Tag Archives: Indie Rock

What we’re listening to — The Replacements

I was surprised and delighted to find out the other day that 80s Indie stalwarts and coulda been contenders The Replacements had just played a sold out show out in Forest Hills, Queens apparently having lost none of their edge. It’s always somehow reassuring to see that the heroes of one’s youth are still kicking ass even if three members from their heyday have died, become too ill to perform or gone missing. But as long as the formidable Paul Westerberg still roams the earth I hope these guys will keep performing their hits with their characteristic ragged gusto and swagger.

And what hits they were. With a combination of pop sensibilities and punk ethos, The Replacements blew out of Minneapolis in the mid-80s like a bracing, whiskey-soaked wind of Rock on the rocks. Along with the harder-edged but excellent Hüsker Dü (who they aped unsuccessfully early on) and the almighty Prince, it seemed like 1985 was the year that put the Twin Cities on the map musically… if only for that fleeting moment that finds a city du jour that is not New York or LA ever so briefly anointed as the New Happening Place for Music™. It wasn’t to last, of course, and neither were The Replacements. But they made a hell of a heavenly racket while they did.

Starting out as drunk punk wannabes, Westerberg was joined by brothers Bob Stinson on guitar and Tommy Stinson on bass with drummer Chris Mars pounding the skins, and the group rapidly developed a winning brand of punk-infused pop that wasn’t afraid to take on the more sentimental side of adolescent angst. Continue reading →

What we’re listening to — Not Ready Yet by Eels

Since depression is the watchword the past few days, I think this Eels song from 1996’s Beautiful Freak does an amazing job of encapsulating the hoepless feeling and the futility of someone else telling you to buck up. Listen to the lyrics and tell me if you don’t agree.

Sometimes the best way to beat sadness is to listen to sad music, especially when the singer has more than a passing knowledge of what he’s talking about (as frontman E certainly does). Not everyone’s preferred therapy, I’m sure, but works for me.

What we’re listening to — Hoodoo Gurus

There is nothing particularly revolutionary about the Hoodoo Gurus but they were one of the most purely fun bands to emerge from the often gloomy 1980s music scene (Depeche Mode they are not). Hailing from Australia and featuring a distinctly surf & garage influenced brand of guitar rock, the Gurus pumped out catchy hit after catchy hit for college radio even if they never quite hit the big time Stateside. The main asset for the HG’s was their chief songwriter and inimitably adenoidal, ever-so-slightly kitschy singer David Faulkner and his well-penned half sincere/half ironic tributes to 60s Americana, Australiana and disposable pop culture in general.

Perhaps the one essential album would be their extra strong sophomore effort, 1985’s Mars Needs Guitars, but really there are one or two great tracks on pretty much every Gurus album. So much so that I’d recommend tracking down the now out-of-print 2-disc CD compilation, Ampology. Because sometimes all you want to do is hear the hits and Ampology distills down the HG’s prodigious output to its essential pop-rock essence just as any well-chosen greatest hits collection should.

Not really a hard rock band but definitely a band that rocks hard without taking itself too seriously, the Hoodoo Gurus are well worth rediscovering and just in time for summer’s tasty waves and beach cookouts, as well. Soon enough you and your mates may well find yourselves singing “Like wow-Wipeout!” at the end of a pleasantly sunburnt day.

What we’re listening to — Big Country

In the wake of U2’s burgeoning success in the early 1980s, a small Celtic music invasion took British and American radio by storm. With their unabashed passion, politics and anthemic rock, it was as if Bono and the boys pointed the way for other British Islanders to follow their road to success by bucking the synth-pop trend. Of course, U2 proved to have the staying power and artistic innovation that bands like The Alarm and The Waterboys could only dream of.

Arguably the “best of the rest” behind the Dublin superstars was the Scottish quartet, Big Country. Fronted by gifted songwriter, singer and guitarist Stuart Adamson, the band also featured the outstanding bassist Tony Butler, as well as second guitarist Bruce Watson and Mark Brzezicki on drums. After quickly building their reputation by opening for the Jam on their farewell tour, the band found near-instant success in 1983 with their debut album, The Crossing. With their trademark sound of chiming, almost piper-like guitars, soaring, declarative vocals and rock solid rhythm, their namesake single “In a Big Country” quickly became ubiquitous even as it went seriously against the grain of both the Depeche Mode/New Order/Cure style of dark electronica then dominating the Alternative airwaves and the slick, synthy, MTV-ready fare that Tears for Fears and Duran Duran were having such Pop success with. Nonetheless, The Crossing was a critical and popular hit, going platinum in England and gold in the States. Everyone seemed to agree that U2 had real competition for world’s best Celtic rock band. And with songs like “Chance”, about a love affair that ends only with unwanted children, Adamson proved himself a master of nuanced, evocative narrative balladry in addition to his beloved anthems.

The band followed up with the excellent EP, Wonderland — the impassioned title track wound up being one of the best songs they ever recorded.   Continue reading →

What we’re listening to today — Presidential Suite by Super Furry Animals

There’s something to be said for unabashed romanticism. And the accomplished Welsh band Super Furry Animals can certainly bring the love when they want to. It’s one of their many, many moods. A song like “Presidential Suite” from 2001’s hyper-ambitous Rings Around the World makes a virtue of beautiful horn-fueled, almost Bacharach-esque balladry — even if the lyrics are a scathingly sarcastic tribute to the foibles of 90s world leaders.

Rings features the Super Furry Animals showing off a dazzling array of musical approaches, from growling techno-punk to historical story songs to funked up tongue-in-cheek message music. One old friend of mind compared it to a modern day White Album. All in all, there’s a ton of good stuff to choose from. But call me a sucker for sophisticated love songs (not silly, though, despite the album cameo by Paul McCartney — the song actually features legendary misanthrope John Cale). “Presidential Suite” always reminds me of the scene in To Catch a Thief when Cary Grant & Grace Kelly kiss and then we cut to that cinematic symbol for something more profound outside their posh Monaco hotel room — “There were fireworks in the sky/Sparkling like dragonflies”. Strange that a Welsh alternative band in 2001 could bring a comparison from Hitchcock from the 50s to mind but there it is. Must be the universal language of love — and cinema — by way of Cardiff.

What we’re listening to today — Monkey Gone to Heaven by The Pixies

Just a quick and dirty blast of punk rock today as life intrudes but it is often posited that without the Pixies, there would be no Nirvana. Discuss.

And remember, kids: If man is 5, then the Devil is 6 and if the Devil is 6 then GOD IS 7!!! Bless Black Francis for that bit of theology and I promise we’ll get into the Pixie ouvre in greater length — or at least crank out some more of their tunes — at a later date. In the meantime, enjoy it again live and watch out for that NY/NJ sludge!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJwnpi_iM6A

What we’re listening to today — Revelry by Kings of Leon

There is something about the bittersweet yet unapologetic quality of “Revelry” from Kings of Leon‘s 2008 breakthrough album Only by the Night that always resonates for me.

A lyric like “Just know it was you all along that had a hold of my heart/
But the demon in me was a best friend from the start” sums up that kind of youthful pattern where you can’t help but hurt the other person for the simple reason that you are too busy chasing your own kicks. Call it the selfishness of our immaturity, a feeling that the world and the people in it exist to please us and us alone.

Most of us have got memories of a misspent youth indulging in far too much partying, often at the expense of joys that could have been more lasting and less transitory. One of the keys to maturity as a man is leaving that reckless selfishness behind. But of course the memories of such uncontrolled hedonism linger with us, a constant caution and temptation from our past selves to the men we have (hopefully) become. And sometimes a rock song can bring it all back to crystal clarity once again, those times dreaming of revelry while letting something precious fall away.

Earworm of the day — That’s Because You Drive Me by Acid House Kings

Because my New Year’s resolution is to inflict upon you all the nonsense catchy pop rattling around in my head one song at time…

What is it with Swedish bands and maddeningly sweet, highly contagious tunes? From 2005’s Sing Along with Acid House Kings, “That’s Because You Drive Me” anchors an album of persistently cheerful, decidedly un-moody Scandinavian pop, as if ABBA cross-pollinated with Belle & Sebastian. The original packaging even included a DVD of karaoke-ready videos (which can all be seen on YouTube), hence the “Sing Along” part. Go ahead and join in–you know you want to. Plus, resistance to such determined sunniness is futile, futile I tell you.

Earworm of the day — Nothing in My Way by Keane

This song has been going through my head for days if not weeks. And now I’m inflicting it upon you. So Merry Christmas, I guess.

From Keane’s 2006 emo epic, Under the Iron Sea, “Nothing in My Way” showcases the glam-tinged, piano-driven grandiosity of this English band perfectly, not to mention lead vocalist Tom Chaplin’s stunning tenor range. Is it a little soft overall? Yes, a little. Is it a little “pretty”? Yes. But listen to it once and I have a feeling you’re going to play it again, and probably the whole album too, which is pretty much impeccable in an Elton John-meets-Queen-with-a-dash-of-U2 kind of way. Just one word of warning: unless you are a near-pro singer with a massive head voice range, it might be best not to choose “Nothing in My Way” for your next karaoke excursion lest you crash & burn. It’s a sweetly melodic song that sounds easy enough to sing along with… until you realize you can’t hit half the notes Chaplin can. Love or hate the music, the guy’s voice is certifiably amazing.

Guitars We Love – The 1962-1975 Fender Jaguar

jag 66 sunburst

Nearly immaculate 66 Jaguar in Sunburst finish (Image courtesy www.fenderjaguar.net)…

There might not be another guitar in the world that has had such a scrappy rise to fame and fortune as the Fender Jaguar. From a debut full of big hopes, to a slow decline into the cheap seats, to a meteoric resurgence that ended in a  permanent place in guitar history, the Jag has had quite a ride so far. Equally loved and hated by guitar players and collectors, the Jaguar is a one of a kind guitar, and my personal all-time favourite.

Amazing condition 1965 Jaguar in very rare Charcoal Frost finish (Image from Jay Rosen)…

original

A Quick HIstory-

Introduced by Fender in 1962, the Jaguar came loaded with all sorts of bells and whistles, and was meant to be Fender’s new top-of-the-line model (priced accordingly higher than a Stratocaster!) For better or worse, this plan didn’t succeed. Most customers felt the Jag was a bit too flashy or weird looking, and the Stratocaster remained the king of the Fender line-up. Fender then began marketing the Jaguar largely as a  “Surf Guitar”, as Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys were known for playing them at the time. They also tried to lure customers in by offering custom nitrocellulose lacquer finishes for a 5% add-on to the sticker price. But alas, even the cool finishes couldn’t do much to boost the popularity of the Jaguar. By the late 60’s the Jaguar had been relegated to the backseat of Fender’s line-up, and production of the original guitar finally ceased entirely in 1975.

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