Winter Sucks

 

Ben Harper

Winter is for Lovers

2020, Anti-

produced by Sheldon Gomberg

Its probably not a big secret, I hate Winter, as a season, as a concept, as weather. The whole thing sucks. Cold sucks, snow is the worst, no meaningful sunlight for 3 months, everything dies. The 2020 pandemic, while lasting more than an entire year, and several seasons, certainly embodied the characteristics of Winter time. It was a dark year, many people didn't make it out the other side. It ended a lot of things, and gave way to other newer things. 

Ben Harper has been one of my favorite musicians since I discovered him in a Rolling Stone article when I was in middle school. Like many artists during the Pandemic, while locked down and sequestered, he still managed to produce art. Winter is for Lovers is just Ben Harper and his lap steel guitar, no words, just music. The record is definitely a vibe. Instead of dwelling on the misery of the season, it invokes the quiet, comfortable, and introspective themes of the season. If anything, this record hi-lites Harper's guitar playing talents. 

Gathering No Moss

The second most influential (probably) band ever, and certainly the longest continuously working band we've ever seen, The Rolling Stones has been called the Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World. Rolling Stone Magazine (no relation) listed this band at #4 on their Greatest (musical) Artists of All Time list, behind Elvis, Dylan, and the Beatles. That is pretty good company, but I think due to stage presence, song writing ability, and longevity, the Stones deserve that #3 spot, instead of Elvis. Here are the Stones records I own, just like in previous Music Project posts about Blues Traveler, Rage Against the Machine, Bad Religion, and the Grateful Dead.

Rolling Stones

Beggars Banquet

Decca, 1968

produced by Jimmy Miller

Mick Jagger - vocals, harmonica, percussion

Keith Richards - guitars, bass

Brian Jones - guitars, mellotron, sitar, tambura

Bill Wyman - bass, percussion

Charlie Watts - drums, percussion, 

Nicky Hopkins - piano, mellotron, organ

singles - 

• Street Fighting Man/No Expectations
• Sympathy for the Devil/Prodigal Son

Released in 1968, this album was delayed months due to a real life Spinal Tap moment. Decca refused to release the album with the original proposed cover art. Apparently a graffitied toilet was too much for 1960s sentiments. It is Brian Jone's last recording.

Critics called it a return to form, a record for "Left Bank heroes", a return to Rock and Roll, and the Stones "rawest, rudest, most arrogant, most savage record yet". It does feature the two singles above. Combined with Salt of the Earth, and Factory Girl, the album has a strong working class feel, moving the band away from previous psychedelic sounds and back into the blues. 

Rolling Stones

Let it Bleed

Decca, 1969

produced by Jimmy Miller

Mick Jagger - vocals, harmonica, guitar

Keith Richards - guitars, bass

Bill Wyman - bass

Charlie Watts - drums

Mick Taylor - guitars

Nicky Hopkins - piano, organ

singles-

• Live With Me
• Honky Tonk Women/You Cant Always get What you Want
• Let it Bleed/You got the Silver

This is Mick Taylor's first appearance as a band member. It charted top 4 in all UK/US/Australia charts. The band continues their journey into working class country and blues on this record. Jason McNeil of PopMatters stated Beggar's Banquet and Let it Bleed were the "greatest" albums the band (or anyone) ever made. 

Gimme Shelter is the most well known and popular song from this record and became a staple of their live show. Greil Marcus said it was their best song, and they "never did anything better". The Honky Tonk Women single was rewritten as a more country/bluegrass tune for the record, and renamed Country Tonk.

Rolling Stones

Exile on Main Street

Rolling Stones, 1972

produced by Jimmy Miller

Mick Jagger - vocals, harmonica, guitars, percussion

Keith Richards - guitars, bass, piano

Mick Taylor - guitars, bass

Bill Wyman - bass

Charlie Watts - drums, percussion

Nicky Hopkins - pianos

singles -

• Tumblin Dice/Sweet Black Angel
• Happy/All Done the Line
• Rocks Off

Exile is considered by many to be the greatest Rolling Stones record. Originally a double record, when vinyl could only fit so much music, Exile contributed greatly to the Stone's live sets throughout the rest of their performance career. It charted #1 in the US, UK, Spain, Canada, Norway, and the Netherlands, and was top five in four other countries, and has since been certified platinum in the US, UK, and Australia. Rolling Stone (no relation) ranked it 3rd in their 1987 100 Best Albums list, and ranked it 7th on their 2003 500 Best Albums list. Both Jagger and Richards cite the album as their favorite.

The 1972 tour for this record is legendary. Known as the American Tour 1972, They were supported by Stevie Wonder as an opening act, between the release of Music of My Mind and Talking Book. The setlists included tracks from the new record, Sticky Fingers, Beggars Banquet, and Let it Bleed, with virtually no pre-1968 songs performed at all. The tour has a laundry list of arrests, riots, fines, and cameos by Hugh Hefner, Tsa Tsa Gabor, Bob Dylan, Woody Allen, Andy Warhol, and Truman Capote.

Rolling Stones

Goats Head Soup

Rolling Stones, 1973

produced by Jimmy Miller

Mick Jagger - vocals, guitars, harmonica, piano

Keith Richards - guitars, bass

Mick Taylor - guitars, bass

Bill Wyman - bass

Charlie Watts - drums, percussion

Nicky Hopkins - piano

singles - 

• Angie/Silver Train
• Heartbreaker/Dancing with Mr. D

I'm not going to lie, I bought this record because of the Angie single. This is the first record since 1967 to feature all originals (no covers), and Jimmy Miller's last as producer. Critically, this record was a dud, but there are plenty of good songs on here that are not Angie. Heartbreaker, Silver Train and Star Star (Fuck a Star) are great, and Fuck a Star specifically seems to be chronically under rated. 

Rolling Stones

Tattoo You

Rolling Stones, 1981

produced by the Glimmer Twins and Chris Kimsey

Mick Jagger - vocals, guitar, harmonica, percussion

Keith Richards - guitar, bass

Ronnie Wood - guitar, bass

Bill Wyman - bass, guitar, synths

Charlie Watts - drums, percusion

Mick Taylor - guitars

Nicky Hopkins - pianos, organs

singles -

• Start Me Up/No Use in Cryin
• Waiting on a Friend/Little T&A
• Hang Fire/Neighbors

This record is basically a compilation of a bunch of previously recorded work that didn't make it onto other records, hence the participation of Mick Taylor, who had left the band in 1974. The producer credit is the Glimmer Twins, the nickname Jagger and Richards had given themselves, but really Chris Kimsey should have the credit, as the entire Frankenstein-like idea of cobbling together previous outtakes was all his, and the Jagger/Richards relationship was on the ropes. These tracks came from studio sessions for Goats Head Soup, Black and Blue, Some Girls, and Emotional Rescue. It would be the last Rolling Stones record to reach number 1 on the US charts. 

Flying Hippopotami!

Tom Morello

Atlas Underground

Mom+Pop Music, 2018

Tom Morello - guitars, bass, vocals
Carl Restivo - guitars, synths, drums, vocals
Dave Gibbs - bass
Eric Gardner - drums

Guest Appearances by:
Knife Party - production
Big Boi and Killer Mike - vocals
John Gourley - vocals
Whethan - poduction
Marcus Mumford and Miguel - vocals
Tim McIllrath - vocals
Steve Aoki - production
K. Flay - vocals
Pretty Lights - production
Gary Clark Jr - guitars, vocals
Nico Stadi - production
LeiKeli47 - vocals
RZA, and GZA - vocals
Herobust - production

This is not Tom Morello's first solo record. However, it is the first that bears his own name. Most of the record is made with his long time buddy Carl Restivo, who also worked on other Tom Morello projects The Nightwatchman, and Street Sweeper Social Club. As you can see by the huge list of collaborators, each track features a different guest, which contributes to a bunch of different sounds not previously heard from Tom Morello.

Although the guest list is pretty great, and the tracks produced are also similarly great, I was disappointed to not see Serg Tankian, Bootsy Riley, DJ Lord, or other familiar Tom Morello collaborators of the past.

The iconography is a rendering of the flying hippo stickers on Morello's Arm the Homeless guitar. The title likely is a reference to the resistance to Ayn Randist politics.

That's What the Papers Say

US Bombs

the World

1999, Hellcat

Duane Peters - vocals

Kerry Martinez - guitars

Johny Two Bags Wickersham - guitars

Wade Walston - bass

Chip Hanna - drums

I always thought this album title was clever. 

The band is US Bombs, a street punk band from the Clash/Buzzcocks school. Punk always championed the independent, band owned record label, ever since Black Flag put together their own SST label in 1978. Hellcat Records was Rancid's label, imprint of Epitaph (Bad Religion's label). The World is the 2nd record the US Bombs released on Hellcat. This record has classic street punk themes coupled with political anti-war themes.

My friend, in high school, got his hands on a US Bombs t-shirt. It was simple, with just the band's wordmark across the chest. I didn't know it was a band, and thought it was a boobs joke. My friend was a guy.

At the time, I was thrilled to add this to my music library. And now, I feel the same. 

Then and Forever the Andrew Jackson Jihad

AJJ

The Bible 2

SideOneDummy, 2016

produced by John Congelton

Sean Bonnette - guitars, vocals

Ben Gallaty - basses (electric, and double)

Preston Bryant - keyboards, piano, guitars

Mark Glick - cello

Deacon Batchelor - drums

singles: 

• Goodbye, Oh Goodbye
• Junkie Church

This band is pretty slick. I discovered them in 2007 when their song No More Tears appeared on the Plea For Peace vol. 2 comp released by Asian Man Records. They are considered Anti-Folk, a genre that lumps Regina Spektor, Laura Marling, Michelle Shocked, Death Cab for Cutie, and Beck all in the same group. 

A band with initials, or numbers, makes people wonder what the initials or numbers mean. AJJ changed their name right before this album was announced. They are now referred to as AJJ, formerly known as Andrew Jackson Jihad. This, of course, explains the initials. The original name was super creative, and even though the band explained the official change as a desire to no longer be associated with the "odious" historic figure, nor with the "disrespectful" use of the term jihad (they aren't actually muslim, after all). 

The combination of the 7th US president and a term meaning both a religious armed struggle against unbelievers, and a praiseworthy struggle is a pretty good satirical way to describe Jackson's political career. He publicly waged wars against the budding American aristocracy, the National Bank, and American Indian tribes, and abolitionists. I guess I understand not wanting to be forever linked to America's most famous civil rights violator, and a politically/cultural/religiously charged term. But, changing your name to just the acronym isnt really changing anything, right?

Anyway, this album is pretty good. 

Once Upon a Planet Burning

Metallica

Hardwired... To Self Destruct

Blackened, 2016

produced by Greg Fidelman

James Hetfield - rhythm guitars, vocals

Kirk Hammet - lead guitars

Robert Trujillo - bass

Lars Ulrich - drums

I have had a love/hate relationship with Metallica for a very long time. When I was a kid, my friends and I listened to '80s era Metallica, the "Cliff Burton is alive-Hetfield sounds like a girl-they had long hair-thrash" Metallica. And I thought it was awesome, mostly because it was miles different than the classic rock blues and jazz based bands my dad favored. But, soon after the release and tours for the 1991 Black Album, they all cut that crazy metal hair, and started writing unthrashlike pop-metal songs.

They released two albums back to back like a pair of terrible movie sequels. This new direction seemed dull, lazy, eager to capture quick pop success. The songs seemed like throwaway one-timers. It took them 30 years, but they finally produced a record worthy of comparisons to ...And Justice for All, and dare I say it, Master of Puppets! 

Hardwired to Self Destruct has built on the successful resurgence of the old school Metallica found on Death Magnetic, and just about completely redeemed them from the abortion that was St. Anger, and the sell out disappointments of the Load and ReLoad era. They refine their signature brand of metal on this record. Metallica finally comes to terms with their thrash metal past while at the same time remaining fresh and new, something that I think they struggled with in the '90s. 

My friend, a known prog-rock, metal enthusiast, posted this new album was the first time in a long time that he could publicly endorse a new Metallica record as being worth the buy. I agree, and would go further to say that, since all of the records made before 1991 were all old news when I started listening, this is the only new Metallica record I've ever been able to fully endorse as worth buying.  

RIP: Ray Beez

Warzone

Fight for Justice

1997, Victory

produced by Tony Brummel

Raymond "Ray Beez" Barbieri - vocals

Jason "J-Sin" Lehrhoff - guitars
"Vinnie Value" Verga - drums
Todd "the Kidd" Hamilton - bass

Warzone started in New York in the early '80s, and along with Agnostic Front, brought the hardcore scenes of Washington and LA to the Big Apple. Not only was Ray Beez and Warzone at the forefront of the scene, but they helped to mentor younger bands well into the '90s. Tragically, this record was their last, as Ray Beez passed away from pneumonia at age 35.

Ray Beez is remembered for being a leader in the scene, a mentor to younger talent, a US Navy veteran, an advocate for at-risk youth, and an opponent of racism, classism, and misogyny. 

Are We Madly Insane?

Dr. Dog

Shame Shame

2010, ANTI-

produced by Rob Schnapf

Tony Leaman - bass, vocals

Scott McMicken - guitar, banjo, vocals

Frank McElroy - guitar, vocals

Zach Miller - pianos, organs

Juston Stens - drums, percussion

Erik Slick - drums, percussion

singles:

• Stranger
• Shadow People

I heard this band do an interview for the Bonaroo festival for NPR, which included a version of Jackie Wants a Black Eye. They played that festival on Friday in The Other Tent. Of course, I looked the band up and found this record.

It's their first album on ANTI- records after spending five years with Park the Van. The album has a throwback sound that reminds me of the Byrds, CSN, and the Band. It is light and folksy, the kind of songs that are easily reproduced by open mic warriors. They are a product of the 90's jam band scene that produced bands like Guster, Dispatch, and Wilco. This one may be their best. Also, it comes with a fold out poster!

Why Do You Hate Me So? I Dont Know

Hootie and the Blowfish

Cracked Rear View

1994, Atlantic

produced by Don Gehman

Darius Rucker - vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion

Mark Bryan - guitars, mandolin

Dean Felber - bass, piano, clavinet

Jim Soni Sonefeld - drums, percussion, piano

singles-

• Hold my Hand
• Let Her Cry
• I Only Wanna be with You/Use Me
• Time
• Drowning

This band stormed onto radio in 1994. After the pop-synth, glam rock of the late '80s and the thrash metal, grunge of the previous few years, the Hootie and the Blowfish released a debut so different and refreshing that it climbed the charts.

If I had to describe a distinguishable 90s pop rock sound, I'd say Hootie and Blowfish nailed it. They are bouncy and fun and happy-go-lucky, light with a hint of gospel, but also had a roots blues sound that will break your heart. Darius Rucker's baritone was something rare in rock music. I think, in retrospect, the band always had a country cross-over feel, so it is no surprise that Rucker made a career in country later on.

This record sold 10.5 million copies in its first year. It went Platinum 16 times. It is the 16th best selling record in the US of all time. It was number one on Billboard 200 five times and also was number one in New Zealand and Canada.

As quickly as this record rose, there was an equal and opposite backlash. I found this odd at the time, and still find it odd now. Was it because radio overplayed it? Was it because there were unfounded rumors they were gay? Was it because the front man was black in a predominately white man genre? I'm not sure, but the record still holds up as a genre melding eulogy to a loved one. Haters, predictably, were wrong.

Lost in the Supermarket

The Clash

London Calling

1979, CBS/Epic

produced by Guy Stevens

Joe Strummer - vocals, guitars

Mick Jones - guitars, piano, vocals

Paul Simonon - bass, vocals

Topper Headon - drums

Mickey Gallagher - organ
The Irish Horns - horn section

singles-

• London Calling/ Armagideon Time
• Clampdown/ Guns of Brixton
• Train in Vain/ London Calling

Probably one of the best Clash records, if not at the very least the most recognizable. This record is ranked by Rolling Stone as the best album of the '80s (it came out in '79), number 8 on their list of 500 Greatest Albums of all Time, Q Magazine named it the 4th best British album of all time.

The cover art is super punk rock, an homage to Elvis's 1956 record with an out of focus Simonon smashing his bass. Aside from that, the album is probably as far from a typical punk rock album of the time (or the next 10 years). The Clash changed their sound from the British punk aesthetic (or lack of) to a rockabilly/ska/reggae infused sound that either departed from the punk, or diversified a genre that previously relished in its lack of talent and void of musicality. Either way, who cares? The record is great, fun to listen to, and absolutely a must-have.

Yellow Moon on the Rise

Neil Young

Harvest

1972, Reprise

Neil Young - guitars, vocals

The Stray Gators:

  Jack Nitszche - piano

  Ben Keith - pedal steel

  Tim Drummond - bass

  Kenny Buttrey - drums

singles-

• Heart of Gold/Sugar Mountain
• Old Man/Needle and the Damage Done

This is one of the first records I ever bought. I got it in middle school, mostly because Neil Young got a lot of radio play, but my father, who was a big classic 60s/70s rock guy didn't like him, but he had Crosby Still and Nash records. I had Old Man stuck in my head for an entire summer in high school.

Many consider this record to be one of his best. It's essentially a country album, back when country, bluegrass, and folk often blended boundaries, and Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Hank Williams were kings. There is an overall melancholy that permeates throughout the record, even the uplifting love songs are tinged with a sweet sadness. The record became a pillar of Young's career, and he released a sequel record Harvest Moon in 1992 which also featured the Stray Gators.

Alabama is on this record too. It is Young's rebuttal to Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama, and reminds me of Warren Zevon's song Play it all Night Long. Actually all four of these songs (including Young's Southern Man) should all be played together and called the Fuck the South Suite.

Sorority Slump? Fuck that Noise

Dead Sara

Pleasure to Meet You

2015, Pocket Kid Records

Emily Armstrong -- vocals, guitars

Siouxsie Medley -- guitars

Sean Friday -- drums

Chris Null -- bass

singles--

• Suicidal
• Mona Lisa
• Something Good

Bands with such strong debuts sometimes struggle to follow up with another hit record. Redoing what was successful never seems as genuine, and recapturing any sort of magic can often be difficult. Successful follow up efforts are usually not just copying what happened on the last record, but learning and evolving musically into something better. Dead Sara's second record is definitely not a carbon copy of the debut. Produced on their own indy label, and funded by Pledge Music (just like Better Nature by the Silversun Pickups), Pleasure to Meet You shows how the band has expanded their songwriting to incorporate other rhythms, sounds, melodies not heard on the first record, but still reflect the personality of the band.

This album is as optimistic and uplifting as it is devastating. Some tunes are much more positive and happy than their first record. But there are still songs that cover some of the darkness found on the debut. I think, as a whole, these songs cover the spread on who Dead Sara is, and what they are capable of.

Doggin My Soul Since the Day I was Born

Ray Lamontagne

Trouble

2004, RCA

produced by Ethan Johns

singles-

• Trouble/Burn
• How Come/Crazy
• Forever My Friend
• Jolene/Crazy

This album proves anyone, even a shoe factory worker from Maine, can be the next great singer/songwriter. Ray Lamontagne debuted with this record, and it's amazing. He clearly shows parallels to his influences, Crosby Stills and Nash, Neil Young, Dylan, and Otis Redding. He has a distinct voice, giving off Van Morrison vibes.

Lucy Davies from the BBC wrote in 2004 that Lamontagne "manages to make typical singer-songwriter 3 chord fodder, with subject matter heard a thousand times before sound interesting and fresh". His approach to songwriting, and the way he delivers has helped revitalize the blues genre. Much like Ben Harper and Nathaniel Ratliffe, he plays the blues, but just differently enough to make it new.

There's Nowhere Left to Go, Stay with Me

Silversun Pickups

Better Nature

New Machine Recordings, 2015

produced by Jacknife Lee

Brian Aubert - guitars, vocals

Nikki Monninger - bass, vocals, vibraphone

Joe Lester - keyboards, synthesizer, drum machine

Christopher Guanlao - drums

singles-

• Nightlight
• Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance)

I like this band a lot. I have a few of their records now, and they all get substantial play at my house. Carnavas and Neck of the Woods appear on this blog too. This is Silversun Pickups' first record on their own independent label, funded by a direct-to-fan crowdfunding platform, PledgeMusic. It is their third project with Jacknife Lee, who also produced Neck of the Woods, and their singles collection.

Better Nature seems to combine the melodic atmosphere of Carnavas and Swoon with the surreal ambient noise of Neck of the Woods. This record relies more on the driving bottom end of the rhythm section and the structure of the synthesized keyboard sounds. But they still make room for some buzzing distorted guitar work. Also, there is definitely a noted increase in Monninger's presence vocally, which is very fitting, since Aubert's vocals had been mistaken for a girl's early on anyway. So far, this is my favorite album from this band, each play gets better and better.

Come Full Circle

Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats

Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats

Stax/Concord, 2015

produced by Richard Swift

Nathaniel Rateliff - guitars, vocals

and

the Night Sweats:

• Joseph Pope III - guitars
• Mark Shusterman - keyboards
• Patrick Meese - drums
• Luke Mossman - guitars
• Wesley Watkins - horns
• Andy Wild - saxophones

singles -

• SOB
• Look it Here

There has been much hand ringing and bell tolling for the death of rock n roll. Even though it may seem like certain genres like metal, punk, glam rock (thank goodness), and whatever it is that Nickleback is responsible for are indeed dying, I believe that rock music has just changed direction once again. The music from this band is a throwback to those early rock n roll groups of the late 50s.  Buddy Holly was not the death of music. Also, I love a good horn section. Harriet Gibson from the Guardian pointed out the "ghosts of Otis Redding and Chuck Berry" are apparent in these pieces. I enjoy this record so much, it is as fresh as it is nostalgic.

For I am a Rain Dog Too

Tom Waits

Rain Dogs

RCA, 1985

singles-

• Downtown Train

So... Tom Waits. He is this legendary dude apparently, who has influenced a ton of musicians (M Ward from She&Him, the Pogues, Fiona Apple, Les Claypool, Mark Lanegan from the Screaming Trees, Nick Cave, and even Bruce Springsteen although they are contemporaries). Rain Dogs is supposed to be one of his best albums, the first of only two to be certified gold in the US. It is certainly interesting, and totally not what I expected. But I can tell how this became an influence for so many artists.

Waits blends traditional blues (which I like) with other weird shit (sometimes I like). Most of the tracks on the record are around two minutes, which is great, because I don't think I could handle four minutes of Cemetery Polka. This is definitely not a record (or a musician for that matter) for anyone looking for anything resembling a pop tune. Waits decided, in the 80s, that new gimmicky equipment, and devices for making music (such as synthesizers, drum machines, and sampling) were worthless, and couldn't be matched by conventional means of creating sound. This is awesome, considering these are the very things I hate about the late 70s, 80s, and early 90s. So, instead of creating a bass drum sound on a machine in a studio, he used 2x4s on the bathroom doors (that rhymed, by the way). 

I'm sure Tom Waits would be considered a throwback today, as his material seems to stem from early Americana folk, traditional blues, and other ethnic folk genres. In the mid 80's as American Hardcore wound down, Glam Metal wound up, and Hip Hop started to come into its own, Waits tried to put the brakes on, and it turned out great. 

Carry our Bodies Safe to Shore

Of Monsters and Men

My Head is an Animal

2011, Record Records

produced by Aron Arnarsson and Jacquire King

Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir - guitars, vocals

Ragnar "Raggi" Þórhallsson - guitars, vocals

Brynjar Leifsson - guitars

Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson - drums

Kristján Páll Kristjánsson - bass

singles - 

• Little Talks
• Dirty Paws
• Mountain Sound
• King and Lionheart

I love when bands from outside of the US and UK make it big in both markets. Of Monsters and Men are from Iceland. This is a folk/rock band, a genre that has grown in popularity as hard rock and metal are on the decline. The group is fronted by Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdottir, and grew out of her folk project Songbird. They are very reminiscent of bands like Death Cab for Cutie, Arcade Fire, and Mumford and Sons. However, Of Monsters and Men has two lead singers, which allows them to duet, swap lines, harmonize, and sing conversations. 

During an interview, Ragnar responded to the statement "it takes balls to be a musician" by saying they have ten balls and a vagina, so they'll be alright. And so far they have been more than just alright. This record produced four hit singles. The album placed number 1 on the Australian, Irish, and Icelandic charts, number 1 on the US Alternative chart, number 3 in the UK, and number 6 on the Billboard 200, which is the highest charting Icelandic album ever in the US, beating out Bjork's Volta. 

Also as an aside, these Icelandic names are not easy to spell. Also, you'll note the Icelandic practice of still using the Scandinavian patronymic system

Selling of a Loose Knit Dream

Silversun Pickups

Carnavas

Dangerbird, 2006

produced by Dave Cooley

Brian Aubert - guitars, vocals

Nikki Monniger - bass, vocals

Christopher Guanlao - drums

Joe Lester - keyboards

singles: 

• Future Foe Scenarios/ Table Scraps
• Well Thought out Twinkies/ Common Reactor
• Well Thought out Twinkies/ Mercury
• Lazy Eye
• Little Lover's so Polite

The Silversun Pickups, from Los Angeles, released their debut album in 2006. I featured their most recent album on this blog earlier, and I don't have much else to say about the band. They have become one of my favorites, recently. Apparently they can be considered part of the California Indie scene that featured Death Cab for Cutie, Rilo Kiley, and Bright Eyes, but I think they are better than their contemporaries. They sound more like Metric. I may be a little biased. I play this album constantly, because I love to sing and play along.

The Second Coming of Janis

Alabama Shakes

Boys and Girls

ATO, 2012

produced by Andrija Tokic

Brittany Howard - vocals, guitar, piano

Zac Cockrell - bass, guitar

Heath Fogg - guitar

Steve Johnson - drums

singles: 

• Hold On
• I ain't the Same
• Hang Loose

This is probably the best record of 2012 that no one talks about. There is so much nostalgia concerning the music period between 1965 and 1975. Everyone loves the Beatles, and the Stones, and Led Zeppelin, and Hendrix.  I feel there isn't quite as much fanfare for a new contemporary band that plays in similar styles while keeping their sound fresh and distinct. This makes no sense.

Alabama Shakes debuted in 2012 with their hit song Hold On. They are from Alabama, but I won't hold that against them. Their soul/blues/rock fusion sound is a throwback to the era when Hendrix and James Brown were kings, and it seemed that every big rock band was influenced by the blues. They totally deserve more coverage than they receive, and certainly more recognition than just an award for album packaging (ridiculous).  

There is a renewed push for women's rights and healthy body image, and it surprises me that Brittany Howard, fronting Alabama Shakes, hasn't become beloved of feminists everywhere. Her voice is amazing, and she doesn't necessarily fit into the pop/diva ideal.  But who cares, she's awesome.  

The similarities between Howard and hippie icon Janis Joplin have been made before. However, I feel this comparison may not be the best, and might actually be a little insulting. Joplin was a great talent, but she borrowed her style from singers like Etta James, Big Mama Thornton (also from Alabama), and Bessie Smith. I'm not going to discuss race here, but you can arrive at your own conclusions. If we are going to compare Brittany Howard to Janis Joplin, it would only be fair to also include these other women first.

As Surrealistic as a Pillow

Jefferson Airplane

Surrealistic Pillow

RCA Victor, 1967

produced by Rick Jarrard

Marty Balin - vocals, guitar

Grace Slick - vocals, piano, organ

Paul Kantner - rhythm guitar, vocals

Jorma Kaukonen - lead guitar, vocals

Jack Cassidy - bass, rhythm guitar

Spencer Dryden - drums

Jerry Garcia - guitar

singles - 

• Somebody to Love/ She has Funny Cars
• White Rabbit/ Plastic Fantastic Lover

In 1967, The Jefferson Airplane replaced their original drummer and female singer with Spencer Dryden and the iconic Grace Slick. Grace Slick had been part of her first husband's group the Great Society. When she joined the Airplane, she brought two songs from her former group, both would become hit singles for her new band.

Jerry Garcia, of the Grateful Dead, is known to have been involved heavily on this record, although his actual involvement is debated by band members and producers. Depending on who you ask, Garcia's participation varies from absolutely nothing, to playing on several tracks, producing most of the album, and even rewriting a few songs. He is credited on the record as "spiritual advisor", and it's been said he named the album too, by stating the record was "as surrealistic as a pillow".

The Rolling Stone listed Surrealistic Pillow #146 out of the 500 greatest albums of all time.