Silver Jews - "Strange Victory, Strange Defeat"
[audio https://webdrive.service.emory.edu/users/ablum3/05%20Strange%20Victory%20Strange%20Defeat.mp3]

Silver Jews frontman David Berman shares a glaring similarity with rock great Bob Dylan

He can’t sing at all.

Normally this might be a big impediment to a lead singer, but much like Dylan, he makes it work. He delivers his lyrical slice of life stories in a raspy monotone that adds a sense of authenticity to his songs. His scratchy voice gives lines like “Pain works on a sliding scale/ So does pleasure in a candy jail” in the track “Candy Jail” a level of grit that wouldn’t exist if the song was sung by the last American Idol winner.

Berman is also successful because he is a brilliant poet. He can turn a phrase with the best of them and his lyrics are rife with pithy lines, evocative imagery and sardonic wit. In “San Francisco B.C.” a tale of love gone sour, Berman sings “She said ‘you don't make enough to provide for me’ /I said ‘what about the stuff that we quote believe?’” Similarly witty and humorous is the track “Strange Victory, Strange Defeat” that depicts the plight of a band of squirrels who dare to defy mediocrity.

The music itself also compliments Berman’s folksy fables. Berman and his sole other band member, his wife Cassie, use warm guitar chords, bright bouncing piano harmonies and simple drum beats to complement Berman’s steady lyrical delivery. The music is refreshingly upbeat and has a simple feel to it despite the intricate harmonies that the Silver Jews adeptly weave into the song. The instruments also never overpower David Berman’s voice allowing him to clearly narrate his poetic stories.

In the Silver Jews latest release, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea, Berman shares stories of life and love in throaty monotone. His limited vocal range adds grit and authenticity to his poetic narratives. Let’s hope he never takes a singing lesson.

—By Entertainment Blog Editor Alex Blum

Rising phoenix like from the ashes of the Smashing Pumpkins, this album, propelled by the superlative drumming of Jimmy Chamberlin and the deliriously over the top guitars of Billy Corgan, Matt Sweeney and Dave Pajo is a peerless pop confection. The band burnt brightly and all too briefly - disintegrating in a welter of narcotic fuelled accusation and bitterness, belying the giddy sentiments of their only album: "There is no place that I could be without you…Honestly" Love has never been this loud. Pop has never been this perfect.

Remember when Chevy Chase was funny?  It seems like an age has gone by since it was true...and before his train wreck of a talk show sort of sealed his fate. 

Not that I blame him, at the time they were giving out late night talk shows to just about anyone and only Conan survived the carnage. And it seems like he was only real funny when he was coked up, which is a shame. The man was Fletch for God's sake!  And Clark Griswold, Dusty Bottoms and Ty Webb! He was like the Harrison Ford of smarmy comedy.  And man, did he do it well.  And aside from all that he used to be the drummer for Steely Dan.

True story.

Well, kind of...since they really weren't called Steely Dan at the time. But I'm getting ahead of myself, and I don't think you can blame Chevy for not staying with the band since the only two constants have always been Don Fagen and Walter Becker.  Everyone else has been pretty liquid.

Fagen and Becker met in 1967 at Bard College in New York and quickly formed a bond over their shared love of music...especially jazz. They began writing together and playing in local groups like The Bad Rock Group (AKA Leather Canary) where Chevy had a brief stint as their drummer.  I wonder what Chevy's life would have been like had he just been Steely Dan's drummer, but any attempt to imagine someone else playing Fletch makes me shiver with horror.

After a while playing cover songs and living like filthy beatniks, Fagen and Becker slowly drifted away from their friends...moving to Brooklyn to try and sell their songs.  Kenny Vance, who had an office in the same building and worked with his own group: Jay and the Americans, liked their material enough that he got them work doing the soundtrack to the overly long named Richard Pryor film "You've Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or You'll Lose That Beat."

Yeah, I'ver never heard of that one either.

Apparently Becker and Fagen weren't to thrilled by it either, but it was a paid gig.  The created a series of demos between 1968 and 1971, all of which don't exist except in bootleg form (yay bootlegs!)  They had no success, and were soon touring with Jay and the Americans, where they built a reputation for their anti-social behavior.  They might have vanished into obscurity until a friend, Gary Katz, dragged them to LA to become staff writers for ABC Records.

The only problem was that Fagen and Becker's stuff was too complex for the ABC roster, being that so much of it was built on jazz scales. Katz suggested they form a band, which they did and named it Steely Dan after a strap-on dildo from William Burroughs novel "Naked Lunch."  They released "Can't Buy A Thrill" in 1972 and their stock began rising.  With a knack for working with nothing but top notch studio musicians and a reputation for perfectionism beyond what anyone could believe, Steely Dan released an album a year until 1977, when "Aja" dropped.

What sets 'Aja' apart from the other works was it's return to the thing Fagen and Becker loved most...jazz.  They brought in top names like Lee Ritenour and Wayne Shorter, and even Michael McDonald as backing vocals on the chart topping 'Peg.'  But the album also includes such transcendent hits like 'Black Cow,' 'Josie' and 'Deacon Blues.'  But what makes Steely Dan and "Aja" so great aren't just the hits, but the sound. They sound like a seventies band, but at the same time not so much.  In a time when everything fit nicely into a particular genre, Steely Dan didn't.  They made their own noise, and that's what keeps them relevant today. 

Unlike Chevy Chase.

Published under a Creative Commons licence by Ken Treloar.

As I continue reading George Orwell's 1984, I observe more startling revelations.

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

The above mantra is scattered thoughout the book and the statements are the "three slogans of the Party." Let's break it down, shall we?

War is Peace: The only way to achieve peace is through war. Which seems to be the consensus of most world leaders.

Freedom is Slavery: Look no further than the Patriot Act, and the belief that in order to be "safe and free" we must give up our fundamental rights as outlined in the Constitution and become slaves to the government. A pretty socialistic view.

Ignorance is Strength: The ignorance of the public is strength to the government. The less the people know what is going on, the more the government can do to further gain control. Through mass distractions in entertainment (televised Rock, Paper, Scissors?) and disinformation in the mainstream media, the public is kept unaware of what is happening. It eventually reaches the point where society is completely ignorant of the past and present with no hope of a future.

Also in the book, protaganist Winston Smith was employed in the Minsitry of Truth. His job was to re-write newspaper articles to make them relevant to the current time. If someone was "vaporized", all previous information of them was erased, making it to where they don't exist. All knowledge of the past, before the Revoloution, was forgotten and rewritten by the Party.

We have a system similar to that in the world today. As the saying goes, "History is written by the winners." Our schools and government continue to perpetuate the lie the Christopher Colombus discovered America. History textbooks are filled with half-truths and misinformation.

The world of 1984 is a totallitarian socialist regime. "Ingsoc," which is referenced many times, means English socialism in Newspeak. Are we heading toward Amsoc?

La psicodelia otra vez, ahora con TEN YEARS AFTER.

El video data de 1969 aproximadamente.

Aquí les dejo la letra para que la canten :)

Good morning little schoolgirl
Can I go home, home with you?
Good morning little schoolgirl
Can I go home, home with you?
Tell your mama and your papa
Big be schoolboy, too

I won't bore you, yeah
Baby, I won't bore you all night long
Yes, I do
Baby, I wanna ball you
I wanna ball you all night long
Tell your mama and your papa
Baby, baby, doing nothing wrong, child
I'm doing nothing wrong, yeah

I won't bore you, yea, yea, huh
Baby, I wanna ball you all night long
Yes, I do, child
I won't bore you, darling, yea
I won't bore you all night long
Tell your mama and your papa
Baby, baby, we're gonna do nothing wrong
Wrong , wrong, wrong
Baby, I wanna ball you every night
Oh, yeah, come on now

2008, Demo
Lecce, Italia
Produttore: Autoprodotto

Like I said, after hearing the titletrack Underclass Hero, I was confident that the Sum 41 of old was back; I was looking forward to edgy, fast tracks with influences of metal, punk and rap in the mix. Anyone who remembers Fat Lip or Motivation will know what I mean. This is what Underclass Hero does well. Tracks such as Underclass Hero, Pull The Curtain, and King Of The Contradiction remind you why Sum 41 could have been legends rather than just a great band. On the downside, or perhaps upside depending on personal tastes, there is a distinct melodic feel to many of the songs which I wasn’t expecting. True, on previous albums there have been melodies which added some variety, but they dominate on the new album. Is married life to Avril Lavigne taking its toll on Derek? (guitar, vocals, piano/keyboard, writing & producing) because he seems a lot more soppy and emotional than ever before, most notably in The Long Goodbye, which sounds like a rip-off of Greenday’s mostly acoustic guitar sounding, Time Of Your Life. While I am confident some fans (mainly female ones) will love the new sounds, I have a feeling that others like me will miss the lack of metal on the album. It’s too early to judge how it has been received by other fans of course, but to me, my initial joy turned into slight disappointment.

The album seems to be very hit-and-miss with its confusing mix of melodies and rock tracks. The album isn’t even structured in a way to show changes. It leaps from high tempo 100mph tracks to turtle paced soothing ballads. Even the track order/listing seems a bit confusing as most bands put the best songs at the start, and apart from track 1 (Underclass Hero) the songs tend to get better towards the end. So while some songs are great, others are, frankly, a bit dull and seem more suited to Take That. Perhaps in the past it was always Dave who gave the band a firm metal edge? That said, there is enough to satisfy fans both old and new, and while Sum 41 haven’t achieved greatness just yet, I think it’s fair to say the album has been a success.

Final verdict (this was hard) - 7/10

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- Hurry Up
- The Curse of Castle Dragon
- Scarified
- Down to Mexico
- Silence Followed By A Deafening Roar
- Eudaimonia Overture
- Norwegian Cowbell
- Jackhammer
- Burning Organ (first time live, ever, as Paul said)
- Suite Modale
- The Rhino
- I Cannot Tell A Lie
- Bronx 1971
- The Gargoyle
- Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy
- Bultaco Saturno
- Technical Difficulties
- Green-Tinted Sixties Mind
- Individually Twisted (only guitar and with a clean sound)
- Suicide Lover
- Friday Night
- Viking Kong
- Bliss

Here is the set list (and approximate running order) for a subsequent show.

- Hurry Up
- The Curse of Castle Dragon
- Silence Followed By a Deafening Roar
- Eudaimonia Overture
- Norwegian Cowbell
- Scarified
- Down To Mexico
- Bronx 1971
- Bultaco Saturno
- Suite Modale
- I Cannot Tell A Lie
- The Gargoyle
- Friday Night
- Jackhammer
- Burning Organ
- Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (with drills!)
- Technical Difficulties
- Green-Tinted Sixties Mind
- Individually Twisted
- Viking Kong
- Bliss
- Long Live Rock (the Who cover)

They do add in and take out certain songs on certain nights (for example Bliss was cut out one night, Here Comes The Sun w/human capo was added in one night, and Suicide Lover was added in one night), and the order does change slightly. You will be kept enthralled and on your toes!

Touring Lineup:
Paul Gilbert: Guitar, Vocals
Emi Gilbert: B3, Keyboard, Vocals
Craig Martini: Bass, Vocals
Jeff Bowders: Percussion

Paul uses about 4-5 different Ibanez guitars during the set: The Fireman, a 1979 Artist semi-hollowbody with genuine F holes, the Plywood PGM, the new Sunburst PGM, and one night he used a vintage black Destroyer which has never been seen again and may no longer be his. Mostly he uses the semihollow and the Fireman.
Craig is playing a beautiful quilted maple bass finished in dark transparent royal blue.

Thanks to the RacerX boardmembers for this info!

Links:

Paul’s official website

Paul’s message board/forum (in the Side Projects folder)

Enjoy!

Snow Patrol's new album A Hundred Million Suns drops October 28th.

I'm actually looking forward to this album after becoming a fan of these cats post "Chasing Cars" (video below) off their Eyes Open album.  Eyes Open went 7-times plat so this one will probably go plat pretty easily too.

The main difference you might note from the music on this album compared to their previous cuts is that suddenly you don't feel like breaking up with somebody.  No, real talk,  short of T-Pain these cats established themselves as break-up song specialists.  I like how a writer at MTV put it:

"...practically perfect for the traditional post-break-up mope — or any time you feel like wallowing in your own self-pity."

Check out their website for the video to their new single "Take Back the City" and to geek out over the making of the pretty little album cover that you see above.

For good measure here is the video for Chasing Cars which you might remember from Grey's Anatomy.

]]> http://rockmine.wordpress.com/?p=590 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:05:41 +0000 rockmine http://rockmine.id.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/today-in-music-october-7th/ From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Tuesday, 7th October):

Birth

1943. Dino Valenti (Quicksilver Messenger Service) born in New York.

On Tour

1969. 2,000 East German Rolling Stones fans clash with police near the Berlin Wall. The fans gathered expecting to see The Stones play a concert on top of a building at the western-most section of the Wall but there was no performance. 200 police chase the fans into the centre of the city where they clash with some of the 250,000 members of the Free German Youth organisation who had gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the communist state. More than 50 of the fans are detained in custody by police.

In Court

1975. The U.S. Court Of Appeals overturns the Immigration Departments deportation order on John Lennon. This opens the way for him to apply for resident status.

In Hospital

1995. Simon Gilbert (Suede) is knocked unconscious when he and a friend are attacked by 12 queer-bashers after leaving a pub in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Both men are taken to Warwick Hospital where they are treated before being discharged. The un-named friend has six stiches for a head wound and later returns to the hospital suffering from concussion.

On Television

1970. The Johnny Cash Show (ABC, U.S.A.) Johnny with George Lindsey & June Carter, The Statler Brothers, The Carter Family. Here are Johnny and Joni Mitchell dueting on "Girl From The North County".

Death

1966. Overton Amos Lemons, better known as R+B singer Smiley Lewis, dies of cancer in New Orleans.

Babble

Well, here I am once again in the north. I was told yesterday that the memorabilia exhibition couldn't go ahead and yet everyone seems to want it to be staged. Just how and when are the two big questions. I'm going to give it until tomorrow and then I'll have to make the decision to consign it to the fantasy world within the wardrobe and just imagine I've staged the show or get it sorted once and for all.

I was offered a date in November but that's meant to tie in with a book launch that should have been held on June 21st. The book, on growing up in Liverpool in the sixties, was seemingly available back in May so I'm not sure why a launch is being held six months on. My biggest worry is that the launch is meant to be run by Waterstone's local branch but the company's web site has no information regarding ANY events in Elgin or Inverness in either October or November. I have found one book that fits the description but it was launched at the Liverpool's Everyman Theatre back in April. Its author, Nicholas Murray is giving a poetry reading on October 13th in Venice. Maybe it's just me but I can't then see what he'd be doing in Elgin. Obviously it may not be him and as there's nothing on the Elgin venue's website mentioning anything that fits the bill.

I hope from this you'll get some sense of my frustration. I know I'm dealing with a theatre but it surely doesn't need to involve suspending all disbelief. I found a fascinating description of the concept here. The world of Narnia really has been moved to Moray. I just hope that I can find my way back out of the wardrobe. Despite the frustration, I'm going to give it one last shot. If I can't get an agreement to use the venue we'd agreed on (which I've decided not to name because it will just give them free publicity) from Thursday to Saturday or another space to stage it, then I give up. 

Strangely, the link to my Two Red Shoes Ballroom blog from the Northern Scot is proving nowhere near as successful as flyers were in Nairn back in August. 1,400 flyers and a dozen A4 posters pulled in 180 people a day and all this one's getting is 55! Before I leave here, I think I'll get flyers into the local library and other places. Then I'll just forget these eerily unreal place.

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I'm A.S.P.C.A., That's Animals who shoot peeps with clean aim.

OUÇA

Dois monumentos sagrados do Britpop acabam de lançar novos trabalhos. Os briguentos irmãos Gallagher do Oasis impõem sua supremacia com o álbum "Dig Out Your Soul" e o The Verve retorna após dez anos com seu quarto rebento chamado simplesmente de "Forth". No mix "Bag It Up" do Oasis e "Love is Noise" do Verve.

BEZZI

Es  uno de los pocos conciertos que puedo decir !no mames!

Ya saben esta banda que tiene una trayectoria de mas de diez años.

Ya saben les chupo un huevo a las banda que vaya al concierto cualquier informe comenten y les contesto sus preguntas =). O tal vez no! =)

The album's lead single, "So What", has been the biggest solo success of Pink's career to date, topping the charts in nine countries so far, including her native United States, and also in the UK, and reaching the top 10 in many others.

listen the song here : Pink - Sober Video and Lyrics