That's Green Day to you, pal. Here's the band's new album, released as the Foxboro Hot Tubs. I like it.
Visit www.foxborohottubs.com to but it for 10 bucks (or $5 bucks per side). Listen to the tres cool Brit-
pop throwdown ">"Mother Mary".
Write with your thoughts!
As I write in my Gusto column today, the music created by producer Phil Spector (above) and engineer Larry Levine - the latter of which passed away last week, sadly - was both ahead of its time and redolent of its own mileau. Employing reverb, echo, and stacked instruments playing unison figures, Spector and Levine birthed their "Wall of Sound," and gave high drama to pop music. Their best work is eternally fresh. It also has inspired some of the greatest albums in pop history. Here are a few in particular bearing a direct link to Spector's methods.
- The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds
Brian Wilson watched Spector like a hawk, and with his masterpiece "Pet Sounds," went so far as hiring many of the musicians Spector consistently employed for his biggest hits. This record is many things, but one of them is certainly a love letter to Spector's style.
- Bruce Springsteen, Born To Run
The title tune is all Spector, Springsteen wrapping his wizened romanticism around his own brand of the "Wall of Sound." Elsewhere, "Jungleland," "She's the One" and "Backstreets" give a nod to Spector's "teen symphonies."
- Richard Hawley, Cole's Corner
Hawley used reverb and echo in Spectorian proportions on this slab of massive, earnest romanticism. A post-modern Righteous Brothers.
- The Flaming Lips, The Soft Bulletin
Less of a direct connection, but producer (and Western New Yorker) Dave Fridmann used layering and ornate instrumentation to create a mood of dramatic ambience throughout this gem.
- Bruce Springsteen, The Rising/Magic
Producer Brendan O'Brien created lush layers of Spector-like intrigue throughout the dense "Risng" album. And the recent "Magic" features some pure Spector in the grandiose "Your Own Worst Enemy" and "Girls In their Summer Clothes."
Did I miss anything? Let me know.
(Photo: Spector in court while on trial for the murder of Lana Clarkson. Credit: Associated Press)
Trent Reznor, as leader of (and mastermind behind) Nine Inch Nails, has always been an industry rebel. Now a free independent artist with no major label ties, Reznor has been releasing albums at a rapid clip and making them available for a pittance. (Interestingly, as recently reported in Rolling Stone, the guy's making a killing doing so, minus the middle-man.)
Now, Reznor and NIN have outdone Radiohead - that band offered its recent "In Rainbows" on a pay-what-you-like basis to fans, via its web site - by making the new "The Slip" available to fans at no charge. That's right - a complete, high-quality DRM-free download of the whole album is yours for the taking at www.NIN.com. There, you'll also find a note from Trent, reading in part, "Thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years - this one's on me." Pretty cool.
More importantly, "The Slip" is easily the best NIN album since "The Downward Spiral". Seriously. It's bold and creative, and boasts stronger hooks than anythng Reznor's done in quite a while.
Grab the record, and share your thoughts on it here.
Madonna's "Hard Candy" got its U.S. release today, and marks the dance diva's attempt to reclaim dominance amongst the current crop of pop-tarts. In the spirit of Lewis Black's new Comedy Central show "The Root of All Evil," I'm interested in getting your take on Madonna's relevance, or lack thereof.
I'll kick things off by suggesting that Madonna is the "Root of All Evil," because she set in motion a chain of events that allowed -- nay, encouraged! -- the appearance of everyone from Paula Abdul to Britney Spears. Also, Gwen Stefani, who was annoying enough when she was merely the lead singer with No Doubt, has been suffering from delusions of Madonna-ness, fully engaged by this point in a solo career that shamelessly apes her forebear and indulges in white-girl hip-hop like there's no tomorrow. Finally, Madonna is evil because she thinks being in great physical shape gives her license to appear on album covers and in videos decked out in all sorts of sleazy bondage gear. That's just wrong! Please, stop the madness!
OK, your turn. And please, keep your comments limited to her royal Mandonna-ness. If you have something nasty to say to (or about) me, send me an e-mail at jmiers@buffnews.com.
(Photo: Associated Press)
Secret Machines is one of the coolest bands of the decade, I think. Here's a few clips suggesting what next Friday's show inside the Town Ballroom might be like...
Secret Machines -- "Lightning Blue Eyes"
Secret Machines -- "All at Once (It's not Important)"
Anyone interested in where hip-hop might be going should know where it has been (see my take on that here). Here are a few videos from the early greats -- Afrika Bambaataa, Public Enemy, and KRS One. Anyone have any other early favorites?
Afrika Bambaataa - "Planet Rock"
Public Enemy -- "Fight the Power"
KRS One, Rakim, Nas, Kanye West -- "Classic"
Saturday is the first annual Record Store Day.
It will be celebrated all over the world by people who are trying desperately to hang onto a valuable part of the past, despite all evidence suggesting that what's gone ain't coming back.
In Buffalo, New World Record -- long a vital hub of the local music community, and an award-winning indie record store -- has decided to follow in the path of the much-missed Home of the Hits, and will close its doors following a full schedule of celebratory events on Saturday in honor of Record Store Day.
Record Theatre, the longest-tenured indie music chain in town, closed its Lancaster store out of the blue last week, leaving an extremely knowledgeable staff out of work and an incredibly diverse stock of "product" without a home.
All of this truly sucks.
New World Record begins a full day of live music at 1 p.m. Saturday. Visit www.newworldrecord.com for details on who, what and when. Info on Record Theatre's plans for the day will be available at www.RecordTheatre.com .
I'm not sure if Record Baron in Kenmore is participating, but why not stop by and peruse some beautiful, rare vinyl just for the hell of it?
Watching the music industry die has had its enjoyable moments, certainly, but bearing witness to the dissolution of truly local record stores has been painful and disheartening. Like libraries, they have long served as both meeting places for the community and as physical manifestations of history. You ain't gonna get that sitting all alone in front of your computer screen.
Please write in and share your own thoughts on record stores -- what they've meant to you, what their gradual disappearance signifies, etc. Check out Record Store Day, which may be too little too late, but, as the song says, "though we might have precious little, it's still precious."
Here are a few artists who support Record Store Day offering their feelings on the event.
Tom Waits
Folks who work here are professors
Don't replace all the knowers
with guessors
Keep'em open
they're the ears of the town
Paul McCartney
There's nothing as glamorous to me as a record store. When I recently played Amoeba in LA, I realised what fantastic memories such a collection of music brings back when you see it all in one place. This is why I'm more than happy to support Record Store Day and I hope that these kinds of stores will be there for us all for many years to come. Cheers!
Bruce Springsteen
"I buy CDs all the time. I'll go into a record store and just buy $500 worth of CDs. I will! I am singlehandedly supporting what's left of the record business.
I hate to see record stores disappear, and I'm old-school in that I think you should pay for your music. But what my kids do is download a lot of things, pay for them, and then if they love something, they'll get the CD. That may be the future.”
Ben Harper
“Independent record stores are much more than the name suggests. They are an international community and platform where music has an outlet and an opportunity to grow over the long term, in a way that sincerely connects with community and culture. They are also a magnificent mob of highly opinionated musical bandits which I am proud to call my pals!"
I wasn't able to catch the entire Umphrey's Mcgee twin-set gig inside the Town ballroom on Wednesday night because of deadlines, and so my review doesn't have a complete set list. (Also, I mislabeled "The Fussy Dutchman" as "The Fuzzy Dutchman". Sorry.) Here's the complete list from Wednesday's inspired show.
| Set One | Utopian Fir > Anchor Drops, The Fussy Dutchman, All In Time > Senor Mouse > All In Time |
| Set Two | Ocean Billy^, Search 4, FF > August, Bridgeless |
| Encore | Liquid > Roulette |
My story today in the Spotlight section discusses some of the best Rockumentaries. Here are a (very) few of my favorite moments in rock/pop films. Please comment below with some of your own!
1) Keith Richards smashes bum-rushing fan over the head with his Telecaster ("Let's Spend the Night Together," 1982)
2) John Lennon, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchellplay "Yer Blues" ("The Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus," 1968)
3) Paul McCartney daydreams "Fool On the Hill" ("Magical Mystery Tour," 1968)
4) Bleary-eyed Beatles still shine in performance of their musical epitaph ("Let It Be," 1970)
5) David Byrne wears the big suit for "Girlfriend Is Better" ("Stop Making Sense," 1984)
The Rolling Stones have already released 10 official live albums, several concert DVDs, and a few concert films. The "unofficial" download market is flooded with less-than-official live recordings from over the years as well.
So the accompanying soundtrack to Martin Scorcese's "Shine A Light" might seem like just another gratuitous cash-in. Be assured, however, that it isn't. (Or if it is, it's more than that, too.) From the start, even minus Scorcese's brilliant framing of the event, "Shine A Light" is a scorcher, a top-notch representation of the rough-shod beauty imparted by an above-average Stones show.
There are two editions available -- a condensed single disc, and a twin-disc, 24-song collection featuring all the guest performances and several tracks not found in the film or on the single disc. I recommend Stones fans grab the double disc set. It's raw, irreverent, sloppy and beautiful. And by all means, go see the film, which opens at the Transit Regal IMAX on Friday, and share your thoughts on it.
Here's a teaser.
Jeff Miers has been The Buffalo News' Pop Music Critic since 2001. Prior to that date, he
served as editor in chief of one alternative news weekly, and music editor of another.
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