What I’ve Been Listening to and Reading Lately
Sharon Van Etten – Epic (Ba Da Bing)
This is the best female singer-songwriter record I’ve heard in ages. She dedicates the 7 song, 32 minute album (or is it an EP?) to Fleetwood Mac for changing her life and their influence as well as that of other ’70s singer-songwriter types can be detected, but it’s also a more modern affair. The opening strums of album opener “A Crime” recall those of “Love Goes On” from The Go-Betweens‘ sublime 1988 masterpiece 16 Lovers Lane while the fadeout to the last track “Love More” recalls Death Cab for Cutie‘s “The Sound of Settling”. The influences on the rest of this disc (including the droning “Dsharpg” and “Don’t Do It”, a song that could be a huge hit to my ears) are hard to pinpoint, though, but that’s a tribute to her uniqueness as is the addictive power of these songs and her voice. A must.
Wire – Red Barked Tree (Pink Flag)
You can stream it here.
This is easily my favorite Wire album of the last decade. Opener “Please Take” recalls the melody of “Map Reference 41 N 93 W” from 154 and several other songs on the album hint at that album’s moodiness as well. Overall, though it has more in common with their last album Object 47, though with better tunes.
The Fresh and Onlys – Play It Strange (In the Red)
What if Dum Dum Girls had a male lead vocalist and listened to Television and The Feelies a little more? One would get this San Francisco’s band third album, albeit my first exposure to them. I love this short of garage-pop fuzz and along with the aforementioned Dum Dum Girls as well as Surfer Blood, they’ve produced one of the finest albums of this sort in the last several years.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – “Heart in Your Heartbreak” EP (Slumberland)
The A-side will be on their forthcoming album “Belong” and is a killer. Building on the progression from their amazing debut to the much more polished “Higher than the Stars” EP, this Flood and Alan Moulder-produced affair sounds once again like a lost NME single of the week from 1992 or so. The B-side, “The One”, is almost as excellent. You can stream both songs here.
Social Distortion – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (Epitaph)
This may be my favorite Social Distortion album since their 1990 self-titled major label debut. There are some notable changes. There are female backing singers on several tracks in yet another nod to Mike Ness‘ perpetual Rolling Stones influence. Instead of just aping them, though, he and by extension Social Distortion (as he’s the only original member left) have built their own legacy and have their own sound down pat after all this time. Therefore, at this point you pretty much know what to expect and fans of the band should enjoy this greatly.
X – Aspirations (Rocknroll Blitzkrieg)
Not the legendary Los Angeles band (a big favorite here as well), but the seminal Australian band. This is a 2001 vinyl reissue of their classic 1979 debut (and on cherry red colored vinyl, no less). Having never heard it until now, I was expecting a more ’77 punk affair. Instead, this is hard-edged post-punk not a million miles from early Wipers (like their 1st Lp Is This Real?) or more accurately, a less dance/dub influenced early Killing Joke. What’s amazing about it is that even after over 30years, it sounds remarkably contemporary. Any fan of post-punk or Aussie underground rock needs this as part of his or her collection.
Mickey Leigh and Legs McNeil – I Slept with Joey Ramone (Touchstone, 2009)
Although I loved reading this book and couldn’t put it down, this account of Joey Ramone‘s life and career written by Leigh (his brother; I’m not sure what role McNeil had in writing this) will destroy notions of Joey as the “lovable” Ramone. Still, ultimately one feels sympathy for Joey due to the constant health problems and struggles with OCD that he had to endure throughout his life.
Patti Smith – Just Kids (Ecco, 2010)
This won a National Book Award recently and I got a chance to see Smith read from it about a month ago, which piqued my desire to read it that much more. I’m glad I did, because this not only feels like part of her autobiography as well as a story of two friends and lovers, but a tribute to the lost New York City of the ’60s and ’70s. Thus, this book will not only appeal to fans of Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe, but to connoisseurs of the time period as well.
The Jam – Sound Affects (Polydor)
My favorite Jam album as well as Paul Weller‘s favorite as well, this can be looked at as their post-punk album (my interpretation) or their attempt at psychedelia or perhaps both.
Broadcast – The Noise Made By People (Warp)
R.I.P. Trish Keenan, who passed away this past week due to complications from pneumonia. This is my favorite Broadcast album.
