 80s that I fondly recall that if you put this record on in the basement during a party no one wasn't going to dance and it was a signal to have fun. It got into your veins. How much do I love 'Genius of Love'?. I even like Mariah Carey's "Butterfly" which samples and relies upon "Genius of Love"'s infectious groove.









Siouxsie & the Banshees-Hyaena (1984)


Here is a perfect example of the great records made possible by Sgt. Pepper. Siouxsie Sioux, in my opinion, has gotten the short shrift being dubbed a goth spokesmodel and not a pop mage. This carefully constructed and executed piece of pop confection boasts such brilliantly engineered tracks such as "Dazzle", "We Hunger" and her own masterful Beatles cover "Dear Prudence". But the real gift is the driving, intense "Swimming Horses". Built around a silver bullet of a piano riff, this record teaches you that post punk was the most exciting music in the 80s, even if we didn't figure it out til later. Go to your local independant record shop tomorrow and treat yourself to this unsung masterpiece.










Johnny Cash-Orange Blossom Special (1965)

Given the spectre Johnny Cash holds over music these day, alot of people forget about how he pushed Country music to a new realm in 1965. Building this record around a triumvirate of Dylan covers ("It Ain't Me, Babe", "Mama, You've Been on My Mind", and "Don't Think Twice It's Alright".) augmented by the saxophone of Boots Randolph (who we lost this summer) he set Nashville on it's ear. Soon we would have the Byrds, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris and it would be a whole new age. I remember my grandfather laying on the floor of his dining room with his headphones on and he would place them on my ear (to hear "Mama, You've Been on My Mind") and say it was something special. Also this record contains perhaps the scariest Johnny Cash song ever "Springtime in Alaska" which pretty much gave Nick Cave his blueprint. Personally, I think Grandpop would have loved his latter day duets with Joe Strummer and Nick Cave, because he was a great guy with a keen notion of honesty.









Spacehog-The Chinese Album (1998)


If you were a fan of Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and old enough to buy records in the 90's you were all set. Glam rock ruled the indie-day with bands like Suede, Pulp, The Divine Comedy and Babybird. In the midst of this Spacehog got off a couple of singles but most missed this little sparkle-masterpiece. Songs like "Mungo City" and "Carry On" (their 3 minute masterpiece) had to have Marc Bolan rocking his way out of the tomb. Wonder what they are doing now?










Saint Vitus-Saint Vitus (1984)


There is Heavy Metal and there is Heavy Metal. There are bands with guys with big hair looking for girls and there is music from hopeless, sad men. There is a portion of Metal that is played by fellows with nothing more to look forward to than their addictions, their poverty and sure death. Details we usually apply to Rap and Blues artists, but it exists here too. Listen to the drunken, ill-fated sincerity of "White Magic/Black Magic" and Burial at Sea", played slow, loud and earnestly. These guys were reportedly too scary for local biker gangs. They play their songs like classical music and make it sound like the death-knell of sad, driven, doomed men. This is not a safe, or fun listen. This is the sound of lost hope. That, my friends, is ART.

Magnaphone's obsessions of the week-8/24/07











Joy Division-Unknown Pleasures (1979)

There is nothing in the world of music, or even the world of art that comes close to the chilly darkness that envelops you when you unfurl this masterpiece. From Ian Curtis' opening intonation that he is 'Waiting for a guide to come and take me by the hand" to the final fade-out of glass breaking, the universe that this record creates is stark, psychic, beautiful and one of a kind. A rare moment in time when four men were in perfect synch with one another and created something special. The angular guitars, the fluid bass, the pounding, pulsing drums (particularly on "She's Lost Control") and Ian Curtis' brilliant poetry delivered in his trademark pleading, laconic murmur this is a moment that will never happen again. One of the 10 greatest records ever produced by anyone, anywhere. It's been leaving me breathless for 20 years.











Soft Machine-Third (1970)

On their second outing without the Man Ray-like influence of the Elfin Kevin Ayers. Soft Machine came into their sophisticated, artistic own. Hugh Hopper, Robert Wyatt and Mike Ratledge crafted a challenging, simmering blend of Heavy rock, Jazz, Tape Loops, Eastern Music and Art rock and found something the world may not have been ready for in 1970. I'm not even sure the world is ready for it now. Playing like a great modern classical opus, this double album of four songs covers artistic territory that has been a blueprint for every art combo that came after. Forever doomed in the United States to be the band that was always listed on concert ads under Pink Floyd, this deserves a place in every home.










Duke Ellington/Charlie Mingus/Max Roach-Money Jungle (1962)

On September 17, 1962 Duke Ellington walked into a studio with Max Roach and Charlie Mingus armed with a pile of compositions aimed at exploring the world of post-bop. It should be a national holiday. Perfectly marrying improvisation, craftsmanship and the Duke's brilliant sensibility this record stands as everything that makes post-war Jazz great. It's exciting, exhilarating, and stands up to countless listens. The perfect backdrop to a late, smoky night filled with passionate conversations and stolen kisses. Special thanks to one of my best pals, Bryan Mickle for turning me on to this, now go read his masterful to Stink, to Cheat, to Torture.









Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins-Rabbit Fur Coat (2006)


I have never heard a Rilo Kiley record (the band Jenny Lewis fronts) but I know what I like. I like good country music. Good, well played Country-politan sounds and this record has it in spades. If it were 1971 "Rise Up With Fists!!" and "You Are What You Love" would be ruling the ol' opry. Add to that stew the heartbreaking title track and her take on the Traveling Wilbury's "Handle With Care" (!?) re-written as a duet with M. Ward, and you have yourself a great country record. They really don't make many of them anymore.










Amon Duul II-Yeti (1970)


If there is one record in the world that embodies the term "Psychedelic Freak-Out" this is it. These German noise makers cut loose over four sides of unmitigated sonic blast. Listen to the infectious, heavy and bombastic riff that informs "Soap Shop Rock". I defy you not to crank it to top volume. Stone out to the stunning closer "Sandoz in the Rain", and cower in fear at the beautiful Renate Knaup's banshee wail on "Archangels Thunderbird" This is adventurous, chemical, artistic hard rock at its best and you are denying yourself if you have never heard it. Think you have never heard Amon Duul II? Think again. "Archangels Thunderbird" was in heavy rotation in a car commercial on NBC during prime time 2005-2006.











The Replacements-Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash (1981)

Sure, they got a whole lot better, the songwriting improved and their music became absolutely moving (Go Listen to Tim or Let It Be) But it was clear great things were coming when listening to this, their first record. Particularly "Kick Your Door Down" and "Johnny's Gonna Die".










Dinosaur jr.-You're Living All Over Me (1987)


This was it. This was the exact moment when we found out it was alright to dig college rock (that's what we called it then) and love heavy 70's guitar rock and Neil Young. With one record Dinosaur jr's classic J. Mascis/Lou Barlow/Murph trio opened the door for everything in the 90's: Alt-country, grunge, pop-punk. Full of emotive lyrics and melodies you couldn't shake-all played as loud as possible this record ruled every high-school misfit's walkman in 1987










Felt-Absolute Classic Masterpieces (1992)


Felt was and is Lawrence Hayward. Either backed by a drum machine or whoever he decided not to fire that day self-styled "New Puritan" Lawrence Hayward was the sole purveyor of Felt. In the early 80's Felt and the Young Marble Giants both invented the quiet, collegiate, jangly indie rock we take for granted when we hear Galaxie 500, early REM and Belle & Sebastien. This reverse chronological best-of is a good starting point for his genius. On a personal note this record moves me a little more than most as "My Darkest Light Will Shine" and "Textile Ranch" take me back to a lost wintertime love that I have still never figured out what caused it to crumble. That right there is a good summation of the sound of Felt.












Mission of Burma-Vs. (1982)

In 1982, those of us in love with the angular post-punk rhythms of Josef K, Gang of Four and Fire Engines found out we could do it just as well and just as brilliantly in the states. Lou Reed famously pontificated to the press everywhere in 1989 when he released New York about the pure beauty of a guitar/bass/drums combo. Roger Miller and company made it a religion on this. Purely literate, downright rockin' and without an ounce of fat Mission of Burma were the real deal: Anti-rock'n'roll that was pure rock'n'roll. Just like in the 50's. A loud masterpiece











Pentangle-Cruel Sister (1970)

Seemingly doomed to live in the shadow of Pentangle's 1968 Magnum Opus Sweet Child This is still a sweet stunner. Why? One side is the beautiful interpretations of classic English ballads that they became known for, but side two contains the 17-minute mind blowing "Jack Orion" (also traditional), introducing electric guitars and eastern rhythms into their oevre Bert Jansch and company unleash a transcendent monster on par with Fairport Convention's "A Sailor's Life". Its no wonder Led Zeppelin cited them as an influence on their (my favorite) third record. It will leaved you exhausted and cleaned out. Also it's pretty much where Devendra, Vetiver, Joanna Newsom and the rest of the psych folkies got their stuff. I love them all but here is where it started.











Loretta Lynn-Before I'm Over You (1964)


She was only on her second record but even then the world had to know they had something special on their hands with Loretta Lynn. Departing from the established ol' Opry style of good girl country chanteuses Lynn sang of drunken husbands, infidelity, domestic abuse and sorrow. In her trademark, powerful contralto she drives this collection home and lays out the blueprint for "Fist City", "Your Squaw is on the Warpath", and countless others. She's our Coal Miner's Daughter. Anyone who has ever listened to a single note of country music owes it to themselves to cozy up to the sounds of our National Treasure, Loretta Lynn.

Magnaphone obsessions of the week 7/29/07












Interpol-Our Love to Admire(2007)
The band we all know I love to hate and hate to love returns (finally!) on major label, with a great cover and...half a great record. Half of it is the beautiful, icy, angular post-punk that these new York kids have made their own (Pioneer to the Falls, The Scale, Rest My Chemistry, and the hilariously titled No I in Threesome). Unfortunately the rest sounds like they wrote it in the cab on the way to studio. This continues to murk up my slavish
devotion to this band. Maybe the next one will be good. Until then I have my Josef K and Joy Division records and their Antics to keep me warm.












Pulp-His 'n' Hers (1994)
After years of toiling away Pulp honed their glam rock sound, Jarvis Cocker cornered the market with sleazy set-pieces making subjects like voyeurism, abortion, shagging older women and vandalism fodder for truly brilliant brit-pop. Until they called it quits in 2001 they never recorded a bad note or made a false move. Like this record and all that followed they crafted a palate of decay that has yet to be matched. The record closes with a brilliant track entitled Razzamatazz that sums up Jarvis' sick world view: 'The Trouble with your brother, he's always sleeping with your mother, and I know your sister missed her time last month'. Glamorous Sleaze. If you don't have it, go get it.











Quicksilver Messenger Service-What About Me? (1970)
More than any other band from the era Quicksilver kept the San Francisco 60's sound alive, not to mention its ethos. The whole record is nice, charming frisco folk-rock but the centerpiece is the title track What About Me? It's an impassioned plea for eco-justice but goddamn if i don't apply this personally to a whole world that doesn't get me.









The Heart of Saturday Night-Tom Waits (1974)
Of course we now know what he was capable of, but on this, his sophomore effort we got a peek at his genius. Diamonds on my Windshield is a harbringer of things to come, the title track is a nice early evocation of his uncanny knowledge of place and time. Please Call Me, Baby is the keeper on this one. Never has anyone taken the sad, crass desperation of a maudlin pay phone call, crammed into a beautiful three minutes worthy of Sinatra except for here. I will go to my grave extolling the fact that Waits stands shoulder to shoulder to Dylan as America's greatest 20th century songwriter.








Led Zeppelin-III(1970)
I guess I feel a certain affinty to this one as it came out as I entered the world. My friends always thought I was nuts when I said it was my favorite. To me this is everything that makes Led Zeppelin beautiful. Balls-out rockers (Immigrant Song, Since I've Been Loving You), heartbreaking ballads (Tangerine), and the best folk rock ever and at the time beating the Incredible String Band, Pentangle, and Fairport Convention at their own game (Friends, Celebration Day, and the sublime Gallow's Pole). They were pretty much the Beatles at this point. If I could take one Zeppelin record to a desert isle, it would be this. Although if you ask me tommorow I will make a case for Houses of the Holy.








Wilco-Being There (1996)
Before the Volkswagon commercials, before getting records rejected Wilco carried on the spirit of the interesting studio band with their sophomore release. Taking the double album conceit to heart they offer rave up country rock (Dreamer in my Dreams), bombastic rock (Hotel Arizona, Monday), fun double album country vs. rock tricks (Outta Site Outta Mind, Outta Mind Outta Site), obtuse paeans to home town fame (Misunderstood) and perhaps the prettiest song ever written about missing someone (Far, Far Away). This is the record that made us sit forward and realize Jeff Tweedy was our new Neil Young.



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Magnaphone's obsessions of the week (7/6/07)

Take Fountain-The Wedding Present (2005)
When David Gedge & co. re-emerged as the Wedding Present after a decade hiatus as Cinerama, they came back changed. Retaining all the bite and crunch that were the Wedding Present, but retaining the growth and lessons from the Cinerama period. Most evident in the techniscope outros of "Interstate 5" and "Queen Anne" and in the lilting romanticism of "Perfect Blue", hearing the reformed and revitalized Wedding Present is like reuniting with an old friend. You remember why you loved them, but are thrilled at their age and growth. I spoke with David Gedge last year. You can read our conversation here.

Ege Bamyasi-Can(1972)
Indescribable and otherworldly, there is no one that sounds like Can. Seemingly devoid of reference or influence, Can created their own sound in the late 60's and never compromised it. Words like kinetic, psychedelic, funky, driving, and powerful hint at the soundscapes on this record but it has to be heard to be believed. I will say that playing this on a midnight trip to the supermarket lends an air of beautiful surreal mystery to everything around you.

Fox Confessor Brings the Flood-Neko Case (2005)
Chances are I don't have to tell you about Neko Case. Since the release of this record her merits have been heralded far and wide. This is indeed the record where she finally broke free of the alt-country distinction and crafted a masterpiece. It's all here: her tom-boy beauty, that voice that's bigger than the pacific northwest and her spooky, lyrical forays worthy of short fiction. Joined by such greats as Howe Gelb, Flat Duo Jet's Dexter Romweber, and the Band's Garth Hudson she adds songs like 'Star Witness' and 'Hold On, Hold On' to the pantheon of classic American music. I first heard this record in a hotel room 3,000 miles from home. It was the perfect setting, for the month I lived away from everyone I knew this became my traveling companion, my girlfriend, and my soundtrack.










The Notorious Byrd Brothers-The Byrds(1968)
By the time the Byrds hit the studio to record this one they were a wreck. David Crosby was gone to form Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. Gene Clark left to forge his solo career. So it was up to Roger McGuinn to take the reins. Yes this record is a conceptual mess, and yes, some of it sounds incredibly dated but there is some truly great stuff here. Like the peek into the country rock they would perfect with their following record Sweetheart of the Rodeo ("Goin' Back"), the classic paen to rebellion that later was used so beautifully in the film Easy Rider (1969) ("Wasn't Born to Follow"), and the truly strange and ahead of their time journeys in to near-prog rock ("Draft Morning", "Change is Now"). If you get the wonderful sounding Columbia/Legacy re-issue you are also treated to the driving instrumental "Bound to Fall" and a brilliant reading of David Crosby's ode to the menage-a-trois "Triad" later popularized by Jefferson Airplane.











Fire of Love-The Gun Club (1981)
The Gun Club were one of the greatest bands America ever produced. Someday the world will see this. There was no one who could write or sing like Jeffrey Lee Pierce and that's that. This is where it all started. Raw, loud, scary blues-swamp-a-billy. Recorded quickly and live with Chris D of the Flesheaters at the helm this will quite simply (to quote Henry Rollins) burn your face off. I first heard this record at the Philadelphia Record Exchange in 1987, it was the song "For the Love of Ivy" to be specific. I had never heard anything so loud, scary and hit me so deep down in my life. This monster belongs in every home.









Let's Get Out of this Country-Camera Obscura (2006)
Camera Obscura seem a little doomed to be considered Belle & Sebastien jr. being Scottish and enchanting. But this record is a little bit of an indie-listener's dream. It contains an answer to fellow scot Lloyd Cole's classic single "Are You Ready to be Heartbroken?" ("Lloyd, I'm ready to be Heartbroken"), a heartfelt tribute to "Dory Previn" (The woman Sinatra left for Mia Farrow), probably the best appropriation of Spector's wall of sound this decade ("If Looks could Kill") and a truly great pop single defying any definition other than it is beautifully Camera Obscura ("Tears for Affairs") a song so sweetly melancholy it's almost unbearable.











Personality: One Was a Spider, One Was a Bird-The Sleepy Jackson (2006)
OK, it's quite obvious Luke Steele (still the greatest un-used porno pseudonym ever) has given George Harrison's Living in the Material World more than a tertiary listen but that said, few artists working today can cook up a tasty pop confection like this. "You Needed More", "Devil was in My Yard", and "God Knows" were some of my favorite summer songs last year. This and 2003's Lovers seem to always sneak back into my stereo the first day it gets hot out and then stay there until the autumn leaves fall.










Comment Te Dire Adieu-Francoise Hardy(1968)
Hardy opened up her trademark cool, mod french pop to include folk and country on this record. A really nice version of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" and Ricky Nelson's "Lonesome Town" (both sung in French), her greatest ever single "Comment te Dire Adieu" (written by Serge Gainsbourg) and the heartbreaking "L'Animour" make this a great little franco-treasure worth a summer day's listen










The Affectionate Punch-The Associates(1980)
I came to this record late, this year in fact, and I bought it sound unheard. I felt drawn to it and then when I heard it I knew why. It's a dark, challenging masterpiece. Combining funk, electronics and post-punk this truly ranks among it's peers. By that I mean Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures and Magazine's Secondhand Daylight. You may never enter a chillier, more forboding place than "Paper House" or "A Matter of Gender", you may never have your heart broken quite like "Logan Time" and you may never dance harder than "The Affectionate Punch"-a single that somehow beats both Roxy Music and The Fall at their own game.

This week's obsessions (6/30/07):

Blondie-Parallel Lines (1978). Despite the fact that this is the one that took them from hip New York obscurity to Pop super stardom, this is the one to get. Sure it has the killed-by-commercials "One Way or Another" (which still rocks), the played-to-death "Heart of Glass" (still a great testament to romantic bewilderment) but it also has the bonafide rock & roll classic "Hanging on the Telephone", the nearly prog-rock "Fade Away & Radiate", and the good enough for the Ronettes, "Pretty Baby". Blondie was amazing, sexy, fun and will never go out of style. Go get it.

Interpol-Antics (2004). I've written about this record so much already, both for my own site and for other magazines that I am not sure what else I could say. My bigger concern is that after three years, I still cannot stop listening to it. I mean it's all been done before by Joy Division, Josef K, Bauhaus, The Associates etc. etc. Oh yeah. None of those bands has made a new record in 25 years.

Neko Case-Blacklisted (2002). This is her third record and the first without Her Boyfriends. A radical departure from her theretofore alt-country sound, this has a foreboding 3am shade over it that some theorize was a direct result from touring with Nick Cave. Probably not exactly, she's got more talent than a hundred other troubadours combined, so she needn't appropriate someone else's pose. Anyhow, listen to her account of being a teen in the shadow of the Green River Killer in "Deep Red Bells", her plea to Barroom pick-ups in "Pretty Girls". Try not to swoon and roll back your eyes to her flawless re-reading of Aretha Franklin's "Running Out of Fools". A Masterpiece.

The Afghan Whigs-Black Love (1994). The four white soul brothers from Ohio chose to follow up their undeniable masterpiece, Gentleman (1993) by delving even further into the recesses of 70's soul and hard R&B. The results are hot when they work and tepid when they don't, but man, "Honky's Ladder" will burn your face off.

Mott the Hoople-The Hoople (1974). Go ahead, look up "Trashy glam rock" in your Funk & Wagnalls. I'll wait. That record cover was next to the definition, wasn't it? Now put on your platforms and groove to those amazing riffs on "Born Late '58" and "Pearl 'n' Roy". Then, nearly get crushed under the bombast that is "Roll Away the Stone". Understand that Ian Hunter is the prototype for every swaggering rock star that came after.

Before Hollywood-The Go-Betweens (1983). The sound of what would become one of the great pop bands of all time finding their way. Sure it was an immense leap forward from Send Me a Lullaby (1982), contained their anthem "Cattle & Cane", and was worlds better than most of what their peers were coming up with, they were still a couple of records away from becoming the undisputed masters of the broken heart and romantic longing. Still, this is a timeless record of what three literate brats could do with the guitar/bass/drum conceit while challenging heart and mind at once.

Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea-PJ Harvey (2000) It's not my favorite record by PJ Harvey ( that would be To Bring You My Love (1995), but it's a solid work nonetheless. Featuring a gorgeous duet with Radiohead's Thom Yorke ("The Mess We're in"), a heartfelt tribute to Patti Smith ("Good Fortune") and two of her greatest and most powerful compositions ("Big Exit" and "The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore") this is worth a return visit now and again.

Curved Air-Second Album (1972). This sophomore offering from UK classical prog-meisters Curved Air is so dated that it has gone an entire lap and almost sounds fresh and new again. Almost. The classical/rock marriage doesn't always work, but Sonja Kristina's lovely voice, the driving single "Back Street Luv" and the lovely "Puppets" remain part of my internal soundtrack. Be adventurous and give a listen.

Blood Money-Tom Waits (2002)."I like a beautiful song that tells you terrible things. We all like bad news out of a pretty mouth."-Tom Waits. We all know he's a genius, and perhaps America's greatest living songwriter second only to Bob Dylan. OK, so that said, this is him at his most evil, most pessimistic. Based loosely on the same 1837 Buchner play that the classic Herzog/Kinski collaboration Woyzeck (1980) was based on, this is Wait's meditation on hopelessness and destiny, or rather pre-destiny. "God's Away on Business", "Starving in the Belly of a Whale", and "Misery is the River of the World" join his enormous pantheon of timeless classics. He is a true master, and that's that.

Vincent Gallo-When (2001). He's directed two of my favorite movies: Buffalo '66 (1968) and The Brown Bunny (2003), is a great character actor and seem to make his living being a true weirdo in real life, kind of like a really abrasive Crispin Glover. I had no idea what to expect when I picked this up. Turns out it a pretty little psych-folk/electronica languid nighttime of a record. Nothing more, nothing less. Great 2am listen.

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A Grave Kept Clean: Blind Lemon Jefferson

Blind Lemon Jefferson, between 1926 and 1929, recorded over 100 songs, released 43 records, and became the first ever popular male blues recording artist. Beyond that, his unique and haunting style, eerie voice, and mysterious life have created an aura that fascinates to this day.

Very little is known of Jefferson’s life. No birth certificate exists for him and census records in rural Texas at the turn of the century are spotty at best. It’s believed he was born in September 1893 in Coachman, TX, one of seven children and blind from birth. It’s unknown what his real name is, as he has only recorded to have been known as Lemon or one of his “Clerical” pseudonyms. His guitar virtuosity appears to be the product of his lack of education, i.e. as he couldn’t attend school or do much around the family farm; he honed his skills to perfection at an early age. His style reflecting not only the Texas style of his era, but also the influence of the itinerant Mexican workers on his fathers farm, who incorporated flamenco into their own blues brand.

Starting out as a street musician around nearby Wortham, and then eventually migrating to Dallas, he was discovered by a Paramount records talent scout, Mayo Williams and taken to Chicago to record a demo. His initial release was “I Want to be like Jesus in My Heart” under the pseudonym Deacon L. J. Bates. It’s not clear now why he was given his first shot at recording under a gospel moniker, perhaps it was a common practice for labels to try out new “race” stars on the religious front before allowing them to prove themselves in the secular arena. But whatever the reason, something clicked. In the next 3 years he would record 79 songs for Paramount and go down in history as America’s first popular male blues artist, a realm previously only inhabited by women such as Bessie Smith, and Ida Cox. He also became one of the very first artists to write and record his own material.

Following the success of his initial recording he traveled the country playing juke joints, brothels and rent parties, all over Texas, the mid-west and the Deep South. Despite the gospel nature of his initial recording his songs were charged with an incredibly raw eroticism (Black Snake Moan, Bed Spring Blues); criminal despair (Hangman’s Blues, Penitentiary Blues), and dreary longing (Lonesome House Blues, How Long?). His singing style was a one of a kind near falsetto that conveyed a bottomless pain that was utterly chilling.

Sadly only three years after his success and rise to popularity, he was found frozen to death on the street in Chicago in December 1929. It is widely believed he left a party late one night, lost his way, and had a heart attack. He was buried New Year’s day 1930 in Wortham Negro Cemetery. It remained unmarked until 1967, when it was garnished by a Texas historical monument marker. In 1980 a fund raiser was held and he finally received a proper granite marker, emblazoned with the lines “Lord, it’s one kind favor I ask of you, see that my grave is kept clean”, named for his most popular and enduring tune of the same name. One of the most widely covered songs in blues history, a list of the people and combos who have recorded it is a pretty good assessment of how wide reaching his influence was: Mike Bloomfield, Chrome Cranks, Diamanda Galas, Bob Dylan, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Furry Lewis, Lou Reed, Steve Wynn etc.

My recommendation for a good beginning primer on Jefferson is Yazoo record’s “The Best of Blind Lemon Jefferson”. It’s a good sampling of his different styles, both gospel and secular, and a nice mix of his various obsessions (religion, race, prison, sex). Completists however should go straight to Document records 4-disc set containing every one of his recordings.

Also recommended is Nick Cave’s 1985 tribute to the delta blues, “The First Born is dead” which contains the downright creepy homage "Blind Lemon Jefferson".