Music I’m Listening To At The Moment
There are a few CD’s I’ve recently “acquired” that I’m enjoying. Here’s the rundown.

Nick Drake, Made To Love Magic – Is there a higher power? Really? Then explain to me Nick Drake. How could music so utterly beautiful come from complete misery? Would a caring, sentient supreme being do that? Everything happens for a reason, you say? Fuck you, I say. Set of previously unreleased outtakes and demos, I really dig this version of “River Man” without the strings.

Modest Mouse, Good News For People Who Love Bad News – Still liking “Float On”, but the rest is a bit too nerd rock for me. Sometimes lo-fi glam, sometimes very Jayhawks-ish.

Young Heart Attack, Mouthful of Love – If The Darkness were from Texas and had a chick second lead singer, they’d sound a lot like Young Heart Attack. Is coed cock rock possible? Wailing about knocking boots and gettin' high, blatantly ripping off the synthesizer from “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, making nice with their inner Black Sabbath – Daddy likes. And they do a cover of MC5’s “Over And Over” (arguably one of the greatest rock songs of all time), that though inferior to the original, still blows the fucking doors off.

Velvet Revolver, Contraband – I was so much looking forward to this record, but it’s a lot more boring than it should be, which is a damn shame if you were at the sweltering Stone Temple Pilots show with me at the Brixton Academy in August 2001. There’s just not enough straight-ahead balls-out rock, and really the only power ballad that’s decent is “Loving The Alien”. But “Slither” and “Illegal i Song” kick ass.

Snow Patrol, Final Straw – Yet another of the next wave of UK bands that haven’t really broke over here yet. Which is a shame, since Snow Patrol, Feeder, Elbow, South, and a few others are a hell of a lot better than the bland American bands currently crudding up the works. Yellowcard, New Found Glory, Story of the Year, Hoobastank? Shite. Anyway, Snow Patrol certainly have a lot of Beach Boys and early R.E.M. influences, and “Chocolate” is a lovely song, even with the senseless title. To make a cycling reference, Snow Patrol is an able domestique of the UK rock peloton.

Ryan Adams, Love Is Hell - Unlike Nick Drake, the misery of Ryan Adams is just obnoxious and annoying. And he walks a fine line between being consistent or repetitive. I think he’d also be better off editing himself more, I’d prefer hearing a couple really great albums than a lot of decent ones. I just can’t see myself years from now still playing this one a lot, unlike the old Whiskeytown classic Strangers Almanac. But I dig the jangly distorted guitar at the end of “English Girls Approximately”, there are a few great tracks, and his cover of “Wonderwall” confirms that I was right in the argument with my bandmates that we shouldn’t do a faithful Oasis cover but go mellow with it. It’s so hard being right all the damn time.

Franz Ferdinand – The latest darlings of the UK rock press, it’s a quality album but on the whole over-hyped. I guess you could call it retro new wave. Sounds a lot like Blondie, The Minutemen, maybe even a little bit of Duran Duran and The Pixies. “Take Me Out” is definitely the best of the lot.

The Von Bondies, Pawn Shoppe Heart - Detroit outfit known more for lead singer Jason Stollsteimer getting his ass kicked by a variety of sources, including Jack White, than for their place in the garage rock revival. They don’t compare to The Strokes, but I’m liking this one better the more I listen to it. It’s got oodles of raunchy guitar riffs, but the chicks should sing most of the songs. Though I can’t deny a band with the lyric, “I’m not that social/Just a good drinker.”
- posted by Liebs @ 8:51 PM