My Listening Hours: The Rest of April–June

Yesterday were the new purchases that really took up most my listening hours over the last few months. Today, all my other new purchases that just didn't stick or just plain stunk. When I surveyed "the rest" in January–March, the discs that wound up in this stable were disappointing or decent, but none were actually bad. Looking here, only Bjork really gets credit for making a record I simply wasn't in the mood for; the rest all make me wish I'd spent my money in smarter ways. I could've gone to Disneyland!

Sea & Cake, Everybody
I don't even know why I bought the Sea & Cake record (truthfully? because I found a promo on sale for a couple bucks). I haven't picked up a Sea & Cake album since The Fawn, though I do own (and like) both Sam Prekop solo albums. What I heard of the Sea & Cake in the intervening decade between The Fawn and Everybody was all just dandy; I just didn't feel impelled to buy it. For some ludicrous reason, though, I held out hope that maybe they'd try something new. But alas, no.

And why don't they try something new? John McEntire is an inventive guy. Archer Prewitt is a great songwriter and singer. Why is the Sea & Cake so much Sam Prekop's show? Prekop is fine, but he seems intent on destroying the very idea of variety in his music. So why not let Prewitt sing along every once in a while? Why not let McEntire experiment a little? There is so much potential in the individual members of the Sea & Cake that the fact that this sounds so little removed from—and lesser than—The Fawn is bewildering. Everybody is a bland record full of samey songs. It's pleasant, but that's a euphemism for boring.

Bjork, Volta
Meanwhile Bjork made a record that for the first time (to my ears) sounds like she took a step back rather than forward. I'm glad to hear that she's returned to using instruments, but she seems to have regressed to territory somewhere beyond the edgy pop of Post and sweeping gestures of Homogenic. That's not necessarily a bad thing, nor is Volta a bad album. All I can say is that it ultimately didn't grab me. Could be the album's fault, could be mine. Could be that I can't stop chanting "here's my wersion of this / eternal virlvind" and it's driving me crazy. I just don't seem to have been in the mood for Bjork this year, much as I'd like to be. When the album comes on I'm cool with it, but I haven't been making a point to put it on.

America, Hat Trick
And we come now to the three "blind spots" (today I use the term loosely) I regretted picking up this season. First up is probably the most embarrassing of all, America's third album, Hat Trick. I blame Midlake, of course. When I first fell in love with them back at the tail end of December I read an All Music review that compared that harmonies and 70s-ish sound to America. So I listened to snippets of America on Barnes & Noble's machiavellian listening stations that only allow you the smallest segment of a song at a time. What'd I hear? Harmonies and 70s-ish sound—kinda like Midlake! So more or less at random my wife and I chose this one. Again, trusting the bastards at All Music (it's no accident that B&N lets you read All Music reviews while using their listening stations), Hat Trick was described as "more ambitious but commercially unsuccessful." Sounds like the perfect candidate for an indie-hipster resusitation!

No such luck. Man, what a fucking turd. America is like the aural equivalent of those pictures where you can see two people looking at each other or a chalice. Sometimes they sound like direct descendents of the Byrds—which is great!—but if you turn your head slightly, suddenly all you can hear is a forerunner to the BeeGees—which is abominable!

Don McLean, The Best of Don McLean
We were at Amoeba one evening and my brilliant wife brought this one over to me, nostalgic for her young high school days, when she had this as a dubbed cassette and listened to it all the fucking time. Me, I was ambivalent at best, but more likely not into spending actual money a greatest hit plus nine other songs. I can truthfully say that I have never in my life actively listened to "American Pie." I can't count how many times the song has come on the radio and I have reached for the dial to change it, only to be stopped by my sister, my mother, my friends, my wife—"Hey, what are you doing? It's 'American Pie'!"—and then made to listen to anyone within earshot sing along to every goddamned word of this eight-minute folk epic. I don't hate the song--hate is a strong word, but I really really really don't like it, to quote the teenage geniuses on MTV right now, whatever they're called.

And now here I was, not actively participating as cash left my hand, to be replaced by The Best of Don McLean. I was optimistic though. I do like the folkies from that era, after all. Start singing "Cat's in the Cradle" or "Operator (That's Not the Way it Feels)" and I'm right there with you, singing loud and proud. The good news is that Don McLean's got some songs that fit that ilk. "American Pie" notwithstanding, there are probably three or four very nice songs here, plus two utterly inessential covers and a couple misfire originals. But even at his best, as in "Vincent," McLean lacks the laser-precise lyrics of Paul Simon, the dynamics and distinctive voice of Cat Stevens, or the emotive quality of Jim Croce. Croce in fact is probably the closest in sound, voice, and lyrical depth of McLean—and Croce's just better.

Van Morrison, Astral Weeks
So I can blame Midlake and All Music for America, and my wife for Don McLean—who's to blame for Van Morrison? What is with the critical praise for this album? It's a hot mess. It's a formless, stream-of-consciousness whining buzz of garbled idiocy. The pleasure to be found in this record is so far over my head, scientists are building a satalite to take pictures of it.

Cold War Kids, Robbers & Cowards
My brilliant wife actually had an innate distrust of Van Morrison; we both agreed she should have listened to her gut and barred us from making the purchase. I had a similar mistrust of the Cold War Kids. The only song I knew by them was "Hang Me Out to Dry," which invariably put that song "Possum King" by the Toadies in my head—do ya wanna die? Not a good sign. Yesterday I ate my own words regarding mp3 bloggers since they brought me Andrew Bird, but all I need to do is see the words "Cold War Kids" on screen and I remember all over again why blog hype is rarely to be trusted.

To both our credit, neither my brilliant wife nor I actually purchased this album; it just sort of made it's way into our house like a flu virus. We listened to it a little. There were some songs that were okay but I still couldn't shake a certain smarminess from their sound. Something about their brand of blues rock just didn't sound the least bit genuine. Jack White, for instance, can articulate the aesthetic choices he makes behind his sound; these guys, I'm pretty sure, just want to get laid and paid.

Then a couple of weeks ago we went to see the Little Ones play at the Echo here in Los Angeles. They were opening for the Cold War Kids. By then we'd seen their video for "Hang Me Out to Dry" and grasped that these dudes could care less whether Gorilla vs Bear or Avril4Eva.com is the reason for their success—they just wanna be famous. But we thought, optimistically, that that wasn't a de facto bad thing; that bands aspiring to arena rock levels might be worthy a fucking entertaining club gig. Then they came out, looking like a frat-boy bar band and dancing around like they were the Spin Doctors.

And that was the end of the Cold War Kids. They've officially left my sphere of awareness. They are now in the mythical land of mainstream rock, where curious chimera such as  Hinder and Rocco de Lucca roam the wilderness.

Comments

[sroden]

you have pegged one of my major "what's wrong with todays bands" theory... that a f-ing terrible band like "america" is somehow now cool and (ugh!) unfluential ... and said without irony. didn't america do the original version of muskrat love? didn't captain and tenniel cover that song... shall i rest my case there or rant on....i remember when those records were new, and i didn't know anyone that didn't think they were lame as hell - even my mom, who remarkably liked led zeppelin, but also elton john (who i also must say, was NEVER cool,so don't go down that road either) didn't have an america record... sure, if you're 20 and in a band you don't have all the baggage i do (i'm actually grateful for bands like america because their lameness sent me to punk rock the minute it happened..) you can approach it with a clear head, but once you hear it how does it not suck ass!... as much as i'm sick of hearing bands mention gang of four as a major influence, at least they were f-ing amazing (their one major flaw was that they spawned the dreadful shriekback...); but i just don't get the america thing at all... and i have to say, i'm a little surprised you bent under such pressure.... next time you want to drop dough on something like that remember those old warner bros. cartoons where the unsuspecting character's face would turn into a giant lollypop and then in neon lights it would blink "sucker" a few times...p.s.i wish they'd put your review of astral weeks on the all music guide... hilarious!

[pgwp]

"unfluential" - can I start using that word? It is somehow the perfect descriptor of America.

Yeah, I'm actually pretty embarrased by my number of misses this time around. I've unintentionally had a 70s moment the last few months. There was good stuff made in the 70s but it is really, really easy to trip over the shit.

I think my entire list of albums in this post is a lesson in trusting one's gut. We were total suckers.

Maybe I'll start moving into the 80s instead. Hey, have you heard of this band Air Supply? I think they might be totally rad, just waiting to be rediscovered...

[Richard]

Dude. Agree with you about America (when I saw Low live, I really couldn't believe it when they talked about loving America--in fact, I think one of the guys from America played with them), but Astral Weeks is gorgeous. One of the greatest albums ever made by anybody. I mean, I don't know what to say. It's never occurred to me to have to defend it, it's greatness being just a given, a natural part of my life.

I can only say, put it aside and come back another time... what are your thoughts on jazz?

[pgwp]

Richard, I probably will put it aside. There are so many people like you out there... those that say to me "you don't like Astral Weeks? As if I've told them that I hate chocolate or think The Godfather is overrated. It makes me think I must be missing something. But in the meantime, that voice! the incoherence! the voice!

[Richard]

Well, if you don't like someone's voice, you don't like their voice. Sure, it can grow on you, but if it doesn't...

But it's not clear to me what incoherence has to do with it. Are lyrics supposed to be coherent? (And here I'm not saying that his are or are not. It never occurred to me either way.) They are very impressionistic, the music is largely improvisational, the players are jazz musicians (I believe Richard Davis is on the bass).

It's interesting when someone doesn't like something you cherish. The arguments against often seem simply bizarre.

[genny]

don't back down, man! that record is atrocious!