Yesterday’s post aside, I haven’t been overly focused on music this week. I am reading a book about bluegrass, so I’ve been randomly running through the Bill Monroe lately. Bluegrass has often been associated with “hillbilly” music, but the reality is it’s very structured and provides maybe the best mix of technical skill and heart of any genre. One thing I learned is that, while it is acoustic music in one sense, it is electric in another. Because band members “took solos” in the same way that jazz players did, bluegrass required a complex choreography as soloists came forward to the microphone in order to stand out. None of the reading has convinced me, however, that a bluegrass cover of Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper” wouldn’t be amazing!
I got a promo in the mail yesterday for a film titled Paul McCartney Really Is Dead. I’m hoping to watch it in the next few days, so maybe I’ll have a review done next week. I’m really looking forward to it, because, while I doubt it will convince me that McCartney is actually dead, the “Paul is Dead” rumors and clues might be rock’s best conspiracy story.
Well, back to the business at hand. Here’s my (partial) list:
Carrie Rodriguez – Love and Circumstance
Thinking Machines – Work Tapes
Down By Law – Fly the Flag
Pama International – Float Like a Butterfly
Paul Simon – Graceland
Jimi Hendrix – Axis: Bold as Love
Bedouin Soundclash – Street Gospels
Gallow’s End-Nemisis Divine
Pearl-Little immaculate white fox
Anthrax-Among the living
The Sentinels-Surfer Girl
Mass-all four re-issues
The Chilli Hounds-Welcome to the show
Buddy Holly and the Crickets-The chirping crickets
Dark Throne-Circle the wagons
Blind Illusion-The Sane Asylum
I spent some time this week with both Pama International and Bedouin Soundclash as well. Weird.
If you like mellow stuff with an experimental edge, check out Not Drowning Waving. They were an Australian band that never broke in the states, but they put out some good albums… along the lines of David Sylvian and a bit like David Byrne’s quieter side.
Robert Plant – Principle of Moments – Great songs mired in ’80s production and synths.
Robert Plant – Manic Nirvana – Some of the worst lyrics Robert Plant ever wrote
Robert Plant – Fate of Nations
Elliott Smith – New Moon
Not Drowning, Waving – Claim
Underworld – Pearl’s Girl remixes
Danny Krivit – In the House
Deee-Lite – Infinity Within
Sarah Main – Pure Pacha Vol II (Summer 2005) – Disc 1
Paul Oakenfold – Faster Kill Pussycat remixes
And if anyone cares, here’s a live Not Drowning Waving clip. This one is a bit more along the lines of Peter Gabriel.
Heavy lean on the participants from last week’s concertc and Totimoshi’s probably gonna linger with me awhile, love ’em. One of the best-kept secrets in sludge rock today and boy, did they take OFF after two songs, whew…Melvins and Isis were likewise spectacular
Totimoshi – Milagrosa
Totimoshi – Ladron
Totimoshi – Mysterioso
Totimoshi – Monoli
Isis – Panopticon
Isis – In the Absence of Truth
Melvins – Stoner Witch
The Damned – Damned Damned Damned
Soundgarden – Louder Than Love
New York Dolls – s/t
Faster Pussycat – s/t
Bruce Springsteen – Magic
Mooney Suzuki – Electric Sweat
Halloween II soundtrack
Deftones – Diamond Eyes
Tool – Aenima