Aggro Femme

I was very recently (3 days ago) introduced to this band via the song by the album’s title, No Depression. The song was originally recorded in 1936 by the Original Carter Family, and instantly reminded me of Big Rock Candy Mountain, typically attributed to Harry McClintock, both songs being from generally the same musical “era,” as it were, during the Depression.

As an aside, I’m no history buff. Remembering what happened when is not one of my strong suits, so if I’m mistaken, leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to swallow my pride and correct myself. =P

BUT! Back to the matter at hand.

Uncle Tupelo sound like the Hank Williamses and They Might Be Giants had children. The musicianship is fantastic (the base lines are particularly technically superior). They broke up in the mid-nineties and formed Son Volt and Wilco, the latter being a band I should be more familiar with, yet sadly am not. This oversight will be rectified soon enough, but after having given them another listen, I may remember that I didn’t like them. *shrug* I’ll let you know. Check out the Wikipedia entry on Uncle Tupelo.

My favorite songs from this album (so far… another premature review) include “Factory Belt,” “No Depression” (naturally), “Whiskey Bottle” and “Life Worth Livin’.”

Let’s go with a 4.25 out of 5. Again, so far.

1 – SUCK!
2 – I guess I should at least finish it…
3 – I kinda liked this one.
4 – Love it!
5 – One of my favorites of all time.

Unless you live under a rock, or for some strange reason are not a Cranberries fan, “Are You Listening?” is the debut solo album of the Voice of the Cranberries, Dolores O’Riordan, and it couldn’t be better. Whereas the Cranberries are slightly more pop-rockish and marginally political, O’Riordan on her own is mournful and introspective, yet wise. This review is largely premature and sorely lacking, as I haven’t listened to the entire album yet (*slaps her own wrist*), but among my favorite songs so far are “Human Spirit,” “Accept Things,” “Apple of My Eye,” “Angel Fire” and “Ordinary Day,” the last being the best. Give it a listen. Or five hundred.

4.75 out of 5

1 – SUCK!
2 – I guess I should at least finish it…
3 – I kinda liked this one.
4 – Love it!
5 – One of my favorites of all time.

So I’m sitting in the car last night listening to 102.1 The Edge, and the dj starts to introduce the next band. “These guys just got signed to Serj Tankian’s (System of a Down) label Serjical Strike. Here’s their first single ‘Dance of the Manatee.’ This is Fair to Midland.”

WHAT?!

Almost four years ago I saw these guys live because a guy I know (Doug) was in a band (Nipps Brown) who was opening up for them (we’ve all been there). So I stay, I watch, I like. A lot. I go to two more of their shows. They didn’t even have merch at their shows at this point. I had to buy their cd online. I still have it, by the way. And they’re on TOUR in JAPAN with DIR EN GREY.

I just wanted you to know that I was there before you got big. It’s an interesting feeling. Kinda cuh-razy man.

Serjical Strike Records
Fair to Midland at SerjicalStrike.com
Fair to Midland.com

I’m just reserving this slot and letting you know I’ll be writing something about the concert soon. Ish.

***Edit – Wednesday, January 17th, 2007***

Okay, three months later is neither soon nor ish. But it was a great concert. I wish I had been a little less inhibited, but it was difficult, what with all the 13 year olds trying to smoke cigarettes in front of me. I’m not sure any of them knew exactly what should be liked about Rise Against, either. There was a band called Thursday, if any of you out in radio land know them. I sorta liked them, but not really, because the lead singer was a flaming show-off with a huge hole in the crotch of his jeans. Evergreen Terrace was there, and I know them thanks to Josh Simon, basically the reason I got into hardcore. Circa Survive was there, wot sounded like the Mars Volta if the Mars Volta sucked. Tim McIlrath (lead singer, Rise Against) covered Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s anti-war song “Ohio” on acoustic, and it was good.

This isn’t the best review, but I’m in a bad mood. What do you want.

Good day. I SAID GOOD DAY!

This is the first album in a LONG TIME that I can listen to straight through, and the cover art looks like something Stephen Gammell would do. Google him and look at his stuff. He illustrated a book called Scary Stories, which I own, and it is good.

Anyway, I think my favorite song is Roadside.

**Edit**

So Amazon.com classifies Rise Against as “alienation rock,” whatever that means. I think I’d go with hardcore punk, but I’m sure all you musical genre nazis out there have a seven word compound for whatever you think they sound like. (I don’t go in for that multi-prefixed genre labeling.) And I liked “The Sufferer and the Witness” so much that I went out and bought “Siren Song of the Counter Culture” after John F. told me about “Swing Life Away” (which I remember hearing on the radio now that I’ve heard it again. It’s okay, but I prefer the ballad [Roadside] on Sufferer rather than “Swing Life Away”). “Siren Song” is rougher, and Tim McIlrath’s (lead singer) voice is more gravelly. I’ve listened to the Sufferer several times through already, so maybe I’ll post another edit once I’ve done the same with Siren Song.

“The Sufferer and the Witness”
1 – SUCK!
2 – I guess I should at least finish it…
3 – I kinda liked this one.
4 – Love it!
5 – One of my favorites of all time.

5 out of 5. w00t!

“Siren Song of the Counter Culture”
1 – SUCK!
2 – I guess I should at least finish it…
3 – I kinda liked this one.
4 – Love it!
5 – One of my favorites of all time.

Forthcoming.

So Syd died almost a month ago (July 7th) AND NOBODY TOLD ME.

I made a scene at work when I saw the cover of the Rolling Stone.

R.I.P.

*listens to See Emily Play*

So a posthumous release from Johnny Cash came out a week ago, American V. I’m reading Cash’s autobiography, plus a book written about his spiritual journey, The Man Comes Around, by Dave Urbanski (reviews to follow not-so-closely). So this cd… depressing. And from what I’ve read, Cash usually liked to keep his music simple, and this is rather embellished for what I gather are his tastes. BUT! I still like it. He sings “If You Could Read My Mind” by Gordon Lightfoot. It’s my favorite. The latter book contains a quote by a Tom Dearmore, taken from an article he wrote for New York Times Magazine entitled “First Angry Man of Country Singers”: “He is singing what’s inside of him, searching in a haunting way for a note that isn’t there.” I LOVE this quote, it describes his voice gorgeously.

Rewind several hours:

I was reading The Man Comes Around at 3am at IHOP. My waiter had dreads and we discussed books, Johnny Cash, road trips, Australia, and the spanish language. It was fun, nice, something you read about. I left him a $10 tip.